North Carolina Sports Network Transcript:
Julius Peppers’ Touching Induction Speech
At The Pro Football Hall Of Fame (Part Two)
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(NOTE: Because every other available transcript of Julius Peppers’ touching speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday included an unfortunate variety of meaningful errors and omissions, our North Carolina Sports Network staff re-watched Peppers’ words multiple times to produce the much more accurate transcript below. Enjoy!)
The Pro Football Hall of Fame increased its membership to 378 Saturday, when it formally inducted seven new members during its annual ceremony in Canton, Ohio.
Among the Hall’s 378 inductees, only 90 were selected during their first year of eligibility, and the only Class of 2024 honoree who fit that description was North Carolina’s own Julius Peppers.
Peppers is the first and only Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee whose biography includes 1-being born and raised in North Carolina, 2-becoming a high school star in North Carolina, 3-representing a North Carolina-based university at the college level, and 4-playing for the Old North State’s only National Football League franchise.
Born in Wilson, N.C., and raised in tiny Bailey, N.C., Peppers was a multi-sport star at both Southern Nash High School and the University of North Carolina before spending 10 of his 17 NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Below is both Part Two of a transcript of Peppers’ speech on Saturday and a link to the YouTube video from the official Hall of Fame website. Part One of this transcript can be found HERE.
Julius Peppers:
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, just please know that I’m grateful.
First, I want to thank coach Mack Brown and coach 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, Billy Guthridge. They were great coaches and great men.
And this ain’t in my speech, but I’m gonna say it anyway. While I’m talking about Chapel Hill and North Carolina, and I know this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I ain’t going to sit up here and act like my idol, and one of the reasons that I went to Chapel Hill, is not in the building: the GOAT, His Airness, Michael Jordan. MJ, I want to thank you, for the inspiration and the memories. Love you, big bro.
All right, now back to the football. I want to thank my NFL coaches: John Fox, Lovie Smith, Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera. Thanks to each one of you and all of the men on your staffs. You guys taught valuable lessons that went beyond the game, and that’s what I appreciated the most. So, thank you for your time, your energy and your sacrifices.
Thank you to all of my teammates, and, look, I played 17 years, so it’s a lot of you guys out there, all right? And I appreciate every single one of you; just know that. 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.
Rod Marinelli, my defensive coordinator when I was in Chicago … Rod would always say, in the meetings, the star of the team is the team. And that’s how I tried to play the game. All I ever wanted to do was do my job, help the team win and earn you guys’ respect. So, to every teammate that I had, and all the teams that I ever played on, I want to thank you for the amazing ride, and it was a pleasure sharing the field with you guys. So thank y’all.
Now, for all of the sacks, interceptions and touchdowns you see on Sunday, there’s another team who is just as important to our success that sometimes goes unnoticed, but I’m gonna shout y’all out real quick. I want to thank all of my strength and conditioning coaches — the ones that work with the team and the ones that I work with in the offseason — all of the training staffs, the scouts, the GMs. Thank you, Marty Hurney. All of the football people in football ops, upstairs, the equipment managers, and the media department, community relations, and all the other support staffs. Thanks to all of you.
And thank you to the fans.
To the city and the fans of Chicago, I know you guys didn’t draft me, but when I came there, you treated me like I was one of your own, and I appreciate that. So it’s always: Bear Down.
Thank you to the people of Wisconsin and Green Bay fans all over. Go, Pack, go. That was three of the best years of my life.
And Panther Nation. You can travel the world, but there’s no place like home. So thank you for having my back since the day I was drafted and always showing me love.
So, to all of the fans, thank you for your passion, your loyalty, your enthusiasm and your unwavering support. You guys are the reason we do what we do, and this game is nothing without you all. So, thank you, to all of the fans.
I want to thank Dave and Nicole Tepper for your support and your friendship. You know, nobody has it all figured out from the start, but I believe in you guys, and just know: Our time is coming. So, in the words of the great Sam Mills, just Keep Pounding.
And last, but not least, I want to thank the Carolina Panthers’ founder, the late Jerry Richardson. If not for him and his vision, the Panthers don’t exist. He brought an NFL team to my home state and gave me a platform to chase my dreams, so for that, I want to say thank you to the Big Cat.
Now, I’m going to close with what being a Hall of Famer means to me. 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? Do you stand tall in the face of adversity, when things get tough, or do you quit? Do you acknowledge other people’s 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 that 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.
Thank you, and God bless.
