North Carolina Sports Network Archives:
20 Pro Football Hall of Famers Tied To NC
By Birth, High School, College And/Or Panthers
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
With this year’s election of Julius Peppers, North Carolina now has 20 inductees who represent the state in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in important ways.
Nine Hall of Famers were born in North Carolina, including Peppers, although several moved away at a relatively young age.
Surprisingly, only five Hall of Famers — including Peppers — are products of the North Carolina high school football ranks. Among those five, only two — Peppers (UNC) and legendary quarterback Sonny Jurgensen (Duke) — went on to play for an in-state university.
Overall, nine Hall of Famers played college football in North Carolina. Three played at Duke, three (including Peppers) at UNC, one at North Carolina A&T, one at NC State and one at Wake Forest.
Finally, six Hall of Famers — again, including Peppers — worked for North Carolina’s only National Football League franchise, the Carolina Panthers. Two were general managers in Charlotte, and the other four played for the Panthers.
The complete lists in each category are below. Six players (each identified with an asterisk) are included on more than one list.
Pro Football Hall Of Famers With NC Ties (20 Total)
(NFL Tenure In Parentheses)
North Carolina Natives (9)
LB Bobby Bell*, Shelby (1963-74)
DE Carl Eller*, Winston-Salem (1964-79)
HC Joe Gibbs, Mocksville (1981-92, 2004-07 as head coach)
LB Chris Hanburger*, Fort Bragg (1965-78)
QB Sonny Jurgensen*, Wilmington (1957-74)
OL Bruce Matthews, Raleigh (1983-2001)
DE Julius Peppers*, Wilson (2002-18)
TE Charlie Sanders*, Richlands (1968-77)
OC Dwight Stephenson, Murfreesboro (1980-87)
North Carolina High School Products (5)
LB Bobby Bell*, Cleveland HS in Shelby (1963-74)
DE Carl Eller*, Atkins HS in Winston-Salem (1964-79)
QB Sonny Jurgensen*, New Hanover HS in Wilmington (1957-74)
DE Julius Peppers*, Southern Nash HS in Bailey (2002-18)
TE Charlie Sanders*, Dudley HS in Greensboro (1968-77)
North Carolina College Products (9)
QB Sonny Jurgensen*, Duke (1957-74)
RB/DB George McAfee, Duke (1940-41, 1945-50)
QB/RB/DB/P Clarence “Ace” Parker, Duke (1937-41, 1945-46)
LB Chris Hanburger*, North Carolina (1965-78)
DE Julius Peppers*, North Carolina (2002-18)
LB Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina (1981-93)
DE Elvin Bethea, North Carolina A&T (1968-83)
LB/HC Bill Cowher, NC State (1979-84 as player; 1992-2006 as head coach)
LB Bill George, Wake Forest (1952-66)
Carolina Panthers Players/General Managers (6)
DE Kevin Greene (1985-99; 1996 and 1998-99 with Panthers)
GM Mike McCormack (1951-97 as player/coach/executive; 1993-97 with Panthers)
LB Sam Mills (1986-97; 1995-97 as player and 1998-2004 as assistant with Panthers)
DE Julius Peppers* (2002-18; 2002-09 and 2017-18 with Panthers)
GM Bill Polian (1985-2011 as administrator; 1995-97 with Panthers)
DE Reggie White (1985-2000; 2000 with Panthers)
*—appears in multiple categories
