As previously written about, the first ever UNC athlete to go to an Olympic games did not come from the basketball court or soccer field as one might expect. It was track and field athlete Harry Williamson, who represented the US and the Tar Heels at the 1936 Olympics.
He did not come home with the gold, or any other medals. It took another 12 years before any UNC athlete did, but the person who did eventually break through is still one of the more decorated Olympians in school history.
Floyd “Chunk” Simmons was an all-around good athlete in Chapel Hill, playing both football and track and field at the school.