June 15, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ------ University of North Carolina tailback Ronnie McGill will undergo surgery on Friday, June 17, to repair a torn left pectoral muscle. A rising junior from Clover, S.C., McGill injured his chest muscle lifting weights at Carolina on Monday. Recovery is expected to take approximately four to five months.

"I'm extremely disappointed for Ronnie," said head coach John Bunting. "He is an exceptional person, a tremendous team player and a great representative of this University. I know he will work hard to rejoin his teammates on the field as soon as he can."

McGill played in seven games last season and finished third on the team with 419 yards rushing on 79 carries. He scored five touchdowns and averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He began the season as the starting tailback, but injured his ankle against Georgia Tech and missed five games.

As a true freshman in 2003, McGill played in 12 games and started eight, leading the team with 654 yards on 128 carries. He scored seven touchdowns that season and was seventh in the ACC in rushing yards per game (54.5).