Julius Peppers

Bio

A unanimous First Team All-American in 2001 and a Second Team All-American in 2000, Julius Peppers won both the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and the Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman in 2001, making him the first Tar Heel defensive player to ever win a national college football award. He was named the 2001 Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year, and he finished 10th in the 2001 Heisman Trophy voting and was a 2001 finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the nation's top defender. In 2000, he led the nation with 15 sacks and established a school record with 24 tackles for loss. The following year, Peppers led a defense that finished first in the ACC and 15th in the nation in total defense while guiding UNC to a 16-10 victory over Auburn in the 2001 Peach Bowl. A two-time First Team All-ACC selection, he led the conference in tackles for loss (24) and sacks (15) in 2000 and posted 30.5 career sacks and 53 tackles for loss despite only playing three seasons. He set the Heels' single-game sack record with four, and he led the team with three interceptions in 2001. His career totals also included 177 total tackles, five interceptions, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one fumble returned for a touchdown. One of the top two-sport athletes in ACC history as a walk-on forward on Carolina's basketball team, Peppers averaged 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds to help the Tar Heels claim a share of the 2001 regular-season ACC championship.

Career Highlights

• 2001 All-Conference
• 2001 Bednarik Award Winner
• 2001 Heisman - Tenth
• 2001 Lombardi Award Winner
• 2001 Unanimous All-America
• 2000 All-Conference
• 2000 First Team All-America