University of North Carolina Athletics
Three Placed On CFB150 All-Time Greatest Players List
January 9, 2020 | Football
Carolina Football had three of its legendary players - Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers and Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice - selected to the list of ESPN's 150 Greatest Players in the history of College Football.Â
42. Lawrence Taylor (LB, North Carolina, 1977-80)
Sacks: 21 | Tackles for loss: 33 | Tackles: 192
Taylor spent his first two injury-plagued seasons at North Carolina playing inside linebacker and nose guard. After the UNC coaches moved him to outside linebacker before his junior season, Taylor dominated the opposition like few players before or after him. During his senior season in 1980, he set a UNC record with 16 sacks to go with six other tackles for loss and 69 tackles in total. He was a unanimous All-American and ACC Player of the Year. The Tar Heels finished 11-1 and claimed their last ACC title in 1980.
104. Julius Peppers (DE, North Carolina, 1999-2001)
Sacks: 30.5 | Tackles for loss: 53
Peppers was a transcendent athlete who led the FBS in sacks in 2000 and also played 56 games for North Carolina's storied basketball program. In 2000, Peppers led the ACC and set a UNC single-season record with 24 tackles for loss. He averaged 1.9 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in FBS history, and finished second in UNC history with 30.5 career sacks and 53 tackles for loss. He was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2001 and won the Bednarik and Lombardi awards, becoming the first Tar Heels defensive player to win a national college football award.
133. Charlie Justice (RB, North Carolina, 1946-49)
Rushing yards: 2,634 | Total offense: 4,871 yards | Touchdowns: 39
Justice is on the short list of greatest players never to win the Heisman. As a junior, he finished second to fellow junior Doak Walker of SMU. As a senior, he finished runner-up to Notre Dame end Leon Hart. "Choo Choo" Justice had to settle for being a two-time All-American and a Tar Heels legend. His school total-offense record (which doesn't include 1,794 return yards or his 42.6 punting average) stood for 45 seasons. His stature in North Carolina athletics will never diminish. A statue of him stands outside Kenan Stadium. Inside, the 22-yard lines are painted Tar Heel blue.
A blue-ribbon panel of 150 media members, college administrators, and former coaches and players accepted the responsibility of selecting the best players in the history of the game. Nearly all of their work is presented here.
The top 11 players in college football history will be unveiled at halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), with the rest of the top 25 revealed here on this page. Yes, we are saving the best for last; maybe it is better to say that the best talent reveals itself as the clock is winding down.
The panel's selections spanned across 111 of the 150 seasons, across 51 colleges and universities. Forgive us for not counting the number of conferences; given the manner in which schools have hopped from league to league, from independent to member, and how leagues have formed and folded, we will defer to someone more gluttonous for punishment.
42. Lawrence Taylor (LB, North Carolina, 1977-80)
Sacks: 21 | Tackles for loss: 33 | Tackles: 192
Taylor spent his first two injury-plagued seasons at North Carolina playing inside linebacker and nose guard. After the UNC coaches moved him to outside linebacker before his junior season, Taylor dominated the opposition like few players before or after him. During his senior season in 1980, he set a UNC record with 16 sacks to go with six other tackles for loss and 69 tackles in total. He was a unanimous All-American and ACC Player of the Year. The Tar Heels finished 11-1 and claimed their last ACC title in 1980.
104. Julius Peppers (DE, North Carolina, 1999-2001)
Sacks: 30.5 | Tackles for loss: 53
Peppers was a transcendent athlete who led the FBS in sacks in 2000 and also played 56 games for North Carolina's storied basketball program. In 2000, Peppers led the ACC and set a UNC single-season record with 24 tackles for loss. He averaged 1.9 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in FBS history, and finished second in UNC history with 30.5 career sacks and 53 tackles for loss. He was a unanimous first-team All-American in 2001 and won the Bednarik and Lombardi awards, becoming the first Tar Heels defensive player to win a national college football award.
133. Charlie Justice (RB, North Carolina, 1946-49)
Rushing yards: 2,634 | Total offense: 4,871 yards | Touchdowns: 39
Justice is on the short list of greatest players never to win the Heisman. As a junior, he finished second to fellow junior Doak Walker of SMU. As a senior, he finished runner-up to Notre Dame end Leon Hart. "Choo Choo" Justice had to settle for being a two-time All-American and a Tar Heels legend. His school total-offense record (which doesn't include 1,794 return yards or his 42.6 punting average) stood for 45 seasons. His stature in North Carolina athletics will never diminish. A statue of him stands outside Kenan Stadium. Inside, the 22-yard lines are painted Tar Heel blue.
A blue-ribbon panel of 150 media members, college administrators, and former coaches and players accepted the responsibility of selecting the best players in the history of the game. Nearly all of their work is presented here.
The top 11 players in college football history will be unveiled at halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), with the rest of the top 25 revealed here on this page. Yes, we are saving the best for last; maybe it is better to say that the best talent reveals itself as the clock is winding down.
The panel's selections spanned across 111 of the 150 seasons, across 51 colleges and universities. Forgive us for not counting the number of conferences; given the manner in which schools have hopped from league to league, from independent to member, and how leagues have formed and folded, we will defer to someone more gluttonous for punishment.
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