UNC-Chapel Hill bears the nickname "Tar Heels," but the university's official mascot is a ram. At events, however, UNC fans might see a live animal called Ramses, or two costumed performers — one also known as Ramses and the other nicknamed RJ, short for Ramses Junior. How does this all make sense?

Ramses performing at the 2022 Universal Dance Association nationals with the Carolina Girls Dance team in Orlando, FL.

Because North Carolina was a massive source of tar and pitch for the English navy in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was often referred to as the "Tar and Turpentine State," and its inhabitants were known as "Tar Boilers." In 1781, it was rumored that British Gen.Charles Cornwallis led troops through the Tar River, which flowed near the borders of North Carolina and Virginia. The group emerged with tar on their feet, which had been supposedly dumped into the river by the Americans to prevent the British army from taking it. This story, most likely folklore, was passed down to the Civil War era, when North Carolinians were given the nickname "Tar Heels" for their grit in battle. Robert E. Lee was among many of the army generals to have made this reference, who is said to have stated: "God bless the Tar Heel boys." Post-Civil War, the nickname had a negative connotation, referring to the 'dirt eaters' and lower classes of the south, but soon gained a notoriety as it was equated with honesty and state pride. Thus, in 1893, when students at the University of North Carolina established a campus newspaper, they dubbed it The Tar Heel (now known as The Daily Tar Heel). And the rest, well, is history.

The ram came into the picture in 1924 through UNC's head cheerleader at the time, Vic Huggins. Though the school posted a lackluster 4-5 record that season, it went 9-1 two seasons before, led by fullback Jack Merritt. Because of the way he bulldozed into lines, Merritt was nicknamed "the battering ram." That epithet inspired Huggins, and with $25 given to him by athletic business manager Charlie Woollen, he purchased Ramses the First and outfitted the ram with a monogrammed blanket. The lineage of rams has been bred and cared for at Hogan's Magnolia View Farm ever since, which is about a 15-minute drive from the UNC campus.

Ramses entering the field at the UNC v. Duke rivalry game on Nov. 19, 1965.

By the late 1980s, UNC was the only school in the ACC without a costumed mascot — and of course, Ramses could not make appearances at indoor facilities. As North Carolina was rising to fame on the basketball front, the Carolina Athletic Association decided to hold tryouts for a costumed mascot to be debuted during the 1987-88 basketball season. Ramses was an immediate hit, and through a few iterations of the suit, Ramses has proudly represented the university for over three decades.

The second iteration of the Ramses costume mascot in 1991, stunted by male cheerleaders at a home UNC football game.

In 2015, RJ made his debut alongside Ramses at UNC basketball's season promotional event Late Night with Roy. Designed as the son of Ramses, RJ has blue eyes, blue horns, less muscular definition and a softer expression, and is said to appeal to the younger audiences at UNC events. The two split time making appearances around campus, namely at athletic events, university-sponsored events, fundraisers and community events.