- published: 21 May 2015
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Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American football outside Linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. Peppers has also played for the Chicago Bears.
Peppers was born in Wilson, North Carolina, and raised in nearby Bailey. By the time he was a freshman at Bailey's Southern Nash Senior High School, Peppers had grown to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), 225 lb (102 kg). Ray Davis, the football coach at Southern Nash, felt that Peppers would be an asset on the gridiron for the Firebirds, despite the fact that Peppers had never played football before. Davis' gamble would pay off. During his high school career, Peppers played running back and defensive lineman, finished his career with 3,501 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns, and was one of the most dangerous defensive linemen in the state. He also lettered in basketball and was voted all-conference as a power forward for four consecutive years. In 1998, Southern Nash won the state championship in track for the first time in the school's history. Peppers contributed as a sprinter, winning the state championship in the 4×400 meter team relay (3:23.10 minutes) and finishing second as a triple jumper (14.05 meters). He was also rumored to have cleared 2.03 meters in the high jump. During his senior year (1997–98), he was named to the Parade magazine high school All-America team in football as an all-purpose talent and was also named Male Athlete of the Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. In 2005, Peppers was named by the Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper as one of the 50 Greatest Athletes from the Twin County (Nash and Edgecombe) area.
Eddie Darwin Lacy, Jr. (born June 2, 1990) is an American football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was a member of three BCS National Championship teams, and was drafted by the Packers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Lacy attended and graduated from Dutchtown High School in Geismar, Louisiana. He ran for 1,207 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore, 34 touchdowns as a junior, and 1touchdowns during his injury-plagued senior season. In December 2008, he was selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association as a first-team player on the Class 5A All-State football team for the second consecutive season. Rated as the 13th best running back and the 116th best prospect overall by Rivals.com, Lacy committed to the University of Alabama in February 2009.
A highly touted recruit, Lacy accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2009 to 2012. Lacy had three BCS National Championship victories in his collegiate career.