“I tried to tell him that he was going to be a dime a dozen size-wise on the basketball court,” says Davis. He had his eye on basketball, but this was a kid who we knew could be great.”ĭavis set up a meeting with Peppers one winter afternoon after basketball practice to discuss his sophomore season and the football team. “He was just super dominant because he was so much bigger than everybody else. “It was strange because he was the tallest guy on the team and he’s out there playing running back,” explains Davis. What surprised Davis the most about watching Peppers was the position he was playing. He was gangly and a little awkward I remember. “He was really a big kid for a seventh grader. “The first time I ever noticed him was when he was in middle school,” Davis says. Ray Davis, the football coach at Southern Nash, couldn’t let that stand. He was intent to play basketball as his primary sport and, hopefully, earn a scholarship offer to his favorite school-North Carolina. His first year at Southern Nash High School, Peppers didn’t even go out for football. He dreamed of hitting game-winning shots and playing in college, before making it to the NBA. “He’s probably the best player to ever come through North Carolina.”Īll those things were said by people who coached, covered or followed Julius Peppers.īasketball, not football, was Julius Peppers’s first love. “I really believe this, but he could’ve played any position on the football field and been an All-American. You’re not supposed to do that at his size.” “In our final game of the season, he intercepted a pass and ran it back all the way for a touchdown. “I remember him hitting a quarterback as he threw, tipping the ball in the air and diving for an interception in a flash." It was just that he did it at 6-5, 230 pounds." “We decided to put him at running back because he was as quick as other players on the team. “I saw him block a punt and return it for a touchdown while outrunning a cornerback… at 240 pounds." Hear them and it’s hard to tell if years distorted memories or minor exploits created unbelievable legends. The stories appear to be more myth than truth.
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