Star Power in Chapel Hill: Celebrities Pack Belichick’s UNC Debut

There will be a sellout crowd tonight as North Carolina takes on a stellar TCU program in front of a national audience on ESPN with Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit calling the game.

While the main focus will be on UNC head coach Bill Belichick, he won't be the biggest star on the field.

UNC will have many celebrities in attendance, from former UNC athletes to country music stars.

Oh yeah, that's not including Pat McAfee and Nick Saban, Belichick's longtime coaching confidante.

Here is the list of notable celebrities that will be attending the game and a brief biography of them.

List of Confirmed Attendees Michael Jordan Mia Hamm Lawrence Taylor Julius Peppers Eric Church Chase Rice Blake Snell MJ.

The GOAT.

Air Jordan.

His Airness.

If you ask a person to name one athlete who attended the University of North Carolina, nine out of 10 times they will say Michael Jordan.

Jordan became a fan favorite after hitting the game-winning shot in North Carolinas win over Georgetown in the 1982 national championship , giving Dean Smith his first ever national championship as a head coach.

From there, he built on a stellar freshman season, earning first-team All-ACC honors twice, becoming a two-time All-American and sweeping nearly every major national award, including ACC Player of the Year, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award.

I would continue, but I think everyone reading this knows what happens next in Jordans story.

Hamm led the Tar Heels to four national championships during her five seasons at North Carolina.

The only year she didnt win a title at UNC was 1991when Hamm redshirted to prepare for the inaugural FIFA Womens World Cup in China.

Hamm would help lead the United States to become world champions after defeating Norway in the Finals.

She finished her college career as the ACCs all-time leader in goals (103), assists (72) and points (278), and was later honoredalongside Michael Jordanas one of the ACCs Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years.

Hamm would finish with two World Cup championships and two Olympic Gold Medals.

She would also be the first woman to be inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.

Originally a defensive lineman before moving to linebacker, Taylor was a unanimous All-American selection in 1980 after recording 16 sacksa single-season school record that still stands.

That same year, he was named ACC Player of the Year, becoming just one of four defensive players to ever win the award.

Taylors No.

98 jersey was retired for his accomplishments at North Carolina.

After leaving Chapel Hill, Taylor went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the New York Giants, winning two Super Bowls.

He was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award in 1986 still the only defensive player to ever earn the honor.

Peppers, the two-time All-American - going- unanimous and two-time All-ACC performer, started 33 of the 34 games he played in and finished his career second all-time in sacks.

He also recorded 167 tackles, a school-record 53 tackles for loss, five interceptions, five forced fumbles and 13 pass breakups.

His peak season happened in his sophomore season in 2000 as he racked up 64 tackles, 24 tackles for loss (still a school record), three forced fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns (pick six and fumble recovery).

In 2001, Peppers won the Bednarik Award, Bill Willis Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy after tallying 63 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and a forced fumble.

Nicknamed The Chief, Church earned multiple awards, including CMA Entertainer of the Year, for his electrifying live shows and rebellious spirit.

With hits like Springsteen and Record Year, Church has built a reputation as a boundary-pushing storyteller in modern country music.

Even though he is an Appalachian State alumnus, Church is a lifelong UNC and even canceled a concert just so he could attend the famous Carolina-Duke Final Four game in 2022.

Chase Rice is a country music singer-songwriter who is known for blending country with rock and pop influences, carving out his place as one of the genres most dynamic performers.

Before turning to music, he played linebacker for UNC, but his career was cut short by injuries.

Rice then wenr on to have hits like Ready Set Roll and co-wrote Florida Georgia Lines smash single Cruise.

Snell is considered to be one of the best pitchers in the MLB.

He is a two-time Cy Young Award winner who is currently pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers Be sure to follow North Carolina Tar Heels On SI on X (formerly Twitter) , and dont forget to like our page on Facebook !.

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