Bunting's dismissal catches students by surprise

CHAPEL HILL -- If North Carolina intended to decide John Bunting's fate in the cover of night, it succeeded, at least in the heart of campus.

News of Carolina's decision to replace Bunting at the end of the season whistled down Franklin Street like a tumbleweed on Sunday night with most students still away from campus on fall break.

Those scattered few that were out and about on the foggy night were mostly in a fog about Bunting's future.

"They did?" asked UNC sophomore Mike Wilson, when told about the school's decision to replace Bunting at the end of the season.

"I'm surprised. I thought they would ride it out and see if he could win a few more games."

While opposition to Bunting, and his 25-42 record, has built up on the Internet, that venom wasn't present on Franklin Street on Sunday.

"He may not have won games but he seemed like a man of character," said Rachel Taylor, a UNC sophomore from Raleigh. "It really bugged me the last game when fans started chanting 'Fire Bunting.' "

Matt Lamm, a 2005 UNC graduate from Wilson, agreed that Bunting ran the program with integrity.

"I think it's unfortunate that he didn't succeed," Lamm said.

Wilson, who attended two home games this season, like most fans, had higher hopes for the Tar Heels, who are 1-6 and coming off an embarrassing 23-0 Thursday night loss at Virginia.

"We weren't that bad last year," Wilson said. "I didn't think it would get this bad this season."

But it did, bad enough, to require athletics director Dick Baddour to make a decision in the middle of the season. That move didn't sit well with Amanda Taylor, 25.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Taylor said. "It inspires even less confidence in [Bunting] and the team doesn't have any reason to play any better."

The excitement of the impending basketball season balanced the news for David Brandl, a freshman from Cary. Brandl said he gave football a chance, going to the first few home games, but lost interest with each loss.

Now, he'll turn his attention to basketball season.

"I feel like a Duke fan," Brandl said.