The Victory Bell is a winning prize in the rivalry between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. Traditionally, the winner spray-paints the Victory Bell's platform in their school colors— Carolina blue for North Carolina or royal blue for Duke. After reclaiming the bell in 2004 with a 40-17 score at Duke, North Carolina players painted the stage Carolina blue. When North Carolina holds the bell, it is displayed in front of the students and wheeled out with the live mascot, Rameses, and cheerleaders.
What is the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils Rivalry called?
The rivalry between the University of North Carolina and Duke University is known as the Duke-North Carolina Rivalry. The North Carolina and Duke football rivalry started in 1888 and has been played every year beginning around 1922. UNC Head e Norman Sper and Duke's Loring Jones presented the Victory Bell trophy, created using a Southern Railroad bell in 1948. North Carolina won the inaugural game by 20-0.
From 1970 to 2009, Duke managed only seven wins, while North Carolina accomplished a 13-game winning streak from 1990 to 2002. Between 2010 and 2019, the series was evenly split, with each team winning five matches. Duke's consecutive wins in 2012 and 2013 were its first back-to-back triumphs starting around 1987-1989, trailed by a three-game winning streak from 2016 to 2018.
Carolina ended Duke's streak with a 20-17 score in 2019 and got five straight wins through a 47-45 triumph in 2023. Duke broke the streak in 2024 with a dramatic 21-20 comeback after trailing 20–0 in the second half.
Victory Bell Winners Year by Year
North Carolina and Duke first faced off on November 27, 1888, with Duke won by 16-0. Their last face-off was on September 28, 2024, as of November 2024 which Duke won by 21-20. The teams faced each other 111 times and North Carolina led the All-time series (64–41). Four matches in their rivalry went draw and North Carolina was named vacated winners in 2008 and the following year. They also have the largest victory of 50–0 in 1959 and the largest winning streak of 13 matches from 1990 to 2002. Duke was previously known as Trinity College and they participated under this name from 1888 to 1923.
| Match No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | November 27, 1888 | Durham, NC | Trinity | 16-0 |
| 2 | May 8, 1889 | Raleigh, NC | Trinity | 25-17 |
| 3 | 1889 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 1-0 |
| 4 | November 20, 1891 | Chapel Hill, NC | Trinity | 6-4 |
| 5 | November 12, 1892 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 24-0 |
| 6 | October 28, 1893 | Durham, NC | Trinity | 6-4 |
| 7 | October 24, 1894 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 28-0 |
| 8 | October 12, 1922 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 20-0 |
| 9 | October 12, 1923 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 14-6 |
| 10 | October 11, 1924 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 6-0 |
| 11 | October 10, 1925 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 41-0 |
| 12 | October 16, 1926 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 6-0 |
| 13 | November 19, 1927 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 18-0 |
| 14 | December 8, 1928 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 14-7 |
| 15 | December 7, 1929 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 48-7 |
| 16 | November 19, 1932 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 7-0 |
| 17 | November 18, 1933 | Durham, NC | Duke | 21-0 |
| 18 | November 17, 1934 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 7-0 |
| 19 | November 16, 1935 | Durham, NC | Duke | 25-0 |
| 20 | November 14, 1936 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 27-7 |
| 21 | November 13, 1937 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 14-6 |
| 22 | October 29, 1938 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 14-0 |
| 23 | November 18, 1939 | Durham, NC | Duke | 13-3 |
| 24 | November 16, 1940 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 6-3 |
| 25 | November 15, 1941 | Durham, NC | Duke | 20-0 |
| 26 | October 16, 1943 | Durham, NC | Duke | 14-7 |
| 27 | November 20, 1943 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 27-6 |
| 28 | November 25, 1944 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 33-0 |
| 29 | November 24, 1945 | Durham, NC | Duke | 14-7 |
| 30 | November 23, 1946 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 22-7 |
| 31 | November 22, 1947 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 21-0 |
| 32 | November 20, 1948 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 20-0 |
| 33 | November 19, 1949 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 21-20 |
| 34 | November 25, 1950 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 7-0 |
| 35 | November 24, 1951 | Durham, NC | Duke | 19-7 |
| 36 | November 22, 1952 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 34-0 |
| 37 | November 28, 1953 | Durham, NC | Duke | 35-20 |
| 38 | November 27, 1954 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 47-12 |
| 39 | November 26, 1955 | Durham, NC | Duke | 6-0 |
| 40 | November 24, 1956 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 21-6 |
| 41 | November 23, 1957 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 21-13 |
| 42 | November 22, 1958 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 7-6 |
| 43 | November 21, 1959 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 50-0 |
| 44 | November 19, 1960 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 7-6 |
| 45 | November 18, 1961 | Durham, NC | Duke | 6-3 |
| 46 | November 24, 1962 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 16-14 |
| 47 | November 28, 1963 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 16-14 |
| 48 | November 21, 1964 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 21-15 |
| 49 | November 20, 1965 | Durham, NC | Duke | 34-7 |
| 50 | November 19, 1966 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 41-25 |
| 51 | November 18, 1967 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 20-09 |
| 52 | November 23, 1968 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 25-14 |
| 53 | November 22, 1969 | Durham, NC | Duke | 17-13 |
| 54 | November 21, 1970 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 59-34 |
| 55 | November 20, 1971 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 38-0 |
| 56 | November 18, 1972 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 14-0 |
| 57 | November 24, 1973 | Durham, NC | Duke | 27-10 |
| 58 | November 23, 1974 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 14-13 |
| 59 | November 20, 1976 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 39-38 |
| 60 | November 19, 1977 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 16-3 |
| 61 | November 25, 1978 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 16-15 |
| 62 | November 24, 1979 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 37-16 |
| 63 | November 22, 1980 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 44-21 |
| 64 | November 21, 1981 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 31-10 |
| 65 | November 20, 1982 | Durham, NC | Duke | 23-17 |
| 66 | November 19, 1983 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 34-27 |
| 67 | November 24, 1984 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 17-15 |
| 68 | November 23, 1985 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 23-21 |
| 69 | November 22, 1986 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 42-35 |
| 70 | November 21, 1987 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 25-10 |
| 71 | November 19, 1988 | Durham, NC | Duke | 35-29 |
| 72 | November 18, 1989 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 41-0 |
| 73 | November 17, 1990 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 24-22 |
| 74 | November 23, 1991 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 47-14 |
| 75 | November 21, 1992 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 31-28 |
| 76 | November 26, 1993 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 38-24 |
| 77 | November 19, 1994 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 41-40 |
| 78 | November 18, 1995 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 28-24 |
| 79 | November 23, 1996 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 27-10 |
| 80 | November 22, 1997 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 50-14 |
| 81 | November 21, 1998 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 28-6 |
| 82 | November 20, 1999 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 38-0 |
| 83 | November 18, 2000 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 59-21 |
| 84 | November 17, 2001 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 52-17 |
| 85 | November 23, 2002 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 23-21 |
| 86 | November 22, 2003 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 30-22 |
| 87 | November 20, 2004 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 40-17 |
| 88 | November 19, 2005 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 24-21 |
| 89 | November 25, 2006 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 45-44 |
| 90 | November 24, 2007 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 20-14 |
| 91 | November 29, 2008 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 28-20 |
| 92 | November 7, 2009 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 19-6 |
| 93 | November 27, 2010 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 24-19 |
| 94 | November 26, 2011 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 37-21 |
| 95 | October 20, 2012 | Durham, NC | Duke | 33-30 |
| 96 | November 30, 2013 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 27-25 |
| 97 | November 20, 2014 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 45-20 |
| 98 | November 7, 2015 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 66-31 |
| 99 | November 10, 2016 | Durham, NC | Duke | 28-27 |
| 100 | September 23, 2017 | Chapel Hill, NC | Duke | 27-17 |
| 101 | November 10, 2018 | Durham, NC | Duke | 42-35 |
| 102 | October 26, 2019 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 20-17 |
| 103 | November 7, 2020 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 56-24 |
| 104 | October 2, 2021 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 38-7 |
| 105 | October 15, 2022 | Durham, NC | North Carolina | 38-35 |
| 106 | November 11, 2023 | Chapel Hill, NC | North Carolina | 47-45 |
| 107 | September 28, 2024 | Durham, NC | Duke | 21-20 |
FAQs on Victory Bell Winners
A. The UNC has beaten Duke for 13 years in a row from 1990 to 2002.
A. Duke won against UNC by 21-20 on September 28, 2024.
A. University of North Carolina is Duke's biggest rival.
A. Mack Brown is North Carolina's football coach as per University of North California Athletics.
