A Guide to North Carolina’s College Mascots Posted Sep 3, 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels: Rather than confront the stark difficulty of humanizing a foot, UNC went with Rameses the Ram in 1924, borrowing the nickname of star fullback Jack “Battering Ram” Merrit. The mascot stuck when a kicker hit a game-winning field goal in the presence of a live Rameses the university had ordered from Texas. (Our State Magazine)