Retired UNC mascot dies after nearly a decade in the spotlight

After nearly a decade in the spotlight, Rameses XXI, the beloved, retired mascot of UNC-Chapel Hill, has died.

The 10-year-old Dorset Horn ram died peacefully in his barn surrounded by loved ones Monday afternoon, Don Basnight, one of his handlers, told The News & Observer.

“He was a really beautiful physical specimen, and a very good mascot, and a very good pet,” Basnight said. “He was part of the family.”

Horned Dorset sheep, a rare English breed raised for meat and wool, were imported into the United States in the 1800s and can live 10 to 12 years, according to online sources.

The former mascot started his career before he had reached his first birthday, Basnight said. He spent the next nine years representing the university at games with his horns painted Carolina blue.

Rameses, who retired last fall, lived out the rest of his days on Hogan’s Magnolia View Farm just north of Carrboro.

Basnight said the ram was the “boss of the barnyard.”

Even though he wasn’t the biggest animal, he was the first to eat, and would spend days lounging in the sun.

The Hogan farm, where Rameses will be buried, has raised generations of mascots over the past 98 years — including Rameses’ successor.

Otis, a young ram picked to be UNC’s next mascot, assumed the title of Rameses XXII Monday after his elder’s passing.

This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 6:39 PM.