Canton wasn't on Julius Peppers' radar, even at the height of his career

Julius Peppers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, taking his rightful place alongside the rest of the game's immortals. However, Canton was largely an afterthought for most of his 17-year career.

"It never crossed my mind. It's not why I played the game," Peppers recently told Sirus XM Radio . "Even when I won Rookie of the Year—even when I started making Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and things like that—the Hall of Fame was never on the radar."

As Peppers began accumulating big-time statistics, though, talk of his Hall of Fame-worthiness began to ramp up. Only then did Peppers entertain the idea.

But despite finishing his career ranked fourth all-time in sacks (159.5) and tackles for loss (175), Peppers never embraced the possibility of being a Hall of Famer.

"I'd always be like, 'Yeah, maybe, I don't know,'" Peppers said. "But I never dreamed that anything like this would happen."

It's difficult to believe that Peppers never felt like Canton was within reach, even while earning nine Pro Bowl nods and being named an All-Pro three times, but his humble nature was one of the many qualities he possessed off the field, making him a fan favorite while playing for the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

Those same traits shined on Saturday during Peppers' induction speech. The overriding message wasn't about his journey to football immortality but how to reach similar goals, no matter the path.

"Whatever it is that you do, do it with respect, integrity, passion, resilience, dedication and gratitude," Peppers said via the NFL . "That alone will make you a Hall of Fame person."