University of North Carolina Athletics
Barton, Peppers Named On Ballot For College Football HOF
June 16, 2020 | Football
IRVING, Texas - Carolina football legends Harris Barton and Julius Peppers are included on the 2021 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on Tuesday.
Barton was a four-year starter for the Tar Heels, first at center and then at tackle as one of the best offensive lineman ever to play in college football. A first-team All-America in 1986, Barton was named first team All-ACC as a senior when he led an offensive line that helped Carolina rank first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and sixth nationally in total offense.
An excellent student, he was chosen for a post-graduate scholarship by the NFF and was a first-round selection in the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers in 1987. He went on to a 10-year pro career with the 49ers, winning three Super Bowls and earning two All-Pro nods in 1992 and 1993.
Peppers played in Chapel Hill from 1999-2001 becoming one of the most disruptive defensive players the sport has ever seen. A unanimous first-team All-American in 2001, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and the Rotary Lombardi Award, which at the time was given to the nation's top interior lineman. He finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting, was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy and was honored as Chevrolet's Defensive Player of the Year.
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A first-team All-ACC selection in both 2000 and '01, Peppers finished his career with 167 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 53 TFL, five INTs and five forced fumbles. He went on to be drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the NFL Draft. During his professional career, Peppers earned nine Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, three second-team All-Pro recognitions and was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s.
Peppers has also been extremely generous philanthropically, having donated to the UNC General Alumni Association's Light on the Hill Society Scholarship fund on two separate occasions. He was also the Panther's 2018 NFL Man of the Year nominee.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 full seasons prior; played within the last 50 years; and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head football coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three full seasons. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In all cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.
The ballot will be emailed the week of June 16 to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Courts, which deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
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The announcement of the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT will be made in early 2021, with specific details to be announced in the future. The Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by ETT on Dec. 7, 2021, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
For up-to-date information on Carolina football, visit GoHeels.com/Football and follow us on Twitter (@TarHeelFootball), Instagram (@tarheelfootball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TarHeelFootball).
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Barton was a four-year starter for the Tar Heels, first at center and then at tackle as one of the best offensive lineman ever to play in college football. A first-team All-America in 1986, Barton was named first team All-ACC as a senior when he led an offensive line that helped Carolina rank first in the Atlantic Coast Conference and sixth nationally in total offense.
An excellent student, he was chosen for a post-graduate scholarship by the NFF and was a first-round selection in the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers in 1987. He went on to a 10-year pro career with the 49ers, winning three Super Bowls and earning two All-Pro nods in 1992 and 1993.
Peppers played in Chapel Hill from 1999-2001 becoming one of the most disruptive defensive players the sport has ever seen. A unanimous first-team All-American in 2001, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and the Rotary Lombardi Award, which at the time was given to the nation's top interior lineman. He finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting, was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy and was honored as Chevrolet's Defensive Player of the Year.
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A first-team All-ACC selection in both 2000 and '01, Peppers finished his career with 167 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 53 TFL, five INTs and five forced fumbles. He went on to be drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the NFL Draft. During his professional career, Peppers earned nine Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, three second-team All-Pro recognitions and was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s.
Peppers has also been extremely generous philanthropically, having donated to the UNC General Alumni Association's Light on the Hill Society Scholarship fund on two separate occasions. He was also the Panther's 2018 NFL Man of the Year nominee.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 full seasons prior; played within the last 50 years; and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head football coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three full seasons. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In all cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.
The ballot will be emailed the week of June 16 to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Courts, which deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
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The announcement of the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT will be made in early 2021, with specific details to be announced in the future. The Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by ETT on Dec. 7, 2021, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
For up-to-date information on Carolina football, visit GoHeels.com/Football and follow us on Twitter (@TarHeelFootball), Instagram (@tarheelfootball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TarHeelFootball).
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