Menu

The untold story of Edwin Okoroma, UNC’s first Black varsity athlete


Traveling up to Charlottesville, Va., to take on the University of Virginia in 1963, Edwin Okoroma and his fellow UNC men’s soccer teammates stopped at a restaurant. They entered the diner, and a woman approached him saying, “We don’t serve Blacks here.” For Black people living in the South during the 1960s, this was not an uncommon experience. (Daily Tar Heel)

Related:

UNC Women’s Soccer Tops Third-Seeded Tennessee, 3-1, In NCAA Tournament First Round
UNC Women's Soccer (13-6, 6-4 ACC) opened the 2025 NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 win on the road against No. 3 Tennessee (Highlights). The Tar...

UNC Women’s Soccer Prepares For No. 3 Tennessee In NCAA First Round
UNC Women's Soccer (12-6, 6-4 ACC) travels to Knoxville, Tenn. to take on the third seeded Tennessee Vols (12-3-3, 6-2-2 SEC) Friday in the first...

Heather O'Reilly Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame in First Year of Eligibility
Heather O'Reilly, who debuted at age 17 in 2002, might have made the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup Team if not for a broken leg...

Tobin Heath Elected to National Soccer Hall of Fame
Former UNC Women's Soccer star and 3-time national champion Tobin Heath became one of the USWNT’s most popular players and was voted into the National...

The untold story of Edwin Okoroma, UNC’s first Black varsity athlete