The Carolina Panthers - a complete guide
The Carolina Panthers : A profile of the newest expansion team in the NFL
Welcome to The Sporting Blog franchise overview series. In this series, we will review each National Football League franchise and give you an in-depth history of who they are and how they came to be.
In today’s edition, we are talking about the Carolina Panthers!
History of the Carolina Panthers
It took six years, but in 1993, the Carolina Panthers were added to the National Football League. There was an actual celebration with fireworks in Charlotte when Carolina was alerted that the franchise was theirs.
This is a dream come true for me and my partners and for the 10 million people in the Carolinas," said Jerry Richardson, the former Baltimore Colts wide receiver turned businessman who led the Carolinas' bid.
Richardson tried to get the team there since 1987, forming a group and pleading with the NFL. They debated where they would play and it was decided that Uptown Charlotte was the place to be. The owners’ son chose the nickname the Panthers because it represented something that was powerful, sleek and strong.
When most teams enter the NFL as an expansion team, there is definitely a learning curve and the first few seasons can be very tough, but the Panthers did not experience that same fate. Carolina went an extremely impressive 7-9 in their opening season and then 12-4 in year two.
Stadium
For their first year, the Panthers played their home games out of the Clemson University stadium.
On August 3, 1996, The Ericsson Stadium, now called the Bank of America Stadium, hosted its first professional football game as the Panthers took on the Chicago Bears during the preseason. Carolina won 30–12. The stadium's first regular season game took place on September 1, 1996 against Carolina's to-be division rival Atlanta; the Panthers won 29–6.
The stadium still hosts many soccer matches, college football games, concerts and of course, it is still home to the Panthers. It holds over 75,000 fans.
Playoffs and Championships
The Panthers have a 9-8 record in the postseason and they made the playoffs in just their second year in the league.
During the 1996 season, they went all the way to the NFC Conference Championship game and played the Green Bay Packers. Although they lost that game, it was extremely impressive. The team would go to there first Super Bowl in 2003.
They were taking on Tom Brady and the Patriots in the second of the Pats’ dynasty runs. Jake Delhome and the Panthers weren’t enough for New England and they dropped the game 32-29 on a game-winning field-goal off the foot of Adam Vinatieri.
The Panthers would make the playoffs just four other times before they eventually reached the Super Bowl in 2016. Cam Newton, the league’s MVP, was taking on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Denver had one of the greatest defenses in NFL history and of course, Peyton Manning isn’t a bad quarterback to have either. Denver won the game 24 to 10. That was the last appearance the Panthers made in the Super Bowl.
The Best Coach in Panthers History
He is the winningest coach in team history and also took Carolina to the Super Bowl, Riverboat Ron Rivera is the best coach in Panthers history.
Rivera took over for the second-best coach in team history, John Fox, in 2011. Rivera won 76 games with the Panthers and is responsible for developing players like Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly. He helped to revitalize the Panthers franchise and turn them into postseason contenders.
In his first two seasons manning the ship, Rivera led Carolina to a 13-19 record. However, in his third season with the team, the Panthers would go 12-4 and make it to the NFC Divisional round. In 2015, the Panthers went 15-1 and won the NFC Championship under Rivera.
Three Best Players in Franchise History
Cam Newton: Quarterback
Although his time with the Panthers did not end well, Cam Newton is the greatest Panther in franchise history. The quarterback was selected first overall in the NFL Draft by Carolina and helped rebuild the franchise. He’s the first and only Panthers player to be named NFL MVP, having led Carolina to the Super Bowl after the 2015 season, and is the league’s active leader in rushing yards among quarterbacks.
Steve Smith: Wide Reciever
While Newton may be the best player in team history, the Panthers would have been tough to watch for many years if it wasn’t for the electric Steve Smith. During 13 outstanding years in Carolina, the electric Smith caught 836 passes for 12,197 yards and 67 touchdowns. Including three years with the Ravens, he ranks No. 8 all-time on the NFL’s career receiving yards list and No. 12 on the career receptions list.
Julius Peppers: Defensive End
Peppers is the best defensive player in the team’s history. Peppers was there for the good and the bad in Carolina and is one of the franchise’s most well-respected players. Pepper was selected to the All-Decade team.
Greatest Draft Pick in Team History
This one is very easy. The greatest draft pick in the team’s history is Cam Newton. Newton was a Heisman award winner at Auburn University after a tumultuous college history. Newton not only played well on the field for the Panthers but he represented more for Carolina. He truly made others look differently at the Panthers. He, more than any other player in team history and many in the NFL, helped change his team the second he was drafted into the NFL.
Best Free Agent Signing or Trade, in Panthers History
Jake Delhomme is the second-best quarterback in Panthers history and by far the best free-agent signing that the team ever had. He had great success in the NFL Europe and then the Panthers signed him in 2003. In his first season, Delhomme led the Panthers to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Delhomme was being compared to Kurt Warner.
He went on to play for the team for six seasons where he was selected to one Pro Bowl and was later selected to the Panthers Hall of Honour.
The Panthers Greatest Moment
The greatest moment came from one of the greatest plays in team history. During the 2003 Divisional Round, the Panthers were squaring off against the powerhouse St. Louis Rams. The game went into two overtimes after one wasn’t enough.
On the first play of the second OT, Steve Smith took a pass 69 yards for a touchdown. They would go on to play in the Super Bowl that year.
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