The 1942 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1942 college football season. The Tar Heels were led by first-year head coach Jim Tatum and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. They competed as a member of the Southern Conference. Tatum left the school to join the Navy at the end of the season. He returned to coach the Tar Heels from 1956 to 1958.