Class of 2024: Julius Peppers – ‘Root people’ help plant him in Hall of Fame
Enshrinement
Published on : 8/3/2024
By Barry Wilner
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Selection to an NFL All-Decade Team is as impressive as it gets. So how about being chosen to two of them?
JULIUS PEPPERS managed that, making the squads of the 2000s and 2010s, pretty much assuring him of a quick entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The second overall pick by Carolina in the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers was selected for enshrinement in Canton in his first year of eligibility.
And he was quick and emphatic in congratulating the folks who helped him get here: family, friends, advisers, coaches, trainers and teammates. Root people.
“Some people come into our lives for a season,” Peppers said Saturday during his enshrinement speech. “They probably don't last through the tough times. When the wind blows, they fall away.
“Those are the leaf people.
“Some people come into our lives for support, and a little stronger than the leaves, but if you put too much pressure and weight on them, they eventually break.
“These are the branch people.
“Then sometimes you meet people that you can depend on no matter what,” he added. “They help you build a stable foundation that allows you to grow. They hold you up through the storms.
“These are the root people.”
Peppers was at the root of so much success in the NFL: A brilliant pass rusher and playmaker for the Panthers for 10 seasons over two stints, plus four years in Chicago and three in Green Bay. Twelve times he led his team in quarterback sacks on the way to ranking fourth all time in that statistic with 159.5. He forced 52 fumbles and is the only player with more than 100 sacks and 10-plus interceptions, four of which he returned for TDs.
In 18 postseason games, Peppers made 49 tackles with 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
“Thank you to all of my teammates,” Peppers told the crowd that waited through a weather delay Saturday. He also gave a shout-out to Michael Jordan, a fellow North Carolina Tar Heel who was in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. “You guys are the reason that I worked so hard, and a big part of the reason that I'm standing up here today. You motivated me, you inspired me and we held each other accountable.”
Peppers was special from the beginning of his pro career after starring in football and basketball at North Carolina. He once admitted making the Final Four was a preference over playing in a Super Bowl, but later amended that to each championship event being equal. Earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Peppers recorded 12 sacks in 2002 as Carolina improved from 1-15 to 7-9. The next season, the Panthers won the NFC South on the way to their first Super Bowl appearance.
His best year might have been 2004 with 11 sacks, nine more tackles for loss, nine passes defensed and a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown. Or perhaps 2006 with 13 sacks, and NFL-best 18 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits. Or maybe it was 2008, when the Panthers also won the NFC South as Peppers made 14.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
He headed to Chicago as a free agent in 2010 and was a stalwart as the Bears made the NFC title game. Using his speed, size, strong hands and plethora of moves, Peppers led Chicago in sacks all four seasons there before joining the Packers for three seasons, followed by a two-year encore in Carolina.
Also a force on special teams, he blocked 13 kicks, ranking second all time when he retired in 2018.
You get the message.
As for his closing message to the crowd:
“Everyone can be a Hall of Famer in your own life,” he said. “A Hall of Fame dad, student, co-worker. Do it with integrity, passion and resilience … you to can have a legacy that lives on forever.”
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Selection to an NFL All-Decade Team is as impressive as it gets. So how about being chosen to two of them?
JULIUS PEPPERS managed that, making the squads of the 2000s and 2010s, pretty much assuring him of a quick entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The second overall pick by Carolina in the 2002 NFL Draft, Peppers was selected for enshrinement in Canton in his first year of eligibility.
And he was quick and emphatic in congratulating the folks who helped him get here: family, friends, advisers, coaches, trainers and teammates. Root people.
“Some people come into our lives for a season,” Peppers said Saturday during his enshrinement speech. “They probably don't last through the tough times. When the wind blows, they fall away.
“Those are the leaf people.
“Some people come into our lives for support, and a little stronger than the leaves, but if you put too much pressure and weight on them, they eventually break.
“These are the branch people.
“Then sometimes you meet people that you can depend on no matter what,” he added. “They help you build a stable foundation that allows you to grow. They hold you up through the storms.
“These are the root people.”
Peppers was at the root of so much success in the NFL: A brilliant pass rusher and playmaker for the Panthers for 10 seasons over two stints, plus four years in Chicago and three in Green Bay. Twelve times he led his team in quarterback sacks on the way to ranking fourth all time in that statistic with 159.5. He forced 52 fumbles and is the only player with more than 100 sacks and 10-plus interceptions, four of which he returned for TDs.
In 18 postseason games, Peppers made 49 tackles with 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
“Thank you to all of my teammates,” Peppers told the crowd that waited through a weather delay Saturday. He also gave a shout-out to Michael Jordan, a fellow North Carolina Tar Heel who was in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. “You guys are the reason that I worked so hard, and a big part of the reason that I'm standing up here today. You motivated me, you inspired me and we held each other accountable.”
Peppers was special from the beginning of his pro career after starring in football and basketball at North Carolina. He once admitted making the Final Four was a preference over playing in a Super Bowl, but later amended that to each championship event being equal. Earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Peppers recorded 12 sacks in 2002 as Carolina improved from 1-15 to 7-9. The next season, the Panthers won the NFC South on the way to their first Super Bowl appearance.
His best year might have been 2004 with 11 sacks, nine more tackles for loss, nine passes defensed and a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown. Or perhaps 2006 with 13 sacks, and NFL-best 18 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits. Or maybe it was 2008, when the Panthers also won the NFC South as Peppers made 14.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
He headed to Chicago as a free agent in 2010 and was a stalwart as the Bears made the NFC title game. Using his speed, size, strong hands and plethora of moves, Peppers led Chicago in sacks all four seasons there before joining the Packers for three seasons, followed by a two-year encore in Carolina.
Also a force on special teams, he blocked 13 kicks, ranking second all time when he retired in 2018.
You get the message.
As for his closing message to the crowd:
“Everyone can be a Hall of Famer in your own life,” he said. “A Hall of Fame dad, student, co-worker. Do it with integrity, passion and resilience … you to can have a legacy that lives on forever.”
More on the Enshrinement of each class member
Class members are listed in order of their Enshrinement speeches:- Class of 2024: Dwight Freeney – Pushed himself ‘to make it happen’
- Class of 2024: Steve McMichael – Loved every minute of every down
- Class of 2024: Randy Gradishar – Shares credit for his legacy with teammates
- Class of 2024: Devin Hester – Enshrinement brings deeper respect to return game
- Class of 2024: Patrick Willis – Completed what he came to do in NFL
- Class of 2024: Julius Peppers – ‘Root people’ help plant him in Hall of Fame
- Class of 2024: Andre Johnson – Breakout receiver breaks barrier for Texans’ franchise
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