The Old Well: A Love Story

As a long-time reader and first-time writer for Tar Heel Blog, I wanted to do an introductory post to say hello and tell a little bit about myself and my love for Tar Heel sports. Like Hubert Davis (and thousands of others) I met my wife at Carolina and shortly thereafter knew Chapel Hill was the place that I was going to propose. If you’ll indulge me, here’s the backstory:

The year was 2005.

The Tar Heel basketball and football teams were headed in opposite directions with the resurgent roundball Heels coming off their first national championship in 12 years under new coach Roy Williams, and the pigskin posse entering the waning years of the John Bunting era.

We got takeout from 411 West, the site of our first date, and ate it on the bench under the Davey poplar. Then we walked up to the Old Well.

I said, “Let’s have a drink for good luck.”

She said, “Hell no, people from State come up here and pee in that!”

“Well I’m having a sip,” I steadfastly replied. As I did, I noticed a tour of prospective students passing by. I turned and got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. The entire tour stopped and stared like a scene out of Inception. I thought, this is gonna be a romcom style eruption of applause when she says yes. How cool is that? Well, she did say yes, then the tour gave a collective shrug and continued on their merry way. Tough crowd.

Needless to say, my wife and I just celebrated our 18th anniversary. We are both diehard Tar Heel sports fans which I have to say makes life just a little bit easier. We even named our firstborn son Lawson (yeah, we went there). It was such a cool moment when we took him to his first game in the Dean Dome and saw the look on his face when he spotted Ty’s jersey in the rafters... and all the others.

We’ve celebrated 2 more euphoric basketball titles in 2009 and 2017 and suffered agonizing heartbreaks in 2012, 2016 (I still look away every time CBS tries to show me that Kris Jenkins shot) and 2022.

But there’s something that can’t be put into words about that place, Chapel Hill, the people you meet there, and the experiences you garner. but I will damn WELL try.