Gift honors voice of the Tar Heels

When Woody Durham’s father came home from World War II, he and his wife had tickets to UNC football games.

Without paying for a third ticket, the 6-year-old Durham sat between his mother and father, absorbing those games of the late 1940s — the days of football great Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice.

He has been a Carolina fan ever since.

Today, the “Voice of the Tar Heels” has broadcast more than 1,500 UNC basketball and football games. In honor of his 34 years of service, an anonymous donor has given a lead gift to establish the Woody Durham Distinguished Professorship in the Department of Communication Studies.

Del Helton, the director of communication for UNC’s Arts & Sciences Foundation, said the goal is to raise at least $500,000 in cash and pledges and qualify for state matching funds.

The professorship will set up an endowment for the recruitment or retention of a faculty member in the department.

Durham said he was humbled and flattered to be honored with a professorship in his name, recognizing the strength of UNC athletics as key to his own accomplishments.

“I bring it right back and give all the credit to the teams at Carolina and their success,” he said. “They’ve made old Woody sound good.”

Durham, who grew up in Albemarle, said he received his first job in radio broadcasting during high school, working an hour every morning before school and attending football practice after school.

“I knew I wasn’t going to play in college, and I thought, ‘Maybe I can take broadcasting and my love for sports and turn that into something,’” he said.

When Durham entered UNC, his career goal centered on television. He received an education inside and outside the classroom, working for three years as a sports director at WUNC-TV.

“I was learning a lot in the classroom from teachers like John Ehle, Earl Wynn and Wesley Wallace,” he said.

“I was able to almost step right out of the classroom and put some of it to work for me. I probably spent more time at WUNC-TV than in my dorm room.”

After graduating from UNC in 1963 with a degree in radio, television and motion pictures, Durham worked in television until he received a telephone call that would change the direction of his life.

Homer Rice, then UNC’s athletic director, asked him to meet for lunch in Greensboro to discuss his interest in filling the place of radio announcer Bill Currie, who was taking a job in television.

Before deciding, Durham talked with his wife and asked for the backing of former football coach Bill Dooley and basketball coach Dean Smith, both of whom pledged their support.

“I love North Carolina, and I’d grown up here and wanted to stay here,” Durham said. “What better job can you have in my business than to broadcast for the Tar Heels?”

More than three decades later, Durham has witnessed numerous legendary moments in the history of UNC athletics.

His favorite basketball memories include the national championships of 1982 and 1993.

One of his football highlights is from this past year — the intense Tar Heel win over No. 4 Miami. “I’ve never been in Kenan Stadium for a moment like that,” Durham said.

“The way it was won over such a great team and the way the crowd and students responded — it was a magical moment.”

Durham’s son, Wes, has followed in his father’s footsteps, broadcasting the play-by-play for Georgia Tech for 10 years. He said his dad is still his all-time favorite announcer.

“Every time I listen to him, I pick up things,” he said. “There is a reason he is the best out there.”

Wes attributes the dedication of the professorship to his father’s lifetime of loyalty to the University.

“I’m 39, and I can’t remember a time in my life when my dad did not do something for Carolina, and not just in athletics.”

Woody Durham’s distinct voice has consistently brought UNC athletics to life, guiding the faithful fans through each turn of the game.

UNC’s associate director of athletic communications, Steve Kirschner, said football and basketball games really become a personal event for those listening to Durham.

“I think he has one of the most recognizable voices in all of college athletics,” he said.

“Carolina fans that have been listening to Woody for the past 30 years know Woody’s voice as well as they know their own parents’ voice.”

Contact the Features Editor at features@unc.edu.