UNC Football: Julius Peppers is officially a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

It is now official: Julius Peppers became the 337th member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon in Canton, Ohio.

The former UNC football legend took his rightful place among the greatest to ever play the sport, as his legacy will always be remembered as a fierce pass rusher who made life extremely difficult for opposing offenses.

After dominating during his time with the UNC football program. Peppers took his talent to the pros, where he went on to be the second overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played 17 seasons (mainly for the Carolina Panthers, fittingly), as he earned 9 Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, and three second-team All-Pro honors. Over his career, Peppers tallied 719 tackles, 159.5 sacks, 175 TFL, 52 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries and 11 INTs. His 159.5 sacks are the fourth since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

Peppers was presented by his long time friend/agent Carl Carey, as you can view the introduction video below:

When it was time for Peppers to address the crowd, he had multiple people to thank for him getting to this monumental moment. The former Tar Heel spoke about the coaches he competed for during his college career who made a lasting impact on him.

"Now to the football. And let me just say this, so many people have helped me get to this stage, in my family and in my football life, and while I can't mention all of you, please know that I'm grateful. First, I want to thank coach Mack Brown and Donnie Thompson for coming to Bailey, North Carolina, and making me realize that Chapel Hill is where I needed to be. And my thanks go to my head coach Carl Torbush, who we lost last year, and my basketball coach Willy Guthridge. They were great coaches and great men."

As he continued to speak about the University of North Carolina, Peppers went off his speech a bit, as he had to shoutout "The G.O.A.T," Michael Jordan, who was in attendance for the ceremony.

"This isn't in my speech, but I'm gonna say it anyways while I'm talking about Chapel Hill and North Carolina, and I know this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I ain't going to sit up here and act like my idol and one of the reasons that I went to Chapel Hill isn't in the building. The G.O.A.T. is in this building, Michael Jordan. MJ, I want to thank you for the inspiration and the memories, love you big bro."

While Peppers spent plenty of time speaking about the sport of football and the people who helped make this possible for him, he did end his speech with a powerful statement on what being a Hall of Famer means to him.

"It's not about how many touchdowns you scored or how many Super Bowl rings you have, even though those things are nice. It really comes down to who you are at your core, and what's in your heart. Are you resilient, and do you stand tall in the face of adversity when things get tough, or do you quit? Do you acknowledge other peoples' contributions to your success, or do you make it all about you? Being a Hall of Famer is one of my crowning achievements, but it extends far beyond pro football. It extends to my family, and it extends to my daily life. Everyone can't play in the NFL, and everyone can't have a bust here in Canton. But everyone can be a Hall of Famer in your own life. You can be a Hall of Fame dad, a Hall of Fame student, teacher, spouse, coworker, friend, whatever it is. Whatever it is you do, do it with respect, integrity, passion, resilience, dedication and gratitude. That alone will make you a Hall of Fame person, and you too can have a legacy that lives on forever."

Julius Peppers is now just the third UNC football player ever to earn a spot in Canton, as he truly is a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word.