'Dream job': A game day in the life of Rameses

On a typical day, UNC’s beloved mascot, Rameses, spends much of his time lying in the shade in a barn. 

He is not much of a roamer — despite the fact that he lives on 20 acres of land — and he eats a generous serving of grass whenever he’s hungry to maintain his hefty figure. He partakes in the occasional sweet treat of grain and lives with his girlfriend, Dawn, and two of his five children, Phoenix and Sky. 

“He won the sheep lottery,” Ann Leonard, one of his current owners who lives on the farm, said. “He’s got the dream job.”

But while sleeping, eating and spending time with family is the typical day for the Tar Heel mascot, his daily routine becomes much more intense on game day.

On Friday, the day before UNC’s first home football game of the season, Rameses started getting ready for work at 3 p.m.

That afternoon, Don Basnight, alongside Chris and Jane Hogan, visited Rameses at the farm to give him a fresh shampoo. Leonard, Basnight and Hogan hold heavy portions of the responsibility in Rameses’ caretaking. 

Leonard was married to Rob Hogan, the grandson of Rameses’s original caretaker Henry Hogan, and she is carrying on the tradition of the Hogan family in caring for Rameses. Don Basnight and Chris Hogan are both Henry Hogan’s grandchildren. 

As a wool-producing sheep, Rameses has to be sheared once a year to maintain his coat, and it has not been washed since his most recent haircut in May. This trim made him bald — and maybe not as attractive, Basnight said — but as time has progressed, his wool has grown and will continue to grow until it is time to trim him again. 

“By September, he’s ready to have football season,” Basnight said.

He is not shampooed before every game, but before this first home game, Rameses’ caretakers wanted to make sure he looked as pristine as possible.

When it was time for his bath, Basnight led Rameses from the barn to the open field outside and attached him to a pole to stay in place. Basnight and Hogan then took turns walking around Rameses with dish soap and water to completely transform his look.

Before his wash, Rameses’ wool was a light tan color filled with dirt, but afterward it was white and clean. Rameses was ready for the events to follow. 

Although his pampering was not quite finished, it was time for Rameses to go to bed. 

The next day, Rameses might have thought he was about to eat some grass, say hello to Dawn and take a long nap beneath the bright, September sun. But soon, Basnight approached him. Maybe the wash the day before was not exactly a coincidence, Rameses might have wondered. 

Contrary to popular belief, Rameses’s horns are not naturally Carolina Blue. Before each game, his caretakers, flocked by other onlookers, repaint his horns their signature color — just as Basnight did this past gameday. 

This process takes place on game day, about 3.5 hours before the game and 1.5 hours before Rameses has to take his first position at the Bell Tower.

On game day, Rameses’ schedule is packed tight with getting ready, entertaining fans and watching the game front row on the field. The second he arrives on campus, the adoration commences.

“There’s people all over him from the get-go,” Hogan said. “Before he even gets off the trailer.” 

This year marks the centennial of Rameses being a part of the UNC tradition, and for many, the school would not be the same without him. 

Though his day-to-day life is casual, when it is time for work, Rameses rises to the occasion and cements his place as a crucial part of the UNC experience.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com