The Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor is about to get a whole lot spicier.
In a follow-up to their cryptic teaser from last week, the team announced on Monday morning that former defensive end Julius Peppers and former wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad will be the two newest members of the organization’s prestigious club.
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— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 10, 2023
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— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 10, 2023
Peppers is a North Carolina legend, through and through. The Wilson, N.C. native attended nearby Southern Nash High School in Bailey—where he was a standout football and track star.
He’d move on to the University of North Carolina, where he’d once again shine in multiple sports. Not only was he a unanimous All-American and two-time First-team All-ACC defender on the football side, but he also helped the storied basketball program reach the Final Four in 2000.
The 6-foot-7 athletic freak of nature would be taken by Carolina with the second overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft. Peppers went on to collect the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, four All-Pro nods and five Pro Bowl selections while posting the most sacks (97.0) in franchise history.
Muhammad was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 1996. The Lansing, Mich. native’s first stint with the team lasted nine seasons, a run that saw him collect 7,751 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns.
He, like Peppers, was a key member of the organization’s first Super Bowl appearance in 2003. Moose, in fact, still holds the record for the longest touchdown reception (85 yards) in Super Bowl history.
No. 87 came back to close out his career in Charlotte for the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. He ranks second in franchise history in all major receiving categories.
Peppers and Muhammad, the soon-to-be seventh and eighth members of the Hall of Honor, will be inducted at halftime of the Panthers’ Week 8 game against the Houston Texans on Oct. 29.
