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Julius Peppers, a celebrated figure in Carolina Panthers history, is set to be immortalized as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, solidifying his status as one of the premier players in the sport’s history.
Peppers, widely regarded as one of the most formidable defensive ends of his era, amassed an impressive tally of 159.5 career sacks during his illustrious 17-year tenure with the Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers. His remarkable achievements include nine Pro Bowl appearances and six selections as an All-Pro.
Peppers amazing career began right here in the state of North Carolina, where he was a high school standout at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, NC. Peppers not only played defensive end at the high school level, but was also a successful running back that opponents were simply afraid to have to tackle.
In his high school football career, which spanned just two seasons, Peppers finished with 3,501 yards rushing and 46 touchdowns, while also being an all-conference defensive player. Football wasn’t the only sport that Peppers was a star in, however. He was a four-year all-conference player on the basketball court and was a state champion in track. Peppers was named a Parade All-American in the 1997-98 season for football and was named the male athlete of the year in the state of North Carolina that same season.
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He committed to play football at North Carolina, but was also a walk-on on for the Tar Heel basketball team from 1999-01. Peppers played in 56 games and averaged 5.7 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game and shot 60.7% for his career. He was a part of both Bill Guthridge’s Final Four team in 1999 and Matt Doehrty’s first team at Carolina in 2000, a key part of the latter of the two teams.
