Bowl game season is underway after an exciting 2022 college football campaign. One successful program taking part in the postseason once again is the North Carolina Tar Heels, who will face Oregon in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Here's everything you need to know about North Carolina's bowl game history before making its next appearance.
North Carolina Bowl Game History
College football fans shouldn't be surprised to learn that North Carolina has built a storied bowl history prior to their Holiday Bowl matchup on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels have played in a bowl game in each of the last three postseasons and have racked up a total of 36 all-time bowl appearances prior to this year.
North Carolina's first bowl appearance came in the 1947 Sugar Bowl under head coach Carl Snavely. The Tar Heels fell short in a 20-10 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs and their first bowl win didn't come until 16 years later. They were able to take down the Air Force Falcons, 35-0, in the 1963 Gator Bowl.
The Tar Heels' most recent bowl appearance came in last year's Duke's Mayo Bowl under head coach Mack Brown. North Carolina couldn't keep up in a 38-21 loss to South Carolina in its second straight bowl loss. The Tar Heels have a chance to snap that streak in front of the San Diego crowd.
North Carolina Bowl Game Wins and Appearances
North Carolina owns a 15-21 all-time record (41.7%) in bowl games prior to facing Oregon. Check out the school's full bo wl results below.
- Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1947): Georgia 20, North Carolina 10
- Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1949): Oklahoma 14, North Carolina 6
- Cotton Bowl Classic (Jan. 2, 1950): Rice 27, North Carolina 13
- Gator Bowl (Dec. 28, 1963): North Carolina 35, Air Force 0
- Peach Bowl (Dec. 30, 1970): Arizona State 48, North Carolina 26
- Gator Bowl (Dec. 31, 1971): Georgia 7, North Carolina 3
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 30, 1972): North Carolina 32, Texas Tech 28
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 28, 1974): Mississippi State 26, North Carolina 24
- Peach Bowl (Dec. 31, 1976): Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0
- Liberty Bow l (Dec. 19, 1977): Nebraska 21, North Carolina 17
- Gator Bowl (Dec. 28, 1979): North Carolina 17, Michigan 15
- Bluebonnet Bowl (Dec. 31, 1980): North Carolina 16, Texas 7
- Gator Bowl (Dec. 28, 1981): North Carolina 31, Arkansas 27
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 25, 1982): North Carolina 26, Texas 10
- Peach Bowl (Dec. 30, 1983): Florida State 28, North Carolina 3
- Aloha Bowl (Dec. 27, 1986): Arizona 30, North Carolina 21
- Peach Bowl (Jan. 2, 1993): North Carolina 21, Mississippi State 17
- Gator Bowl (Dec. 31, 1993): Alabama 24, North Carolina 10
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 29, 1994): Texas 35, North Carolina 31
- CarQuest Bowl (Dec. 30, 1995): N orth Carolina 20, Arkansas 10
- Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1997): North Carolina 20, West Virginia 13
- Gator Bowl (Jan. 1, 1998): North Carolina 42, Virginia Tech 3
- Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 19, 1998): North Carolina 20, San Diego State 13
- Peach Bowl (Dec. 31, 2001): North Carolina 16, Auburn 10
- Continental Tire Bowl (Dec. 30, 2004): Boston College 37, North Carolina 24
- Meineke Car Care Bowl (Dec. 27, 2008): West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30
- Meineke Care Care Bowl (Dec. 26, 2009): Pittsburgh 19, North Carolina 17
- Music City Bowl (Dec. 31, 2010): North Carolina 30, Tennessee 27 (2OT)
- Independence Bowl (Dec. 26, 2011): Missouri 41, North Carolina 24
- Belk Bowl (Dec. 28, 2013): North Carolina 39, Cincinnati 17
- QuickLane Bowl (Dec. 26, 2014): Rutgers 40, North Carolina 21
- Russell Athletic Bowl (Dec. 29, 2015): Baylor 49, North Carolina 38
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 30, 2016): Stanford 25, North Carolina 23
- Military Bowl (Dec. 27, 2019): North Carolina 55, Temple 13
- Orange Bowl (Jan. 2, 2021): Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27
- Duke's Mayo Bowl (Dec. 30, 2021): South Carolina 38, North Carolina 21
- Holiday Bowl (Dec. 28, 2022): North Carolina TBD, Oregon TBD