Glory Days T here was a time in the National Football League NFL when the Carolinas North and South were not considered a good place to put a team A businessman named Jerry Richardson believed the exact opposite He knew that fans in the area were eager to get their own NFL team He made it his mission to turn that wish into reality Richardson convinced the league that Charlotte North Carolina was the perfect city for a new team The fans agreed When they heard about Richardson’s plan more than 40,000 of them promised to buy season tickets Construction began on a beautiful new stadium and the Panthers took the field for the first time in 1995 The Panthers built their team by selecting unwanted players from other teams and finding young stars in the draft The first 6
player signed by the Panthers was a speedy defensive back named Rod Smith Their quarterback was rookie Kerry Collins Carolina left no stone unturned One of the players cut in the team’s first training camp was Bill Goldberg He went on to become a champion in professional wrestling Carolina’s first coach was Dom Capers He immediately turned the Panthers into a great defensive team Linebacker Sam Mills was the team’s leader on the field He returned an interception for a touchdown against the New York Jets to give the Panthers their first victory Carolina won seven games in all that first year including four in a row No expansion team had ever done that before In 1996 the Panthers added four key players linebacker Kevin Greene receiver Muhsin Muhammad running back Tim Biakabutuka and tight end Wesley Walls They joined a talented roster that included Eric Davis Lamar Lathon Michael Bates and John Kasay Amazingly the Panthers went 12 4 during the regular LEFT Kerry Collins warms up before a game ABOVE Sam Mills gets a hug from a teammate 7
season and finished first in their division of the National Football Conference NFC Carolina made the playoffs in just its second season In their first postseason game ever the Panthers beat the Dallas Cowboys Suddenly they were playing for the NFC championship and a chance to go to the Super Bowl In the title game the Panthers took a lead over the Green Bay Packers in the second quarter but they lost 30 13 NFL fans were amazed by Carolina’s quick success Opponents knew the league had a new championship contender Over the next few years the Panthers put some excellent players on the field including quarterback Jake Delhomme and running backs Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster Steve Smith was Carolina’s most dangerous weapon The speedy receiver could score from anywhere on the field On defense the team relied on Dan Morgan Kris Jenkins Mike Rucker Julius Peppers Mike Minter and Brentson Buckner In 2003 the Panthers went 11 5 and finished first in the NFC South They faced the Cowboys again in the first round of the LEFT Steve Smith snags a pass with one hand ABOVE Jake Delhomme spots an open teammate 9
