Former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame on Friday night alongside former UNC men's basketball coach Roy Williams, current UNC football coach Mack Brown, and several others.
Julius Peppers was drafted 2nd overall in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Panthers after a stellar career at North Carolina. Peppers led the nation with 15 sacks as a sophomore. Following his junior season in 2001, Peppers was named the winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year) and also earned consensus All-American status. Peppers spent 10 years with the Panthers over stints and collected 441 tackles, 107 tackles for loss, 97 sacks, and 34 forced fumbles. He was a 9X Pro Bowl selection and 3X All-Pro.
He will not only be remembered for being the sack artist that he was but for being one of the best players to ever suit up in the blue and silver. In his first full season as a starter, the Panthers reached the Super Bowl in 2003, which was the team’s first-ever appearance in the NFL’s most prized game.
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