Dec. 14, 2004

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ----- North Carolina offensive lineman Skip Seagraves has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. Seagraves broke the cuboid bone in his left foot in the second game of the year against Virginia and did not play the rest of the season. He originally fractured the bone in pregame warmups against William & Mary.

"I'm thrilled Skip will have the opportunity to return for a sixth year in 2005," said head coach John Bunting. "I think he deserves it and I think it was the right thing to do. I'm excited for him, his parents and our football team. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard on his behalf to make this a reality."

A native of Burlington, N.C., Seagraves missed his freshman year because of a knee injury he first sustained in high school. He started just one game in 2001, but became the full-time starter at tackle in 2002 (11 starts) and 2003 (12 starts).

Seagraves was granted a medical hardship waiver for the 2004 season because of the fracture in his foot. Since he was denied two seasons of competition due to injury, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility. Seagraves is having surgery on his left foot on Thursday.

"I'm so excited and happy to be back with the team," said Seagraves. "I didn't know if it was going to happen, but obviously, I'm glad it did. There are a lot of people to thank, including my parents who stuck with me through entire process. I also want to thank everyone in the athletic department who worked on my behalf, including the coaching staff, medical staff and compliance staff. They knew how important it was to me and they made it important to them."