Revered UNC football chaplain Mitch Mason honored at Clemson game

Mitch Mason, UNC football’s revered team chaplain, was back on the sideline on Saturday when North Carolina faced Clemson.

With the score at 10-3, Mason — who used to be the “most active person on the sidelines,” per his wife, Chondra — made his way from the tunnel to the 15-yard line in a wheelchair and his family beside him.

The gravely-ill chaplain, who has been battling idiopathic small fiber neuropathy and a litany of other ailments for years, was there to be recognized by the program. UNC football announced earlier this week that it was dedicating part of its workout space to him with the “Mitch Mason Inspiration Deck.” This is a spot where Mason loved to watch the players work out, encouraging them during hard weight-lifting sessions.

The chaplain had to step away from the program in April due to his worsening health. Since this summer, doctors have also been treating Mason for multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, also known as MADD.

On Saturday, a wheelchair-aided Mason rolled out to the field midway through the first quarter with Chondra and his children, Riley and Sydney, by his side. With the help of two staffers and a cane, he slowly stood up just long enough to wave to the crowd. A video on the jumbotron played, detailing the dedication.

Shortly after, wide receiver Jordan Shipp — who wore No. 13 on Saturday to honor his late teammate Tylee Craft — came over to give Mason a hug. Freshman linebacker Austin Alexander and several other players followed suit. Both Alexander and Shipp were part of a small group of players who visited Mason at his Chapel Hill home in September to deliver him the Richmond game ball.

Mason was hired by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has worked out of Chapel Hill since 2012, serving under UNC coaches Larry Fedora, Mack Brown and Bill Belichick.

This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 2:52 PM.