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Over the course of covering high school football for 45 years, there have been players who I thought were talented enough to compete at the professional level.

Some of them reached that pinnacle….others didn’t quite pan out, and there were a few surprises along the way who made it to the pros despite me overlooking their talents.

But, never did I think I would one day witness one of those men standing behind the podium in Canton, Ohio, wearing a gold jacket that signifies their membership into the National Football League Hall of Fame.

Last week, Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Randy Gradishar, and Steve McMichael were formally inducted.

Peppers played at Southern Nash High School from where he graduated in 1998. Back in the mid to late 1990s, Southern Nash was a member of the Big Eight Conference, a league that included Bertie and Hertford County high schools along with Tarboro, SouthWest Edgecombe, Wilson Beddingfield, Wilson Fike, and Wilson Hunt.

Standing 6’-6” and tipping the scales at 245 pounds, Peppers was a man among boys back then. On offense, he could run over a defender or with his speed (4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he could run past one as well. With that size, speed, and agility, Peppers played at a much higher level, and he did it on both sides of the ball as he was also a defensive standout.

During the 1996 season, Peppers pounded Hertford County, 35-3, thanks to his 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

In his high school career (three years at the varsity level), Peppers rushed for more than 3,500 yards and scored 46 touchdowns.

His athleticism allowed him to excel on the basketball court as well where he scored over 1,600 points and grabbed nearly 1,000 rebounds during his high school career.

He also ran track and helped Southern Nash win the NCHSAA’s 4×400 meter relay state title.

For his efforts, Peppers was named the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Male Athlete of the Year during the 1997-1998 season.

He was heavily recruited by all the big names at the collegiate level and chose to wear the baby blue uniform at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

By the time he got his first start at UNC as a red-shirt freshman in 1999, Peppers stood 6’-6” and weighed 280 pounds. He was a first-team All-American in 2000 where he led the nation with 15 sacks.

By the way, a teammate of Peppers on that Tar Heel team was former Hertford County High School standout Jason Horton, then a 6’-0”, 180-pound sophomore cornerback. Horton also made it to the NFL, playing with four teams between 2004-2009), the Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.

In his three seasons at ‘Carolina, Peppers is credited with 167 total tackles, 53 tackles for loss, 30.5 sacks (which ranks second in school history), five interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), five forced fumbles, and two fumbles recovered (one returned for a touchdown).

He also played basketball as a power forward for the Tar Heels. In two seasons, he played in 56 games, averaging 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest.

It was a no-brainer that Peppers would play in the NFL. He was the second overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft where he “scored” the opportunity to remain in his home state as he was selected by the Carolina Panthers.

From that point forward, Peppers became one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers.

He won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 where he registered 12 sacks, forced five fumbles and picked off one pass in 12 games for the Panthers. According to NFL.com, that season was Peppers’ first of nine in which he recorded at least 10 sacks, and while he never led the league in QB takedowns, his consistency led him to retire fourth all time in sacks with 159.5, including a franchise-record 97 in Carolina.

Peppers also is the only player to record at least 150 career sacks and 10 interceptions (four of which he returned for a TD).

“His brilliance (three first-team All-Pro nods) and longevity (he earned a Pro Bowl nod in his 14th season while he was a member of the Green Bay Packers) gave him the honor of entering Canton [home of the NFL Hall of Fame] in his first year of eligibility,” as stated on NFL.com.

As a longtime sports/news reporter, I feel extremely fortunate to have personally witnessed a future NFL Hall of Fame member participate while he was still just a high school player. But like I said in the first paragraph, I’ve seen many high school athletes that I felt were worthy of playing professionally. Julius Peppers was one of them.

However, I found out at his induction ceremony that this gentle giant of a man is gifted in mind as well as body.

“Everyone can’t play in an NFL game and everyone can’t have a bust in Canton, but everyone can be a Hall of Famer in your own life,” Peppers said. “You could 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 too.”

Well said, Julius…thanks for adding that thought-provoking advice to your own legacy….and congratulations on your worthy Hall of Fame induction.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.