The North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry is a series of athletic contests between in-state rivals, the University of North CarolinaTar Heels and the Wake Forest UniversityDemon Deacons. The first game was played in 1888 between the two institutions.[1] Wake Forest was originally located in Wake Forest, North Carolina until it moved its campus across the state of North Carolina to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1956. Since the ACC expanded in the 21st century, first to 12 members in 2005 and most recently in 2013 to 14 football members, the two schools cannot play annually in football because the two schools were placed in separate divisions, and were assigned different opponents for their "protected" (i.e., annual) cross-division games. UNC and Wake Forest are respectively in the Coastal and Atlantic Divisions, with NC State as UNC's permanent cross-divisional opponent and Duke as Wake Forest's.
The football rivalry, first meeting in 1888, is the oldest intercollegiate football rivalry in the American state of North Carolina[1] As of 2019, there have been 107 games between the two teams. Currently UNC have 69 wins, Wake 36 wins and 2 games ended in a tie. The 2019 & 2021 games will officially be non-conference games and thus will not be counted in the ACC standings.[2][3][4]
This unusual occurrence of a non-conference regular season game between teams in the same conference has only occurred once before in the recent history of the major FBS conferences.[5]
North Carolina victories
Wake Forest victories
Ties
Forfeits
No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score
1
1888
Raleigh
Wake Forest
6–4
2
1889
Raleigh
North Carolina
33–0
3
1889
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
18–8
4
1891
Raleigh
Wake Forest†
1–0
5
1893
Raleigh
North Carolina
40–0
6
1908
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
17–0
7
1909
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
18–0
8
1910
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
37–0
9
1911
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
12–3
10
1912
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
9–2
11
1913
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
7–0
12
1913
Durham
North Carolina
29–0
13
1914
Durham
North Carolina
53–0
14
1914
Raleigh
North Carolina
12–7
15
1915
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
35–0
16
1916
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
20–0
17
1919
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
6–0
18
1920
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
6–0
19
1921
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
21–0
20
1922
Goldsboro
North Carolina
62–0
21
1923
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
22–0
22
1924
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
7–6
23
1925
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
6–0
24
1926
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
13–0
25
1927
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
9–8
26
1928
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
65–0
27
1929
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
48–0
28
1930
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
13–7
29
1931
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
37–0
30
1932
Chapel Hill
Tie
0–0
31
1933
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
26–0
32
1934
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
21–0
33
1935
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
14–0
34
1936
Charlotte
North Carolina
14–7
35
1937
Wake Forest
North Carolina
28–0
36
1938
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
14–6
37
1939
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
36–6
38
1940
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
12–0
39
1941
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
13–0
40
1942
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
6–0
41
1944
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
7–0
42
1945
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
14–13
43
1946
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
26–14
44
1947
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
19–7
45
1948
Wake Forest
North Carolina
28–6
46
1949
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
28–14
47
1950
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
13–7
48
1951
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
39–7
49
1952
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
9–7
50
1953
Wake Forest
North Carolina
18–13
51
1954
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
14–7
52
1955
Wake Forest
Wake Forest
25–0
53
1956
Chapel Hill
Tie
6–6
54
1957
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
14–7
55
1958
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
26–7
56
1959
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
21–19
No.
Date
Location
Winner
Score
57
1960
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
13–12
58
1961
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
17–14
59
1962
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
23–14
60
1963
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
21–0
61
1964
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
23–0
62
1965
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
12–10
63
1966
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
3–0
64
1967
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
20–10
65
1968
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
48–31
66
1969
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
23–3
67
1970
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
14–13
68
1971
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
7–3
69
1972
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
21–0
70
1973
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
42–0
71
1974
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
31–0
72
1975
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
21–9
73
1976
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
34–14
74
1977
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
24–3
75
1978
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
34–29
76
1979
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
24–19
77
1980
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
27–9
78
1981
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
48–10
79
1982
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
24–7
80
1983
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
30–10
81
1984
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
14–3
82
1985
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
34–14
83
1986
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
40–30
84
1987
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
22–14
85
1988
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
42–24
86
1989
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
17–16
87
1990
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
31–24
88
1991
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
24–10
89
1992
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
35–17
90
1993
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
45–35
91
1994
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
50–0
92
1995
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
31–7
93
1996
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
45–6
94
1997
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
30–12
95
1998
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
38–31
96
1999
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
19–3
97
2000
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
35–14
98
2001
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
32–31
99
2002
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
31–0
100
2003
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
42–34
101
2004
Winston-Salem
North Carolina
31–24
102
2006
Chapel Hill
Wake Forest
24–17
103
2007
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
37–10
104
2011
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
49–24
105
2012
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
28–27
106
2015
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
50–14
107
2019
Winston-Salem
Wake Forest
24–18
108
2020
Chapel Hill
109
2021
Chapel Hill
110
2022
Winston-Salem
† North Carolina had to forfeit.
Series: North Carolina leads 69–36–2
The rivalry dates back to when Wake Forest was in Wake Forest, NC, and was only a short distance from UNC's campus. The rivalry that grew between the two schools became very intense, with fights breaking out on the court in certain match ups. Their rivalry eventually expanded into the Big Four with NC State and Duke, which are recognized as being some of the fiercest rivalries in NCAA men's basketball.
Over the years there have been many classic and exciting games in this series. In 1983, UNC came back from behind to win 80–78 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
In 1995, the two teams faced each other in the ACC Tournament Championship game. Wake won behind center Tim Duncan and shooting guard Randolph Childress who made the go-ahead basket in an 82–80 overtime win.