Dick Baddour began his answer with a warning. "That is a long story..."

On the Carolina Insider Podcast, host Jones Angell asked the former North Carolina athletic director about his pursuit of Virginia Tech head football coach Frank Beamer to take the same position with the Tar Heels. The story gives deep insight into how truly close Beamer was to becoming UNC's head football coach. It included a 100 percent guarantee and a handshake.

Former UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour.

At the time Beamer was having great success at his alma mater in Blacksburg. Beamer and Virginia Tech were coming off eight straight bowl games and an 11-1 record in 2000.

Baddour had fired UNC coach Carl Torbush and quickly focused in on Beamer to lead Carolina. Baddour said he "felt comfortable with" Beamer based on his relationship with the Hokie head man but was nervous about being turned down by a prominent head coach again. Baddour was coming off being turned down by Georgia head coach Jim Donnan for the football job in 1999 and Roy Williams for the basketball job in the summer of 2000

"I was a bit nervous about going down this road with Frank Beamer," Baddour admitted.

Baddour reached out to Beamer's agent, expressing his interest in Beamer for the head job in Chapel Hill. Beamer's agent called Baddour back in less than three minutes. "He said 'absolutely (Beamer) is going to be interested. I promise you he is going to be interested,'" Baddour recounted.

Baddour then broke down the details of courting and communicating with Beamer.

"This was my plan: 'I want us to set a date. And I am going to pick a date... Let's talk about all the details. What you care about. What North Carolina cares about. Let's put it all about on the table...' Contract stuff. Whatever," Baddour said. "And then when that date arrives, no job has been offered, no job has been accepted. But after that date, if you say you are still interested then that means North Carolina is going to like 95 percent offer you and Frank Beamer is like 95 percent going to accept. Okay?"

So that date came.

"And I am ready to go and the information back to me is that (Beamer) is ready to go," Baddour said. "He is declaring. Not 95 percent, 100 percent."

Former Virginia Tech and almost UNC head coach Frank Beamer

This part of the story Baddour has never told publicly.

Baddour said he wanted Beamer to tell another UNC official that he was ready and willing to accept the UNC head coaching job. "Nothing is public at this point," Baddour said. "And then that declaration occurs."

The plan was for Beamer to come to Chapel Hill after his last ball game and for the Hokie head coach to meet with Baddour and UNC officials.

"The contract will be done. His agent came, the Unversity attorney was there, (Beamer) came with his wife," Baddour remembered. "We showed him around a little bit. Had all the documents there ready to go and he says, 'I am troubled by one point and that is... I am uncomfortable signing this contract without having told my players (at Virginia Tech). That doesn't feel right to me.' And I thought it was a good point. And I said 'Okay coach. I understand that. But in front of your wife, in front of your agent, in front of the university attorney, let's shake hands and say that is is a done deal.' And he shook my hand and said 'this is a done deal. I'll call you the next day.'"

The call never happened.

"He was supposed to call me at 10. 10 passes. 11 passes. 12 passes... And the rest is history," Baddour said.

UNC would eventually hire former Carolina linebacker and NFL defensive assistant John Bunting for the head coaching job on Dec. 10, 2000.

Baddour added another intriguing tidbit from the Beamer saga, another indication of how close he was to becoming UNC's head coach. "(Beamer and his wife) had picked out their seats in the Smith Center --- where they wanted to sit for basketball. He said, 'Can we get seats in the Smith Center?'"

Beamer would stay with the Hokies for 15 more seasons and retire in 2015. His record as the head man in Blacksburg was 238–121–2 (124-52 in conference). Under Beamer, Virginia Tech went to 23 straight bowl games and seven Big East or ACC conference titles.

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