One year into the evolution of our "new and improved" Carolina Lettermen's Association, I think it's a good idea to look at our mission statement and use it as a litmus test for the progress we've made.
"Unite Carolina Lettermen to enjoy fellowship and create support for the UNC Football Program."
I believe on both counts we've made tremendous strides.
An event like the reunion for the 1980 ACC championship team we held last November is exactly the kind of thing we need to be doing. I usually go with our team to the movies on Friday night, but I made an exception on Nov. 11 so I could drop by the DuBose House and join those guys for a couple of hours.
That was as good as I've felt at any of our lettermen's events over the years. It was special to see the camaraderie and bond that exists with those guys 25 years later. I can understand why that team won the ACC championship. Man, those guys are huge! Those are some big, good-looking guys. They're bigger than what we're playing with now, I can tell you that.
That reunion was an unqualified success, and we'll be looking for opportunities to salute other great teams in Tar Heel history. We're planning a 35-year event for the 1971-72 ACC championship squads this fall. I've seen a lot of those guys over the years as I was a senior on the 1971 team, but I hope to see everyone on that 9-3 squad. We made a lot of sacrifice and had a ton of commitment. A lot was demanded of us by Coach Bill Dooley and his coaches, and the players bought into it.
We've also improved the unity of our former Tar Heel players with the unveiling in the summer of 2005 of our new website and Lettermen's Directory. Most of you are far more computer-literate than I am. But I recognize progress when I see it, and when one of our lettermen can log onto a computer anywhere in the world and get a phone number for a guy he played with 35 years ago, I think that's pretty neat.
Our football program is obviously turning the corner toward week-in, week-out competitiveness and reaching our goal of winning another ACC title to go alongside all those other great Tar Heel teams of the past. The support we are getting from you guys is helping us get to where we need to be.
Our recruiting in Charlotte has improved immeasurably over the last few years, thanks in part to our many lettermen in Mecklenburg County. We signed three outstanding prospects from the Charlotte area this year, and Dave Brock, our receivers coach who handles recruiting in Charlotte, got plenty of help from our lettermen down there. You cannot contact a prospect on our behalf, but there is a lot of information and insight you can funnel our way to help in the recruiting process. Dave has a super network of contacts established in Charlotte, and I want to continue to build similar support groups in other key cities and areas around the state and the region.
Your eyes and ears in your community are important to us. If you have someone you think we should know about or take a look at, please let us know. Your insights can be important as you understand as well as anyone what we're looking for in a good football player. This is a particularly crucial year in the state of North Carolina. We just finished a banner year recruiting in-state, with 17 signees from North Carolina, and the 2007 recruiting class figures to be one of the best I've seen.
I'm delighted with some staff changes we've made. We were sorry to see Gary Tranquill retire after the 2005 season, but we've got a "young Gary Tranquill" moving into his slot as offensive coordinator. Frank Cignetti Jr. is an exceptionally bright and innovative coach and has known Tranquill for many years. He's installing a great offense and, after just a few spring practices, I can see how much fun our quarterbacks and skill players are going to have with it.
Mark Weber is our new offensive line coach and comes to us along with Frank from Fresno State. Mark is a great hire for us. He is passionate about the game and loves to coach the O-line. He develops great relationships with his players, going so far as to join them in the weight room at the break of dawn. His familiarity with Frank's system will help us get better, faster.
Danny Pearman is our new defensive ends coach, joining us from Virginia Tech. I've had my eye on Danny for several years. I've gotten to know him on the recruiting trail, and I've come to respect him as an outstanding recruiter and doggone good football coach. The integrity he brings to the program is very important to me. I told Billy Hite, my former teammate here at Carolina who's on Virginia Tech's staff, that I might come after Danny one day. I'm glad we've gotten him to Chapel Hill.
I hope you'll welcome these new guys into our Carolina Football Family. And thanks again for helping us make this association all it can be and for continuing to unite and support Tar Heel football.