9 NFL players who also excelled on the basketball court Posted Oct 8, 2018 In addition to being an All-American on the gridiron for North Carolina, Julius Peppers walked-on for the two basketball coaches – Bill Guthridge and Matt Doherty – who bridged the gap between coaching legends Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Peppers was UNC's fifth-leading scorer and rebounder. As a football player in 2001, he won the Bednarik and Lombardi Awards. (NCAA.com)