Someone who attended the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill? Kind of, but not entirely!
While UNC-Chapel Hill is a fine institution (nearly as good as NC State) the term "Tarheel" actually applies to all citizens of North Carolina, the finest single patch of territory on the face of God's green earth, in my opinion.
This storied nickname originated during the Civil War, and according to a 1912 newspaper, the term was first heard in Virginia between 1862 and 1863. According to the article:
"The designation was applied in jest to North Carolina about the camp-fires, following the custom of naming the soldiers from several states after the most distinctive product of that state. At the time, tar was perhaps North Carolina's best known product, and by a very easy change, the troops from this state were called 'Tar Heels'.
In a like manner, troops from the lower portion of South Carolina were called 'Rice Birds.' It was a very common remark about the camp-fires for one soldier to shout to another as a third approached: 'Look and see if he's got any tar on his heels!'. The North Carolina soldiers accepted the name in good graces, declaring that like tar they held fast to whatever ground they stood, 'stuck' to what they began, and left their marks wherever they went…"
Lenoir News, 4/12/1912 (North Carolina)
