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The Daily Tar Heel

When North Carolina stole the head of Duke’s mascot last year, for many it was considered the ultimate rivalry gutpunch.

But this weekend, UNC will try to reclaim a more traditional symbol of the rivalry — the Victory Bell.

Last year, Duke claimed the Victory Bell for the first time since 2003 after beating UNC 33-30.

Rick Brewer, UNC’s sports information director emeritus, said the tradition was started in 1948 by Duke cheerleader Loring Jones and UNC cheerleader Norman Spear.

The bell, which was made from a railroad engine, is mounted on a cart, which the winning football team gets to paint either Carolina blue or Duke blue. UNC has owned the bell for 21 of the 23 last seasons.

Sophomore football fan Shelby Tanous said she wants the bell back on UNC’s turf.

“It shows that even though football isn’t as big as a sport at both of our schools as basketball, it shows that we do still have a rivalry,” she said.

Ryan Switzer, a freshman receiver, said winning back the bell means a lot to the team’s seniors especially.

“They’ve got the video of Duke spray painting it in our locker room right after the game on Saturday actually, so it’s a big deal for us,” he said. “They’ve got TVs in the weight room, in the training room, in the locker room, it gets old.

“We want to get it back for our seniors and for the fans who had to deal with us playing an average par game last year.”

The team’s mantra of being 1-0 every week is the most important thing for players to remember, said football coach Larry Fedora, especially as UNC takes on a tougher Duke team than in years past. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 24, and the Tar Heels haven’t faced a ranked Duke squad since 1994.

“Every time you win, the next game is more important,” he said. “You start out 1-5 then every one of them is more important. I can assure you I’m not going to have to do anything to create more motivation for our guys.”

Eric Ebron, a junior tight end who declared for the NFL draft Monday, said winning the bell means everything to him because it’s his last home game.

“We plan on getting it back, and to go out with that, that would be the best thing for me.”

sports@dailytarheel.com

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