CHAPEL HILL — Before he discussed offense, defense, special teams and moving on to Central Florida, UNC football coach Bill Belichick mentioned Mitch Mason.
Mason, who has served as the Tar Heels’ team chaplain since 2012, was diagnosed in 2020 with idiopathic small fiber neuropathy. The rare, incurable nerve disorder prevents Mason from getting out of bed without help and has placed him in and out of UNC Hospital. Despite the setbacks, Mason has long been known as a “Carolina father figure” by those around the athletics department and throughout Chapel Hill.
“First of all, after the game, (UNC) chancellor (Lee) Roberts and the team dedicated the game ball to Mitch, who’s been with the team for a long time. He’s a real inspirational person for us,” Belichick said during his opening statement after UNC’s 41-6 win against Richmond in Week 3 at Kenan Stadium.
“And of course, I’ve only known him since I’ve been here, but he’s been an important part of this team through the years. And so just want to make sure that everybody realizes how important he is to us and how he was recognized by the team after the game, and we dedicated the game and the ball to him. He got on the iPad and talked to us afterwards. He’s fighting and we’re praying for him. Just all want to wish him well and let him know how much we’re behind him.”
Following the Tar Heels’ first home win of the season, UNC posted a video of the locker room celebration with a post that mentioned Mason and the message: “Thank you for inspiring us.”
In the video, several Tar Heels, including wide receiver Chris Culliver, defensive back Kaleb Cost and tight end Jake Johnson are shown chatting with Mason, who FaceTimed the team. At the end of the video, Belichick and Roberts show Mason the game ball.
“We want to present a game ball to you,” Belichick says in the video. “Thanks for being with us. I hope you saw it today. These guys played great and they played for you.”
Roberts adds: “Mitch, thank you very much. Thank you for all the support. You’re an inspiration to everybody here. This ball is for you.”
The video ends with the Tar Heels applauding Mason.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
