After every game, players are recognized, highlights are shown and athletes are glorified in interviews. But the people cheering their lungs out in the stands do not receive the same accolades and attention. However, one University of North Carolina (UNC) superfan was recognized for his dedication in a tweet sent by one of his favorite players.
“I feel like the dude with the fro in the risers of every UNC game has been there for like 7 years,” former UNC basketball point guard Marcus Paige wrote on Twitter.
Paige brings up an interesting point. There always seems to be a guy in the front row of every UNC sporting event with what looks like a 12-foot afro. Every time fans turn on the TV they see his iconic ‘do: football games, basketball, the National Championship game in Phoenix. How is he at every game? But more importantly: Who is this fan?
That “dude with the fro” is superfan, recent UNC graduate and Chapel Hill High alumnus (class of 2013) Josh Mayo.
“I was in the risers at UNC vs Northern Iowa when [Paige] tweeted that,” Mayo said. “Some of the people around me pointed it out to me. It was really cool because Marcus is one of my all-time favorite Tar Heels.”
While Mayo worked on his degree in Public Policy and Political Science, he found a way to make it to almost every sporting event he could. “My favorite part of going to games was being able to meet people and just enjoy the sense of community,” Mayo said. “There’s a lot of school pride at UNC, and it’s really fun to experience it. I wanted to take full advantage during my time at UNC.”
When asked how many games he attended while at UNC, Mayo responded, “I honestly have no idea. I know I went to every football game, only missed three basketball games and five women’s basketball games.”
North Carolina basketball tickets can cost upwards of $100 or more. Mayo was always standing in the front row of the risers, the best seats in the house, yet he did not have to pay one cent.
Mayo was part of a UNC sporting attendance tracker, Carolina Fever, which rewards students for attending games. Mayo, along with 150 other students who went to most sporting events, were given prime seating for men’s basketball games. Mayo took advantage of Carolina Fever for his entire four years.
Mayo started his superfan journey in high school. Mayo was a student at Chapel Hill High School from 2009 to 2013. “I went to just about every home basketball and football game I could,” Mayo said about his time at Chapel Hill High School.
There were many exciting plays during Mayo’s four years at the University of North Carolina: Marcus Paige’s game-winner against Louisville; Carolina’s last-second touchdown against Pittsburgh; Isaiah Hicks’s posterization of a Northern Iowa defender who had no idea what he was getting himself into. Mayo witnessed many iconic moments at UNC, but one memory stands out to Mayo.
After a heart-numbing loss, the year before, the North Carolina Tar Heels took the court at the University of Phoenix Stadium to try to complete its revenge tour. While the Tar Heels performed warm-up jump shots, Mayo stepped into the student section one last time.
“My favorite memory has to be winning the national championship this year,” Mayo said. “After a long trip to Phoenix, a great experience in town and the disappointment of losing to Villanova, it was amazing to see the team win in person and stand tall.”
Just like seniors Nate Britt, Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks, Josh Mayo ended his career as a champion. There is no doubt that he will always be a Tar Heel.
