Two former Carolina Panthers nominated for College Football Hall of Fame

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Carolina Panthers legends Julius Peppers and Ron Rivera have been nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame, according to a press release.

Peppers, who attended the University of North Carolina, was a unanimous First Team All-American who won the Bednarik Award (given to the nation’s best defensive player) that same year. The two-time First Team All-ACC member has since had his jersey retired at UNC.

After a standout career with the Tar Heels, Peppers was drafted second overall by the hometown Panthers, where he played from 2002-2009 and won Defensive Rookie of the Year. In his career, the defensive end made stops in Chicago and Green Bay before returning to Carolina for his final season. The nine-time Pro Bowler has the fourth most sacks in NFL history and leads the Carolina with 97 – almost 30 more than the Panther with the next most.

Former Carolina Panthers Coach Ron Rivera was nominated for his years at the University of California. A 1983 First Team All-American, the linebacker was named the Pac-10′s Co-Defensive Player of the Year in his final season with the Golden Bears.

The Chicago Bears drafted Rivera in the second round of the NFL’s 1984 draft where he spent nine years before retiring with one Super Bowl Championship as a player.

Shortly after his career on the field, Rivera entered coaching, where he spent over a decade moving around the league as an assistant before he was hired as the head coach of the Panthers in 2011.

In his tenure with Carolina, Rivera was a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50, and became the winningest coach in franchise history. “Riverboat Ron,” as he was dubbed, is currently the head coach for the Washington Commanders.

After voting and deliberation from the National Football Foundation, the 2024 Hall of Fame Class is set to be officially inducted on Dec. 10, 2024, at the NFF Awards Dinner.

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