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Julius Peppers bio (PDF Format)
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AT CAROLINA
Could be a major contributor this season after two years as one of Carolinas 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 Stanfords 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 nations top interior lineman Also a candidate for the Nagurski Award as the nations 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.
