Gold Jacket Spotlight: Julius Peppers' two-sport prowess drove collegiate foes 'mad'

Prior to Pro Football Hall of Famer defensive end JULIUS PEPPERS creating madness for NFL offensive linemen, he participated in March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament, for two seasons while attending the University of North Carolina.

This week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight shines on Peppers’ experience as a member of a “blue blood” elite basketball program and a Power Five conference football team during his college years.

While Julius was recruited to Chapel Hill as a football player, basketball coach Bill Guthridge was aware of his athleticism as the 1999-2000 basketball season approached, and Ed Cota, a senior on the North Carolina basketball team, discovered the 6-foot-7 forward playing pickup ball. With the approval of football coach Carl Torbush, Julius was added to the basketball roster as a walk-on.

After joining the basketball team in late November 1999, Julius, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, gave the Tar Heels a “rebounding, physical player inside to come off the bench.”

As Julius was called onto the court frequently to replace injured players and teammates with foul problems, Guthridge described Peppers as a “godsend” on the floor, Katz reported. 

In the 2000 NCAA Tournament, in which North Carolina advanced to the national semifinals, Julius averaged 5.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. In that year’s tournament, the Tar Heels, a No. 8 seed in the South region, defeated No. 1 seed Stanford in the second round.

Following that upset, Stanford coach Mike Montgomery acknowledged to ESPN that Julius, “was a big reason why the top-seeded Cardinal lost to North Carolina.” In the game, Julius tallied six points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and executed a 3-point play to give the Tar Heels the lead at the half. 

Returning to the football team in the fall of 2000, Julius looked to build upon his freshman season in which he had 50 tackles and was named first-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News. 

He continued to create an impressive football resume that season, leading the nation in sacks (15) and setting a North Carolina record with 24 tackles for loss.

Impressed by Julius’ success on the hardwood and the gridiron, The Sporting News named him the country’s Top Two Sport Athlete in 2000-01.

After the 2000 football season concluded, Julius returned to the basketball team and the Wilson, N.C., native played in 25 contests, averaging 7.1 points per game and 4.0 rebounds. He led the team in field goal percentage (.643) by hitting 63 of 98 shots attempted.

Typically, Julius was a solid backup on the team, but when given his initial opportunity to start a contest in a late-season conference tilt against Maryland in February 2001, he responded with 18 points.

In the 2001 postseason NCAA Tournament, Julius participated in both Tar Heels games, earning the first double-double of his collegiate career when he provided 21 points and 10 rebounds in their final tournament game against Penn State. He totaled 33 points and 15 rebounds in the two games.

Following that season, Julius decided to focus solely on football for his junior (and final) season at North Carolina.

Julius, again earned national attention as a result of corralling three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, from the defensive line position. For his efforts, he was named a consensus All-American, earned the Chuck Bednarik Award as the Defensive Player of the Year, the Vince Lombardi Award as the Lineman of the Year and captured enough Heisman Trophy votes to finish in the top 10.

In the 2002 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected their state’s native son with the second overall pick. It launched a 17-year NFL career that included spots on the NFL’s All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s and enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.