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Five years into his tenure as head coach at the University of North Carolina, the picture of John Bunting has come into sharp focus. The 1972 graduate of Carolina has resurrected the Tar Heel program from the depths of the 2002-03 seasons to a program that has the fourth-best cumulative record within the 12-team ACC over the 2005-06 seasons.

The brushstrokes in the Bunting portrait begin with the handshake and the eyes.

Jason Brown, a three-year starter at center for the Tar Heels and today a member of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, remembers first meeting Bunting on his recruiting trip in early 2001.

"He got my hand in that vise-like grip and looked me dead in the eye," Brown says. "He didn't say a word at first. He's got that passionate look that demands respect. Then and there I decided this was the man I wanted to lead me for four years. You feel his electricity."

Adds John Anderson, a teammate of Bunting's at Carolina from 1969-71: "John's got linebackers' eyes. The intensity burns through. It's like you can see them a mile away."

There is a discipline and loyalty Bunting shows toward his alma mater, the school where Bunting earned All-ACC honors and helped the Tar Heels earn the ACC title in 1971. His most treasured ritual is walking from the Old Well to Kenan Stadium with his players two and a half hours before every home game, sometimes fighting back tears when he spots an old teammate along the avenue of musicians, cheerleaders, kids and old grads. He stands at attention facing the UNC student section, cap over his heart, for the post-game playing of Hark The Sound after every game. During difficult back-to-back losses to Maryland and Clemson late in the 2002 season, Bunting found solace anchoring himself by frequent glances at the Bell Tower, the 172-foot landmark that looms just beyond the northernmost gate to Kenan Stadium.

"I drew on the Bell Tower," Bunting says. "I just fixed on the Bell Tower. It was a beacon for me those two years. It's still a focus for me. When I go out in that stadium, if I look at one thing, it's the Bell Tower."

The Bunting image is one of directness, sincerity and candor. There's never a song and dance. What you see is what you get.

"He's genuine," says Gordon Walters, a mid-1980s Tar Heel, a 1988 Carolina graduate and today head coach at South Brunswick High in Southport, N.C. "When you meet as many college coaches as I do and have as many come through your school as I have over the years, you learn to read them pretty well. You can tell who's genuine and who's not, who'll stick and who won't. Coach Bunting is genuine. He wants to win, but he wants to win the right way and he cares about the kids. He's a guy all Carolina fans and grads should support because there aren't many of them like that."

Intelligence has long been a quality associated with a player who took a "coach-on-the-field" persona into years of battle as a linebacker with the Tar Heels and later with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

"John not only knew his assignment, but he knew the assignments of 10 other positions on the field," says former Tar Heel teammate and current ACC Commissioner John Swofford.

"John Bunting as a player knew more about our defense than our coordinator, Marion Campbell, who was a defensive genius," Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey adds.

But his five years running the Carolina program has added the word "teachable" and "quick study" to the Bunting portfolio. When he took the Tar Heel job in December 2000, Bunting knew all the X-and-Os and blocking-and-tackling fundamentals he needed. What he had to develop were the skills of hiring assistant coaches, recruiting at the most competitive levels of college football and running a high-profile program within the context of a public university.

"There was so much to learn," Bunting says. "We made mistakes along the way. But we constantly reviewed and improved every aspect of this program. Our first year in recruiting, we were trying to catch up on the current seniors in high school. Today we have our fingers on the top prospects for two and three years down the road. In July of 2006, we'll have 20 to 25 of the top prospects for the class of 2008 on our campus. We've never been this far ahead of the game in recruiting."

Most important is the confidence and security Bunting has as a natural leader, a man whom Tar Heel players and fans can easily rally around. "We believe in this man, we believe in this program, it's headed in the right direction," Chancellor James Moeser said after the 2004 season finale when Bunting's contract was extended through the 2009 season. "This team represents Carolina at its best."

"We had to change the culture, and John's done that," Athletic Director Dick Baddour added. "We weren't tough enough, and we'd forgotten how to win." Frank Cignetti Jr., the Tar Heels' new offensive coordinator, joined the staff in December 2005 and said he ultimately took the job because of his respect for Bunting and the opportunity Carolina has to reclaim its position as one of the top programs in college football. He said every potential Tar Heel should have two goals - to earn a degree and then play in the NFL.

"And we have a head coach who has done both," Cignetti says. "You can't have a better role model than that."

John Bunting was first attracted to the University of North Carolina in the mid-1960s when the basketball Tar Heels of Coach Dean Smith visited the University of Maryland's Cole Field House, located just a few miles from Bunting's home in Silver Spring, Md. He liked the Carolina blue uniforms and was impressed by the Tar Heels' demeanor - focused, calm under pressure, relentless in their pursuit of victory.

Tar Heel Head Football Coach Bill Dooley saw in Bunting a tough, strong athlete, an intelligent player and one who could help anchor a growing program and become a player others would look to for direction. Those were qualities neighborhood pals, high school teammates and coaches had known in Bunting for years.

"It's not anything you can explain to people," Springbrook High Coach Jim Collier says. "John had a sense of drive, of hunger, something inside that absolutely propelled him to excel. And, of course, he had the physical attributes to go with it."

Adds Frank Kaufman, a neighborhood friend: "John was a great competitor from the day we met, about the fourth grade. He had this quiet confidence in his ability. He had incredible energy. And he had a very intelligent approach to everything he applied himself to. His discipline and dedication were there from the start."

Bunting started three years for the Tar Heels and helped Dooley rebuild the program with records of 5-5 in `69, 8-4 in `70 and 9-3 in `71. His trademarks were not physical skills-he ran 4.85 in the 40 and stood only 6-1, 210 pounds-but toughness, mental capacity and a white-hot desire to be the best. "John was so fierce," says Flip Ray, who played defensive tackle in the class ahead of Bunting. "He would take or deliver the hardest hit you can imagine, then get right back up. His jaw would tighten, his eyes would burn with intensity.

"He wouldn't have to say anything. Just seeing him stare out from behind that facemask was all anyone else needed for motivation."

Bunting's final team collected the ACC Championship and lost 7-3 to Georgia in the Gator Bowl. Since then, only the 1972, 1977 and 1980 teams have won the league title, a distinction that has become imminently more difficult the last decade with the ACC's expansion. At the news conference to announce his hiring in December 2000, a reporter asked Bunting about the huge Super Bowl ring he collected during his tenure in St. Louis.

Bunting paid homage to the Rams' accomplishment-capped by a 23-17 win over Tennessee in the 2000 Super Bowl-then reached in his pocket and pulled out a smaller, older ring.

"This ring right here is just as important to me," he said. "It's my 1971 ACC Championship ring that I won with a bunch of hard-working guys who had one common goal. That's what we're going to work to get done here." Over almost three decades since leaving Chapel Hill with his diploma, Bunting's life as a player, coach and leader prepared him for his eventual calling of returning to Kenan Stadium:

• Served as a cornerstone to the building job Dick Vermeil performed at Philadelphia from 1976-82, a period that included the Eagles winning the 1981 NFC Championship before losing to Oakland in the Super Bowl. "His passion for the game and the team were clear from the beginning," says Vermeil. "He was a player you could build around, one who exemplified the characteristics you want in a football player. John defined the expression, `Winning with character.'"

• Exhibited extraordinary courage and desire to recover from a serious knee injury during the 1978 season. He had cartilage removed and ligaments repaired-major surgery at the time with a long convalescence. Many players don't recover.

"Surgical and rehab techniques weren't what they are today," says Frank LeMaster, a fellow Eagles linebacker at the time. "He was in rehab six days a week, five hours a day. He had ice on his knee constantly. He paid the price dearly."

• Played an integral role in the 1982 NFL players strike, which saw an eight-week work stoppage. Bunting was the Eagles' players representative to the NFL Players Association and was a member of the players' executive committee. Teammates and NFL officials felt the Eagles were one of the most unified and informed clubs in the league because of Bunting's work.

"It was amazing the power John had over a lot of guys making a lot of money," says K.C. Keeler, an Eagles teammate and now head coach at the University of Delaware. "They'd follow him blindly."

• Dived heart-and-soul into the coaching business in 1988 when he was named head coach at Glassboro State College in southern New Jersey. After two rebuilding seasons, Bunting's teams won 28 games the last three years, as well as two league titles and one trip to the national semifinals.

"Anyone who played for John, loved him," says Richard Wackar, a former Glassboro State (today known as Rowan University) coach and athletics director. "He could get more out of the kids than they believed they had in them."

"His word was gold," says Joe Lowe, who played for Bunting at Rowan. "It was the essence of a team playing for a coach."

• Returned to the NFL for eight years as an assistant coach-four at Kansas City, three at St. Louis and one at New Orleans. His linebacking corps at each stop were considered among the best in the league. The high point of this tour of duty was winning the Super Bowl with Vermeil when one of his linebackers, Mike Jones, made the game-saving tackle at the one yard-line on a Tennessee Titan on the final play of the game.

"He's a great teacher," says Jay Williams, a member of the Rams' defense that year. "I'm telling you, man, he's a great, great coach."

These were the skills and experiences Bunting brought with him to Chapel Hill for the 2001 season. One of his first significant decisions was to schedule a trip to Norman, Okla., to play the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2001 season opener. Bunting wanted to make a statement to his team that he was confident in their ability to handle the challenge and to the world at large that he was willing to face any opponent, any time, any where.

"What an incredible show of respect the Oklahoma game was for us, and he didn't even know us at the time," says former center Adam Metts. "It set the tone for the offseason. If you want to be the best, you've got to play the best."

Carolina lost at Oklahoma, then on the road as well at Maryland and Texas. But a foundation had been laid and Bunting and the Tar Heels never quit. They shocked Florida State at home on Sept. 22, then reeled off four more victories and were in the running for a Bowl Championship Series berth going into a road game at Georgia Tech in early November. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels lost that game and the next one, at home against Wake Forest, but rallied to beat Duke, SMU and Auburn to finish 8-5.

Throughout 2001, Bunting was confident that the consistency of demands from him and his staff made an impression on the players.

"We stayed the course," Bunting says. "We wanted to do things our way. We've been very demanding and disciplined. A lot of players couldn't meet our standards and aren't here. A lot of players had to change their way of doing things. They had to make the right choices, do the right things or suffer the consequences."

The following two seasons would test every fiber of strength and resolve Bunting possessed. Caught with a talent warp of athletic players across the board on defense and speed on the perimeter in particular, the Tar Heels suffered seasons of 3-9 and 2-10. But the coach and his staff continued to teach their current players and work hard to find talented newcomers. Bunting needed to learn and adjust to the nuances and style of recruiting in Division 1-A football, but the essence of relating one-on-one to a 17-year-old was a skill he always possessed.

"The way I recruit an individual now is very similar to the way I did at Glassboro," Bunting says. "I am going to tell him the truth. I'm going to sell them on the great things here. And we had great things at Glassboro as well. I knew that we would win. Kids who spent time with me, they believed me. Their parents are going to understand that we are going to take their son and help make him a man. All of that works the same, no matter what level of football you're talking about."

Bunting and staff have now recruited and developed a roster full of quality players. They have provided the structure and landscape in which the Tar Heels can succeed. The program has been winning off the field since Bunting arrived, with the coach and his staff instilling a sense of discipline and accountability that apply to the classroom and leisure time as well as the football field. Then in 2004, the Tar Heels began adding substantive proof of their progress on the field and built on that even more in 2005. They have notched two straight wins over arch-rival NC State; a landmark home victory over No. 4 ranked Miami; and bounce-back wins in 2005 over Virginia, Utah and Boston College, teams that defeated the Heels the year before. The Tar Heels are 9-7 in the ACC over the 2004-05 window, trailing only Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida State.

Along the way, Bunting has earned the respect of every constituency surrounding the program - from current to former players, assistant coaches and high school coaches.

"They do a good job keeping the kids focused and directed," says Grady Williams, head coach at Weldon High in Weldon, N.C. "They are interested in the kids being well-rounded. The guidance program and support program are excellent.

"You see a lot of coaches come through and talk a lot of fluff. They get kids excited and then when signing day comes around, they disappear. Coach Bunting and his staff are open and direct. They stand by their word. They do everything within the NCAA code, they follow the guidelines. They have an open door policy. They're always available to coaches and parents."

All-America running back Don McCauley, today a key Rams Club executive, notes there's a buzz around the Tar Heel program he's not seen in years. "Next fall can't come soon enough," says McCauley. "I've not seen as much optimism for an upcoming season since John's been here. There's a lot of work left to be done. But if everyone does their part, it could be a very interesting season."

Now entering his sixth season in Chapel Hill, Bunting has a roster of players who have accepted his mindset wholeheartedly. They understand the demands, the structure and Bunting's insistence on teamwork.

"We have players today buying into the whole concept," tight end Jon Hamlett said at the conclusion of spring practice. "Everyone has to do the right things between now and August. The seniors will lead the way." "It's all about bonding and trusting," says defensive end Melik Brown. "The way we bond off the field helps us bond on the field. If you trust your teammates off the field - to study and do the right things - then you trust him to be there on the field."

The difficult times are over for Bunting and the Tar Heels. He has an outstanding staff and recruiting has improved each year. The program is stable and winning. Bunting is enormously popular with Tar Heel fans, who like having one of their own leading the program. Graduation rates are admirable and players are getting outstanding lessons for life and opportunities to play in the NFL.

"Coach Bunting is a fair and honest man," says linebacker David Thornton, who bolted in 2001 from obscurity to a starting job in the NFL. "He has a passion for his players on and off the field. He gave me the opportunity to play and didn't look at me differently because I was a former walk-on. He wants to put the best players on the field. It's a blessing that he came here when he did."

Player
North Carolina 1969-71
Philadelphia Eagles 1972-82
Philadelphia Stars (USFL) 1983-84

Coach
Baltimore Stars (USFL), linebackers 1985
Brown, defensive ends 1986
Glassboro State (now Rowan University)
assistant coach, defensive line, 1987
head coach, 1987-92
Kansas City Chiefs, defensive assistant, 1993-94
linebackers, 1995-96
St. Louis Rams, co-defensive coordinator & linebackers, 1997-99
New Orleans Saints, linebackers, 2000

Player Highlights

• played at Carolina under head coach Bill Dooley and linebackers coach Ron DeMelfi in his three active seasons (freshmen were not eligible at that time)
• he helped the Tar Heels to a 22-12 overall record
• co-captain along with quarterback Paul Miller in 1971 when Carolina went 9-3 and won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship
• earned first-team All-ACC and honorable-mention All-America honors at linebacker in 1971
• named UNC's defensive MVP in 1971
• led Carolina to the 1970 Peach Bowl against Arizona State and the 1971 Gator Bowl against Georgia
• started for three seasons at linebacker
• had 20 tackles against Notre Dame as a senior
• Carolina led the ACC in scoring defense, total defense and run defense in 1969, 1970 and 1971
• was drafted in the 10th round and played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles
• started at linebacker in 119 of 133 career NFL games
• member of the Eagles team that beat the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC Championship in 1980 and played the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV
• started every game during the Super Bowl season
• played for Coach Dick Vermeil at Philadelphia and was a teammate of NFL stars Ron Jaworski, Harold Carmichael, Wilbert Montgomery, Bill Bergey
• finished his career with a two-year stint in the USFL with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars

Coaching Highlights

• served five years as head coach at Glassboro State and led the Profs to the NCAA Division III football playoffs in his last two seasons (1991, 1992)
• compiled an overall record of 38-14-2
•In 1991, the Profs earned their first-ever NCAA playoff berth, losing to Ithaca in the first round
• in 1992, Glassboro went undefeated during the regular-season (10-0)
and advanced to the NCAA semifinals before falling to Washington & Jefferson
• Glassboro had never won more than seven games until 1991
• named Division III Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association in 1992 (Stan Lomax/Irving Marsh Award)
• coached defense for four years with the Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer
•Chiefs made the playoffs in 1993 and 1995
• the Chiefs had the No. 1 ranked scoring defense in 1995
• coached linebacker Derrick Thomas with the Chiefs
• was the co-defensive coordinator in 1999-2000 with the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams
• also coached the Rams linebackers, including London Fletcher, Mike Jones and former Tar Heel Mike Morton (it was Jones who stopped Tennessee wide receiver Kevin Dyson at the 1-yard line to preserve the Super Bowl title)
• under his direction, the Rams improved from 17th to 10th to sixth in the NFL in total defense
• coached linebackers with the New Orleans Saints - one of the most positive surprise teams in the NFL in 2000

Personal

•born July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine
•attended Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, Md.
•Wife - Dawn, is a former basketball and softball coach at Rowan College and volleyball coach at UMKC from 1994-95
• Dawn coached Rowan's women's basketball program for eight seasons and compiled a 121-80 career mark and was named the 1992 New Jersey Conference Basketball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year.
•Children - Kimberly and Brooks.