RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The post-career accolades continue to rack up for Carolina Panthers legend and former University of North Carolina football star Julius Peppers.
Peppers was among 19 players and three coaches announced as new members of the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday.
The Wilson native will be the 10th representative from UNC and the seventh Tar Heel player to be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The only other player inducted with ties to North Carolina was former Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards.
Acquiring a reputation as a menace in the backfield, Peppers took home the 2001 Bednarik and Lombardi awards, as well as a unanimous first-team All-American selection. In 2000, he led the country with 15 sacks and 24 tackles for loss, which marks a school record.
Over his three years in Chapel Hill, Peppers totaled 177 tackles, five interceptions, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one fumble returned for another score.
Selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, he became a first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl pick through 17 seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Peppers was also named a 2024 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame back in late December.
The 2024 class will be officially inducted during the National Football Foundation’s awards dinner in Las Vegas on Dec. 10, 2024.