The youngest of three children, Peppers was born in , as a
Sprinter and triple jumper. His senior year in high school (1997-98) saw the gifted athlete named to the ''Parade'' All-America team as an all-purpose talent; he was also named Male Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In 2005, Peppers was named by the Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper as one of the 50 Greatest Athletes from the
Nash /
Edgecombe (Twin County) area.
Peppers played defensive end at the
University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill , where he won the
Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and the
Lombardi Award as the best collegiate lineman in
2001 . Possessing an unusual amount of quickness and agility for a defensive lineman, Peppers also played
Basketball for the
Tar Heel s, providing valuable minutes to a team that reached the
Final Four in
2000 . During his sophomore season, Peppers averaged 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and led the Tar Heels with a field goal percentage of .643. He made 63 of 98 shots from the floor and at least 60% of his shots from the floor in 16 of 25 games. He 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. He made his season debut at UCLA after just three days of practice and had six points.
In the
2002 NFL Draft , Peppers was selected by the
Carolina Panthers as the second overall pick. Peppers made an immediate impact and was named The
NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year by the
Associated Press . On
October 13 , 2002, Peppers became only the third player in
NFL history to amass three sacks and an interception in the same game.
Peppers is a key member of the Carolina Panthers' defensive line, along with fellow defensive end
Mike Rucker and defensive tackle
Kris Jenkins . Many experts say that this daunting defensive line, which also includes
Jordan Carstens and Kindal Moorehead, is one of the best in the NFL.
During his rookie season in 2002, Peppers tallied 28 tackles, 12 sacks, 1 interception, and 5 forced fumbles. In 2003, during the Panthers
Super Bowl run, he had 37 tackles, 7 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. In 2004, he was selected to his first ever
Pro Bowl with 52 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and two touchdowns.
