Olympics
The university has several interesting connections to the Olympic games. Faculty member Eben Alexander was serving as ambassador to Greece in 1896 during the revival of the modern Olympics and was instrumental in recruiting American athletes to participate. UNC's first Olympian was Harry Williamson, who competed in track in the 1936 games in Berlin. The first medalist from Carolina was Floyd "Chunk" Simmons, who won the bronze medal in the decathlon in 1948. UNC gold medalists include several in men's basketball and women's soccer. In 1987 UNC hosted several events during the 1987 Olympic Festival, an Olympic-style competition held in non-Olympic years. In 1996 the Olympic torch passed through campus on its way to the Atlanta games.