Two hours before Thursday night’s Carolina baseball game against NC State, Joe Bray was walking through the Tar Heel baseball offices. That’s when he glanced to the patio outside the offices and noticed an unusual gathering of numerous people, including several representatives from the Rams Club, athletic department staff, and multiple close friends and family members of Carolina baseball.

It seemed a little odd for them to get together at that moment, but Bray—who has been photographing Carolina baseball for decades—had work to do. He made a mental note to stop by later, showing the savvy born of years in a press box by thinking to himself, “I was just thinking maybe I could sneak a hot dog.”

Bad news, Joe: no free hot dogs. But there was something even better.

“Joe,” said Brian Chacos from the Rams Club after Bray’s daughter, Christy Graves, and Brian Bersticker from the Rams Club had conspired to bring him back to the suite patio, “we’re doing this for you.”

Almost a year ago, Christy met with the Rams Club’s Chacos and Dawn Williams at a Chapel Hill coffee shop. The idea was simple: naming the Boshamer Stadium camera well in Joe’s honor. But with a slight catch—they wanted it to be a complete surprise.

So for months, the Rams Club solicited donations from the Carolina baseball family to name the area where Bray has taken tens of thousands of photos over the last 30 years. It was a very, very easy ask that eventually resulted in a total near $75,000. Joe Bray has been a Carolina baseball institution since before the Tar Heels started making regular Omaha appearances in 2006. Every single gameday, his routine is the same: capture hundreds of images of the day’s game. Go home and sift through all the images. Post them to his Flickr account, then send out an email to players and parents of players letting them know new photos are ready. He does it all for free, simply because of his passion for Tar Heel baseball.

To read more about how Carolina Baseball honored one of its most dedicated supporters, visit GoHeels.com.

Are you interested in contributing to this tribute to Joe Bray? Contact Dawn Williams at 919.843.3363 or make a gift online.