Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980 in Wilson, North Carolina) is an American football defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina.
Early years
The youngest of three siblings, Peppers was born in Wilson, North Carolina, and raised in nearby Bailey. By the time he was a freshman at Southern Nash Senior High School, Peppers had grown to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 225 lb (102 kg). Basketball was his first love, and the sport became his number one passion.[citation needed] However, Ray Davis, the football coach at Southern Nash, felt that the hulking teenager would be an asset on the gridiron for the Firebirds, despite the fact that Peppers had never played football before. Davis' gamble would pay off. During his high school career, Peppers played running back and defensive lineman, and finished his career with 3501 rushing yards, and 46 touchdowns, and was one of the most dangerous defensive linemen in the state. He also lettered in basketball and was voted All-Conference, as a power forward, for four consecutive years. In 1998 Southern Nash won the state championship in track for the first time in the school's history. Peppers contributed, as a sprinter winning the state championship in the 4×200 meter team relay and as a triple jumper. His senior year (1997-98), he was named to the PARADE All-America team in football as an all-purpose talent, and was also named Male Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In 2005, Peppers was named by the Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper as one of the 50 Greatest Athletes from the Nash/Edgecombe (Twin County) area.
College career
Julius Peppers graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Peppers played defensive end for the UNC Tar Heels, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and the Lombardi Award as the best collegiate lineman in 2001. Peppers also won the Bill Willis Trophy as the nation's best defensive lineman. Peppers redshirted his freshmen season. In the three following seasons at North Carolina, Peppers started 33 of the 34 games he played in. He is currently ranked second all-time in UNC history with 30.5 sacks. He accumulated 53 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 167 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, 13 passes defensed and 43 quarterback pressures (hurries) and returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns.
Awards and honors
Basketball
While at the University of North Carolina, Peppers was also a walk-on member of the men's basketball team. One of the main reasons he chose UNC over Duke (he was heavily recruited by Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski to play basketball for Duke) was that Carolina football coach Carl Torbush said he could play Football and then be a walk-on for Bill Guthridge on the UNC Men's Basketball team. He was a key reserve on the 1999-2000 Tar Heels team that made it to the Final Four. Peppers was also a key reserve on the 2000-2001 Men's Basketball Team. In the NCAA Tournament, Peppers scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a loss to Penn State in the second round. After the season, Peppers decided to focus solely on football and academics and did not play basketball in his final season at the University of North Carolina.
Professional career
In the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers was selected by the Carolina Panthers as the second overall pick behind first overall pick, quarterback David Carr. Peppers ran a 4.68 40-yard dash at 290 pounds (130 kg) and completed 22 bench press reps at his pro day. Peppers made an immediate impact and was named The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. During his rookie season, Peppers tallied 36 tackles, 12 sacks, 1 interception, and 5 forced fumbles. On October 13, 2002, Peppers became only the third player in NFL history to amass three sacks and an interception in the same game. With four games remaining in the season, Peppers was suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy for taking a banned dietary supplement.
In 2003, during the Panthers' Super Bowl run, he had 46 tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. The next year, Peppers was selected to his first ever Pro Bowl with 65 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and two touchdowns. On October 15, 2006, Peppers became the Panthers' all-time sacks leader. [1]
Peppers is known as one of the most athletic and versatile players in the NFL. In his career, Peppers has 8 blocked kicks (extra points and field goal attempts). Peppers has had double-digit sacks in all but 2 seasons. In 2008, Julius Peppers was voted to the 2009 Pro Bowl,[2] where he recorded an interception.
Following Mike Minter's retirement, Peppers was named as the Panthers defensive captain. He and Donovan McNabb are the only people to ever play in both the NCAA men's basketball Final Four and the NFL's Super Bowl.[3]
On January 16, 2009, ESPN reported that Peppers told ESPN's Chris Mortensen he does not intend to re-sign a long-term deal and would like to explore options with another team, specifically one with a 3-4 defensive formation. He also expressed the desire or willingness to convert from a Defensive End to an Outside Linebacker. Peppers said he would request a trade if Franchise tagged. However, despite his request, the Panthers would place the Franchise tag on him on February 19.[4]
Peppers is widely regarded as one of the best defensive ends. [5] Although considered a “perfect fit” as a 4-3 DE,[6][7] Peppers′ agent announced his client’s intention to play in a 3-4 defense early in the 2009 NFL off-season.[8] However, Peppers then signed his one-year, $16.683 million franchise tender with the Panthers on June 24, 2009. The deal is fully guaranteed. Another $1.5 million is available if Peppers makes his fifth Pro Bowl, and he can earn $250,000 more per Panthers playoff win, including the Super Bowl.[9]
NFL awards and honors
- NFL Rookies of the Month (10/02)
- 2002 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 NFC Pro Bowl
- NFC Defensive Player of the Month (11/04, 11/08)
Personal
He is named after legendary NBA players Julius Erving and Walt Frazier.[citation needed]Peppers was born to Bessie Brinkley, when she was 17 years old and gave Julius the last name of her second husband. Peppers has stated that he isn't close with his father, George Kearney, stating "We weren't tight. I mean, I didn't call him up all the time, nothing like that. It was kind of awkward, and it still is now. I can't really get into depth with him in conversation. I really don't feel comfortable talking to him like that. I just don't." Brinkley raised Julius and his older brother and sister in a double wide trailer in Bailey, NC. [10]
In February 2009, Peppers donated $100,000 to a scholarship program that supports African-American students at his alma mater of North Carolina. Peppers' donation will go to the Light on the Hill Society Scholarship, a tribute to UNC's earliest black graduates. It helps alumni and friends support black freshmen who show the potential for academic excellence at UNC and after they graduate.
References
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