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Four former ACC players named to Pro Football HOF
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Feb 9, 2024, 9:08 AM
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) — Four of the seven members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 hail from an Atlantic Coast Conference school, the Hall announced during the NFL Honors program on Thursday night. The 2024 Class includes Dwight Freeney of Syracuse, Devin Hester of Miami, Andre Johnson of Miami, and Julius Peppers of North Carolina. The four are joined by Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael, and Patrick Willis.
The Class of 2024 presented by Visual Edge IT will be enshrined Saturday, Aug. 3, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Enshrinement tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. Packages are available now from On Location; see below for more information.
A total of 52 former greats from the ACC’s current 14 schools as well as two other players who played in the conference, have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Miami leads all ACC schools with 11 selections.
Dwight Freeney, DE/OLB (Syracuse) – Courtesy of Syracuse
Freeney, who was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this year, was drafted in the first round as the 11th overall pick of the 2002 NFL Draft.
Freeney, who is 18th in NFL history with 125.5 career sacks, spent 11 seasons (2002-12) with the Indianapolis Colts. He also played for the San Diego Chargers (2013-14), Arizona Cardinals (2015), Atlanta Falcons (2016), Seattle Seahawks (2017) and Detroit Lions (2017) during his career.
Freeney made an instant impact for the Colts after they selected him with the 11th overall pick in 2002. He recorded 13 sacks as a rookie, the first of four straight seasons with at least 11 quarterback takedowns. In 2004, he led the NFL with 16 sacks. The next season, Freeney totaled 11 more sacks and six forced fumbles on his way to AFC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
In 2006, Freeney helped the franchise capture its second Super Bowl title, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI. He appeared in two more Super Bowls during his career, one with the Colts after the 2009 season, and another with the Falcons.
At Syracuse, Freeney was just as dominant as he was in the pros. The Bloomfield, Connecticut native racked up 34 career sacks from 1998-2001 and set the Orange single-game record by sacking Virginia Tech's Michael Vick 4.5 times in 2000.
As a senior in 2001, Freeney turned in one of the finest campaigns by a defensive player in program history. He led the nation with a school-record 17.5 sacks. He also forced eight fumbles. For his efforts, Freeney was named a consensus All-American and the BIG EAST co-Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik Awards.
Devin Hester, Miami – Courtesy of Miami
Selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Hester would become the greatest returner in NFL history, setting records for most punt returns for touchdowns with 14, and total special teams touchdowns with 20 (5 kickoffs, 14 punts, 1 missed field goal).
Hester was a four-time Pro Bowler in his 11 seasons with the Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, and Seattle Seahawks. Among his most dominant campaigns was his rookie year of 2006, when he had six kick return touchdowns.
During his time with the Hurricanes, Hester finished with six return touchdowns – including a career-high three during a breakout 2004 campaign when he was named a first-team All-American by Walter Camp and The Sporting News. Hester also won the BIG EAST indoor long jump title as a member of the Miami track & field team.
Hester finished his three seasons at Miami with 41 punt returns for 638 yards, 40 kick returns for 1,019 yards, 24 carries for 160 yards, 10 receptions for 196 yards, 11 tackles, 1 sack, and five interceptions.
Andre Johnson, Miami – Courtesy of Miami
Johnson, who was selected as the third pick of the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft, had a dominant career with the Houston Texans.
A seven-time Pro Bowler during his professional career, Johnson totaled over 1,000 catches and 14,000 receiving yards and had 70 touchdowns over his illustrious career. He was a two-time First-Team All-Pro selection, two-time Second-Team All-Pro pick, and twice led the NFL in receiving yards.
After redshirting in 1999 and seeing limited action in 2000, Johnson claimed the starting job in his third campaign and proved to be one of the most dominating receivers in UM history. He finished 2001 with 44 receptions for 881 yards (20 yards per catch) and 10 touchdowns. Johnson was named co-MVP, with UMS HoF member Ken Dorsey, of the 2002 Rose Bowl National Championship game where he caught 7 passes for 199 yards, a UM Bowl record, and two touchdowns as the Canes claimed their fifth National Championship with a 37-14 rout of Nebraska.
Johnson ended his Miami career with 92 catches for 1,831 yards, the fifth-highest career total at the time of his departure, and a career average of 19.9 yards per catch. His 20 receiving touchdowns were tied for third-most in school history. In 2002, Johnson won the Big East 60-meter dash (6.83 seconds) at the BIG EAST Indoor Championship and followed that up by winning the 100-meter dash (10.59) at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.
Julius Peppers, North Carolina – Courtesy of North Carolina
A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Peppers was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft and went on to play 10 years for the Carolina Panthers, four years for the Chicago Bears, and three years for the Green Bay Packers. During his professional career, he earned nine Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro honors, three second-team All-Pro recognitions, Defensive Rookie of the Year, and was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s. During his 17 seasons, Peppers tallied 719 tackles, 159.5 sacks, 175 TFL, 52 forced fumbles, 21 fumble recoveries and 11 INTs. His 159.5 sacks are the fourth most since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
Peppers played in Chapel Hill from 1999-2001 becoming one of the most disruptive defensive players the sport has ever seen. A unanimous first-team All-American in 2001, he won the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and the Rotary Lombardi Award, which at the time was given to the nation's top interior lineman. He finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting, was a finalist for the Nagurski Trophy and was honored as Chevrolet's Defensive Player of the Year. A first-team All-ACC selection in both 2000 and '01, Peppers finished his collegiate career with 177 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 53 TFL, five INTs and five forced fumbles.
Peppers has also been extremely generous philanthropically, having donated to the UNC General Alumni Association's Light on the Hill Society Scholarship fund on two separate occasions. He was also the Panther's 2018 NFL Man of the Year nominee.
The Hall of Fame’s membership, including the newly elected class, now stands at 378.
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