The legacy of a local legend has found a new home.

On Saturday, Carolina Panthers great Julius Peppers was officially enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former defensive end and outside linebacker is one of seven members of the 2024 class—alongside Dwight Freeney, Steve McMichael, Randy Gradishar, Devin Hester, Patrick Willis and Andre Johnson.

A Wilson, N.C. native, Peppers attended the University of North Carolina from 1998 to 2001. The two-sport Tar Heel, who was also a member of the basketball program’s 2000 Final Four team, wrapped up his prolific college career with unanimous All-American and First-team All-ACC selections as well as the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Lombardi Award and the Bill Willis Trophy.

He’d remain nearby in his jump to pros, as he was selected with the second overall pick of the 2002 NFL draft by his hometown Panthers. Peppers played 10 of his 17 pro seasons in Carolina, a two-stint tenure that bookended stops for the Chicago Bears (2010 to 2013) and the Green Bay Packers (2014 to 2016).

Those 17 years yielded an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, four First-team All-Pro selections, three Second-team All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowl nods and spots on the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. He retired with 719 tackles, 11 interceptions, 52 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries and 159.5 sacks—the fourth-most in league history.

Peppers is now the fifth Hall of Famer with ties to the Panthers—joining Reggie White (2006), Bill Polian (2015), Kevin Greene (2016) and Sam Mills (2022).