Julius Peppers

Position:
Defensive End
Height:
6-6
Weight:
270
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Bailey, N.C.
High School:
Southern Nash

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AT CAROLINA
Could be a major contributor this season after two years as one of Carolina’s top reserves • A tough, strong power forward who is remarkably agile for a man his size • Is perhaps gifted enough to play in both the NFL and the NBA.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2000-01)
Named by The Sporting News as the country's Top Two-Sport Athlete (as voted by NCAA Division I coaches) • Joined the basketball team after the conclusion of the football season and the completion of fall semester exams • Played in 25 contests • Averaged 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and led the Tar Heels with a field goal percentage of .643 • Made 63 of 98 shots from the floor • Made at least 60 percent of his shots from the floor in 16 of 25 games • Scored in double figures six times, including 21 against Penn State, 18 against Maryland, 14 against Wake Forest, 13 against Marquette, 12 vs. Princeton and 10 vs. NC State • Made his season debut at UCLA after just three days of practice and had six points and four rebounds in the win • Scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Marquette • Thunderous alley-oop dunk (pass by Ronald Curry) against Wake Forest on Jan. 6 was CNN/SI's Play of the Day • Matched his then-career-high with 14 points in the Feb. 3 win over Georgia Tech • Had six points, five rebounds and an impressive dunk in the win at Wake Forest on Feb. 6 • Made his first career start on Feb. 10 versus Maryland and responded with a career-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting • Had eight points, five rebounds and three assists in the home win over Clemson • Scored 10 points in 18 minutes on Feb. 28 vs. NC State as Carolina clinched a share of the ACC regular season championship • Started both NCAA Tournament games, responding with 12 points against Princeton and a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds against Penn State (his first career double-double) • Made 13 of 15 field goal attempts in the two NCAA Tournament games in the Louisiana Superdome • Went 5 for 6 from the floor, and added five boards and three steals in the first round against Princeton • Made 8 of 9 field goal attempts, 5 of 7 free throws, and had 10 rebounds versus Penn State.

FRESHMAN SEASON (1999-2000) Featured in page one photos on the front section of USA Today on two Mondays in a row and featured in Sports Illustrated after NCAA Tournament wins over Stanford and Tulsa • Joined the basketball team on Nov. 29 after the Tar Heels returned from the Maui Invitational • Had nine points and four rebounds in the NCAA first-round win over Missouri • Recorded six points, three rebounds and three blocked shots in the upset of No. 1 seed Stanford in the second round of the NCAA South Regional • Helped limit Stanford’s starting frontcourt to 7-for-29 shooting • Had a huge three-point play with six seconds left before halftime to give UNC a 28-27 lead at the break • Had six points, six rebounds and two blocks against Tennessee in the Sweet 16 • Played most of the final 8:03 after Brendan Haywood fouled out, despite picking up his own fourth foul with 6:10 to play • Hit two free throws with 26 seconds left to play that gave Carolina a six-point lead • Grabbed five rebounds in the final 6:59 against the Vols • Had six points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in the regional final against Tulsa • Sparked Carolina early with an acrobatic layup • In his first month as a Tar Heel, he had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against Howard, 7 points and 4 rebounds vs. Tennessee Tech, 6 points at Buffalo (including a spectacular dunk that was featured on ESPN) and 5 points at Louisville • Helped limit Georgia Tech frontcourt stars Alvin Jones and Jason Collier to 7-27 shooting from the floor on Jan. 29 • Had three steals and five boards against Maryland on Jan. 27 • In 18 minutes of action against UCLA, he had five points, six rebounds (three offensive) and two blocked shots • Ripped down 13 rebounds (five offensive) against Clemson on Jan. 6 • Added six points, a blocked shot, an assist and two steals in 24 minutes against the Tigers • Played crucial minutes in the second half and had five points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals against Florida State on Jan. 22 • Scored a career-high 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting vs. Georgia Tech on March 1 • Went 4 for 4 from the floor with eight points on March 4 at Duke.

FOOTBALL AT CAROLINA
After six games in 2001, on pace to break the school record for sacks • Likely All-America as a junior • Was among the leading candidates for the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top interior lineman • Also a candidate for the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player
First-team All-America in 2000 • Led the nation in sacks with 15 and was second in sacks per game • First-team All-ACC at defensive end • Third in the country with a school-record 24 tackles for loss.
Started all 11 football games in 1999 • He had 50 tackles and led the team in tackles for losses with 10 for 47 yards and in quarterback sacks with six for 36 yards • He also intercepted a pass (at Clemson), caused and recovered one fumble and blocked one kick • He was sixth in the ACC in sacks • The Sporting News named him first-team Freshman All-America.

PREP
The NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year as a high school senior at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, N.C., in 1997-98 • Was recruited by several Division I programs to play basketball • Played on the same AAU team that won a national title with Tar Heel teammates Brendan Haywood and Kris Lang • Earned all-state basketball honors as a senior and was a four-time all-conference performer on the hardwood.