Controversial Tar Heels champ sign brought down near UNCC campus

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A sign touting UNC-Chapel Hill's national championship was taken down Thursday near the UNC-Charlotte's campus.

The sign on Interstate 85 said, “North Carolina Tar Heels, 2017 College Basketball Men’s National Champions," but it stirred up controversy because it was on 49ers territory.

Some students at UNCC complained, saying that it makes their school look like it’s part of UNC-Chapel Hill.

It was originally supposed to go near the state line on I-77, officials said.

"Everything within a 10-mile radius is 49ers territory," a UNCC student said.

"It's kind of disrespectful," another student said.

Similar sentiments expressed on social media, in addition to phone calls, forced the North Carolina Department of Transportation to admit an oversight.

“It was just a location that we probably should of looked at a little more closely in proximity to another school, but no ill-will intended whatsoever,” NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson said.

On Twitter, #DropUNC was used by many rehashing an idea geared toward moving out from underneath the shadow of UNC-Chapel Hill and creating a unique university identity for Charlotte.

The sign that was near UNCC is one of eight signs paid for by UNC-Chapel Hill across the state. They will stay up no more than two years.

NCDOT officials said the sign by UNCC will be moved farther south on I-77 closer to Westinghouse Boulevard.

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