CANTON, Ohio — Julius Peppers did not seek to be a commercial star, letting his Hall of Fame play on the field speak for itself.
But plenty who played with him speak of his legendary moments.
"The stories you would hear about him are unlimited. And all true," his high school teammate Brian Batchelor said.
From grade school to the professional gridiron, NFL teammates like Ricky Proehl were impressed immediately.
"The first thing that comes to mind is just a freak athlete," Proehl said.
Offensive lineman Kevin Donnalley was always impressed with how smooth Peppers was for a man his size.
"You could just tell the guy was operating at a different level," Donnalley said.
The legend of Julius Peppers began early.
At Southern Nash High School in Bailey, North Carolina, he ran for over 3,500 yards and 38 touchdowns and did just about everything but punt.
Batchelor, now the school's head coach, says one sight will never leave his mind.
"Six-foot-six, 255 pounds in full gear standing on the goal line doing backflips for like 10 yards," Batchelor said.
Of course, even back then, the future Heels hooper was showing off on the court too.
"As an eighth grader taking the ball from the free throw line and throwing it off the back board and taking one step and grabbing it in midair," Batchelor said. "And just windmill dunking with one hand. So, yeah I saw him do a lot of crazy stuff."
By the time Peppers got to the NFL, even seasoned veterans like Donnalley were weary of lining up across from him.
“I'm just like, I want no part of that. I don't want to see him. I don't need to see him," he said. "It was hard. It was brutal.”
Receivers like Proehl had little contact with Peppers at practice, except when he subbed in for them.
Peppers never registered a catch on offense, but it wasn’t for lack of trying from the Carolina coaching staff.
"It was great thinking from our coaching staff," Proehl said. "We tried to get him in the redzone for a jump ball. Here comes Pep, there goes Proehl (out of the game).”
Over 17 NFL seasons, Peppers wasn’t just a freak athlete, he was a smart, durable and consistent – consistently great – player.
He’s the only player in NFL history with 100 sacks and 10 interceptions.
No. 90 made countless legendary plays as a Panther, but one stands out above the rest.
It happened 20 years ago, in Denver.
Peppers picked off Jake Plummer in one end zone, and nearly took it to the other, a 6-foot-7, nearly 300 pound freight train outrunning running backs and wide receivers.
"It was just such an amazing play. And we're all cheering for him to score," Proehl said.
Peppers eventually went down before the end zone, totaling a 97-yard return. He was perhaps somewhat tired from the play before when he went sideline to sideline to chase Plummer out of bounds and prevent a touchdown.
"It was one of those things that I think really solidified him nationally," Donnalley said.
Despite his reserved demeanor, Pepper’s fierceness on the football field, and otherworldly talents and statistics have placed him among the games greats in Canton.
Something those with connections to the Carolina native and Panthers legend are proud of.
"It's gonna be a special moment," Proehl said. "And it's just so well deserved."