Whether it’s on the hardwood, gridiron, baseball diamond, or anything in between, the rivalries in North Carolina are embedded in hatred, and the fans are some of the best in the country.

But there’s one denominator each of the ACC powers (sorry Wake Forest) can agree on: they’ve each produced some of the best two-sport athletes in the 21st century. Below, we’ll review some of the best two-sport athletes among college athletes in North Carolina!

Sports betting is right around the corner for the Tar Heel State – stay up to date on the latest news about our bet365 North Carolina bonus code.

Looking for another book? Check out the latest news on our DraftKings North Carolina promo code and prepare for the launch of sports betting in North Carolina on March 11th!

Leading this off is none other than NFL first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Julius Peppers.

Peppers will be inducted this upcoming August into the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as one of the most storied defensive players in the 21st century.

Peppers was a 7-time All-Pro, 9-time Pro Bowler, who finished on two NFL All-Decade teams and is 4th all-time in sacks in NFL history.

But before Peppers’ legendary NFL career started, he was ripping it up on the football field and basketball court in Chapel Hill from 1999-2001.

While Peppers won the Chuck Bednarik award in his junior season, which is awarded to the nation’s top defensive player, he was a key reserve on the UNC basketball team. Whenever you see a football player join a basketball team in college, it’s usually nothing more than a big body who might be able to crash the boards and play tough defense – but not Peppers. He was a contributor to one of the nation’s top programs and was lauded as a guy who could’ve played in the NBA if it weren’t for his success on the football field.

Playing alongside fellow two-sport phenom, Ronald Curry, Peppers averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds per game, finishing in the double figures six separate times in his sophomore campaign.

Next up is another potential future NFL Hall-of-Famer, quarterback Russell Wilson.

However, unlike Peppers, Mr. Unlimited wasn’t a highly coveted prospect coming into the draft, despite his heralded college career.

Wilson really jumped into the national spotlight as a fifth-year senior at the University of Wisconsin. But before that, Wilson was a two-sport superstar at NC State.

While he threw for over 3,000 yards in consecutive years as the Wolfpacks’ signal caller, Wilson was also a solid contributor on the baseball team hitting .282 and driving in 30 runs over three seasons.

Because of his success, the Colorado Rockies selected Wilson with the 140th overall selection. Wilson played two summers with their class A affiliate but decided to step away from baseball in 2012 to prepare for the NFL Draft.

But despite stepping away from the game, Wilson was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of suiting up for the Bronx Bombers. Although he struck out in five pitches against Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried, Wilson was able to make history suiting up as a professional in two sports.

And last, but not least, we have a college basketball star in Greg Paulus. Paulus was a four-year contributor on the Duke basketball team from 2005-2009, who earned ACC All-Freshman honors and averaged double-digit points per game in his junior and senior years.

But before his basketball career took off at Duke, Paulus was a highly-sought after football prospect coming out of Medina, Ohio. Paulus was a star quarterback in high school, who received offers from the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Miami, among many others.

After his basketball career concluded, Paulus exploited a loophole in the NCAA bylaws, which granted him a fifth year of eligibility for playing a completely different sport. As a result, Paulus took his talents to Syracuse to be the quarterback of the Orange. Although there wasn’t much team success as Cuse finished at 4-8, Paulus had plenty of big-time moments at QB. Because of his success, Paulus was able to garner a minicamp tryout with the New Orleans Saints.

Bring us to the present and you’ll find Paulus on the sidelines as the head coach of the Niagara Purple Eagles basketball team of the MAAC.

[vc_row vc_row_background=\"\"][vc_column][jnews_post_meta compatible_column_notice=\"\" meta_left=\"author\" meta_right=\"date,fact_check\" el_evergreen-author\"][vc_empty_space 15px\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When it comes to rooting for their hometown college teams, not many states do it better than North Carolina.<\/p>

Whether it\u2019s on the hardwood, gridiron, baseball diamond, or anything in between, the rivalries in North Carolina are embedded in hatred, and the fans are some of the best in the country.<\/p>

But there\u2019s one denominator each of the ACC powers (sorry Wake Forest) can agree on: they\u2019ve each produced some of the best two-sport athletes in the 21st century. Below, we\u2019ll review some of the best two-sport athletes among college athletes in North Carolina!<\/p>

Sports betting is right around the corner for the Tar Heel State - stay up to date on the latest news about our bet365 North Carolina bonus code<\/a>.<\/p>

Looking for another book? Check out the latest news on our DraftKings North Carolina promo code<\/a> and prepare for the launch of sports betting in North Carolina on March 11th!<\/span><\/p>

Leading this off is none other than NFL first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Julius Peppers.<\/p>

Peppers will be inducted this upcoming August into the National Football League Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio as one of the most storied defensive players in the 21st century.<\/p>

Peppers was a 7-time All-Pro, 9-time Pro Bowler, who finished on two NFL All-Decade teams and is 4th all-time in sacks in NFL history.<\/p>

But before Peppers\u2019 legendary NFL career started, he was ripping it up on the football field and basketball court in Chapel Hill from 1999-2001.<\/p>

While Peppers won the Chuck Bednarik award in his junior season, which is awarded to the nation\u2019s top defensive player, he was a key reserve on the UNC basketball team. Whenever you see a football player join a basketball team in college, it\u2019s usually nothing more than a big body who might be able to crash the boards and play tough defense - but not Peppers. He was a contributor to one of the nation\u2019s top programs and was lauded as a guy who could\u2019ve played in the NBA if it weren\u2019t for his success on the football field.<\/p>

Playing alongside fellow two-sport phenom, Ronald Curry, Peppers averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds per game, finishing in the double figures six separate times in his sophomore campaign.<\/p>

Next up is another potential future NFL Hall-of-Famer, quarterback Russell Wilson.<\/p>

However, unlike Peppers, Mr. Unlimited wasn\u2019t a highly coveted prospect coming into the draft, despite his heralded college career.<\/p>

Wilson really jumped into the national spotlight as a fifth-year senior at the University of Wisconsin. But before that, Wilson was a two-sport superstar at NC State.<\/p>

While he threw for over 3,000 yards in consecutive years as the Wolfpacks\u2019 signal caller, Wilson was also a solid contributor on the baseball team hitting .282 and driving in 30 runs over three seasons.<\/p>

Because of his success, the Colorado Rockies selected Wilson with the 140th overall selection. Wilson played two summers with their class A affiliate but decided to step away from baseball in 2012 to prepare for the NFL Draft.<\/p>

But despite stepping away from the game, Wilson was able to fulfill a lifelong dream of suiting up for the Bronx Bombers. Although he struck out in five pitches against Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried, Wilson was able to make history suiting up as a professional in two sports.<\/p>

And last, but not least, we have a college basketball star in Greg Paulus. Paulus was a four-year contributor on the Duke basketball team from 2005-2009, who earned ACC All-Freshman honors and averaged double-digit points per game in his junior and senior years.<\/p>

But before his basketball career took off at Duke, Paulus was a highly-sought after football prospect coming out of Medina, Ohio. Paulus was a star quarterback in high school, who received offers from the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Miami, among many others.<\/p>

After his basketball career concluded, Paulus exploited a loophole in the NCAA bylaws, which granted him a fifth year of eligibility for playing a completely different sport. As a result, Paulus took his talents to Syracuse to be the quarterback of the Orange. Although there wasn\u2019t much team success as Cuse finished at 4-8, Paulus had plenty of big-time moments at QB. Because of his success, Paulus was able to garner a minicamp tryout with the New Orleans Saints.<\/p>

Bring us to the present and you\u2019ll find Paulus on the sidelines as the head coach of the Niagara Purple Eagles basketball team of the MAAC.<\/p>