then and now - Blue & White Online

player profiles: heather o’reilly sportsshorts“It was the perfectproposal,”HeatherO’Reilly says.When the formerTar Heel soccer standoutentered Fetzer Field tojog a few laps around thetrack with her boyfriend,Dave Werry, he got downon one knee. Werry, aformer lacrosse playerat UNC-Chapel Hill,directed her attention tothe scoreboard. It read:“Heather, will you marryme?”“It was prettyawesome,” O’Reilly says.The proposal adds toa long list of memoriesO’Reilly has at FetzerField, where both thesoccer and lacrosse teams play. She led the Tar Heels to two nationalchampionships in 2003 and 2006.O’Reilly made soccer memories before she ever arrived in ChapelHill. Her senior year of high school, she debuted for the women’snational team against Sweden, becoming the youngest player ever toplay for the national team.“I was shocked and excited,” O’Reilly says. “It was an incrediblehonor.”After recovering from a broken leg, O’Reilly made the teamagain in 2004. This time her travels took her to Athens, Greece forthe Olympics. Only 19 years old at the time, O’Reilly’s goal in thesemifinals against Germany led the United States to win the goldmedal. The talented young player showed off her skills again in 2008during the Olympics in Beijing. She scored a goal only 40 secondsinto a match, the fastest goal in women’s soccer Olympic history. TheUnited States again won the gold medal.“It was the most exciting moment of my professional soccercareer,” O’Reilly says about the Beijing Olympics.Despite her extensive travels and experiences, O’Reilly also lovesreminiscing about her time at UNC-CH. The second most excitingmoment of her soccer career, O’Reilly says, was winning UNC-CHwomen’s soccer its 18 th national championship as a senior at Carolina.“I have so many incredible memories,” O’Reilly says. “Winningnational championships, Halloweens and Thanksgivings as a teamwere so special.”Upon her graduation in 2006, O’Reilly’s number 20 jersey wasretired. Her jersey joins Mia Hamm’s number 19 and the jerseys of 17other greats of the women’s soccer program.“What a great day,” O’Reilly says. “And I had my family andfriends to share it with.” & By Lindsey wheelerPHOTO COURTESY OF Tar heel BlueNelson Hurst at the game against Virginia Tech in 2010..I want to get better each week.That’s all I care about.—Everett withers, interim Headfootball coachBLUEBy Vicky WaldthausenPHOTOs COURTESY OF Tar heel BlueBROTHERSThe only thingsseemingly separatingNelson and James Hurstare a couple of years andwhere they stand on theline of scrimmage.The brothers both playfootball for UNC-ChapelHill, major in exerciseJames HurstNelson Hurst and sports science andenjoy the same off-fieldactivities. They even have similar personalities.“We are both kind of goofy,” James says. “We like to have a good time.”“We’re both good at a lot of the same things,” Nelson adds. “He’s betterthan me at video games, but I’m better at golf by two strokes.”The brothers discovered their greatest shared talent in elementaryschool when they stepped onto a football field for the first time. Thattalent was in their genes. Their father, Tim Hurst, played at the Universityof Alabama in the 1970s.Although there were three football players under one roof, the Hurstbrothers rarely showed any aggression toward each other.“You always hear about brothers growing up getting in fights andhitting each other, but we never really got in fights,” Nelson says. “I don’tknow why, maybe because we are both big guys and the damage we couldhave done to each other would have been detrimental.”That doesn’t mean the brothers never disagree, Nelson says. “If we wantto call each other out we do that, but we’ve just always been cool witheach other.”This season will be thesecond year the brothershave lined up on the gridirontogether at UNC-CH. Nelson,a redshirted junior tight end,transferred from MississippiState in 2009 and was able toplay with James, a sophomoreoffensive tackle, last season.“It’s cool just to know there are not many people in this world whoget the opportunity to do something (they) love with (their) best friend,”James says. “I think we take advantage of it and have a great time doing it.”Each brother says the other has had the biggest impact on his life. ForJames, Nelson is a role model who has blazed a victorious trail ahead ofhim, especially on the football field and in the classroom.“I’ve been following in his footsteps, doing things the way he’s beendoing them because it has obviously worked for him, and he’s beensuccessful as a student and as an athlete,” James says.Nelson, who now wears the number 86 because it is the reverse ofhis brother’s jersey number, says James motivates him to always give hisbest effort. “Being the bigger brother you never want to get outdone by ayounger brother,” he says.Both have pushed each other on the field and shared the satisfaction ofvictory at one of the highest levels of the game. One of their best footballmemories was the Music City Bowl in 2010.“The bowl game last year mattered a lot after everything we’ve beenthrough,” Nelson says.The team faced its share of adversity last year. Fourteen players missedat least one game because of NCAA investigations, and seven missed theentire season. This year the team has to battle new hurdles after formerHead Coach Butch Davis was dismissed from UNC-CH in July.No matter what the team experiences this season, one thing is clear:The Hurst brothers will have each other’s backs.&James Hurst (#68, center) at the Homecoming game in 2010 against William & Mary.28 April 2011 www.blueandwhitemag.com 29