UNC Football's Oldest Team Captain Passes Away

Posted Jun 6, 2016
The oldest living team captain from Tar Heel football died Saturday in Winston-Salem. Ralph Strayhorn Jr. was 93 years old. Strayhorn played at Carolina in 1941-43, left for the Navy in 1944-45 and returned for a final year in 1946. That team catapulted the Tar Heel program and its “Choo Choo” locomotive into the nation’s football elite. (UNC Lettermen)

Related: Football, Football Recruiting

Defensive Lineman Leroy Jackson Working to Build on Breakout Season at UNC
Now a redshirt sophomore Leroy Jackson enters 2026 as UNC Football’s third-leading returning tackler along the defensive line, trailing Melkart Abou-Jaoude (47) and Isaiah Johnson...
Thu Apr 23, 2026

How far has UNC Football fallen?
As fans, we’ve been there for the end of the Larry Fedora era, the start of Mack Brown 1.0, the sputtering of Carl Torbush, John...
Thu Apr 23, 2026

Why Lawrence Taylor is the New York Giants’ Greatest NFL Draft Pick of All Time
In the 89 years since the NFL Draft process was instituted, there has been just one draft pick made by the New York Giants in...
Wed Apr 22, 2026

Bobby Petrino’s Offense Building Behind UNC Football's Youth Movement
A much different and much younger UNC Football team enters the closing stretch of spring practice this week. After a season in which the Tar...
Wed Apr 22, 2026