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North Carolina Tar Heels: Looking Back at 33 Bowl Games

By John Woodcock

Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Jordon Brown (2) scores a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal defense at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels running back Jordon Brown (2) scores a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal defense at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells is greeting by Lawrence Taylor on stage during half time ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of their championship at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Former New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells is greeting by Lawrence Taylor on stage during half time ceremony honoring the 25th anniversary of their championship at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

4. 1980 Blue Bonnet Bowl

The last North Carolina Tar Heel team to win the ACC Championship did not go to the Gator Bowl or one of the big bowls like the Sugar or the Cotton as in days past. No, the Tar Heels played Texas in the Astrodome in the Blue Bonnet Bowl. The bowl started in 1959 and ran until 1987 to bring a bowl game to the Houston area.

The game featured the 10-1 Heels against the 7-4 Longhorns. The Heels came into the game with a number 13 rating by the AP. The 1980 championship team was built on the dual threat running of Amos Lawrence and a young Kelvin Bryant. On the defense was pass rushing maniac Lawrence Taylor and safety Steve Streater.

The first half witnessed lots of offense with big scoring plays by Lawrence scoring on a 59 yard run on his way to 104 rushing yards in the game. Bryant added another first half touchdown so that Carolina had a 13-7 halftime lead on Texas. Texas had also racked up 224 yards of offense in the first half to get their only points.

The second half saw a defensive shutdown by the Tar Heels as Taylor ran wild. He made tackles seemingly everywhere. Streater contributed a couple of turnovers to seal the game so that Texas never truly came back in this one.

This game probably would not have been ranked so high if it was just not such a showcase for Lawrence Taylor, the ACC Player of the Year and future NFL Hall of Fame selection.

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