Carolina Panthers

Lore & Background

The NFL awarded the Carolinas its 29th franchise in 1993, and the Panthers began play in 1995 under founder Jerry Richardson. They reached the NFC Championship Game in their second season. The Panthers have won six division titles and two NFC championships, advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII after the 2003 season and Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season, losing both. The 2015 team finished 15–1, and quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

In Their Own Story

The Friday before a Panthers home game, the air over Bank of America Stadium tastes like charcoal and sweet tea. A hundred tailgates stretch back along the stadium's south lot, and the low rumble of bass from a dozen different speakers blends into one continuous hum. A woman in a Hurricanes jersey—black and blue, unmistakable—leans over her smoker and argues with a stranger about whether the Panthers' defensive line is better than the Hurricanes' D. They are, both of them, right. The sun drops behind the stadium's east facade, the lights snap on, and forty thousand people in black and blue exhale as one. Somewhere in Raleigh, a kid in a Hurricanes hoodie watches the same broadcast on a phone propped against a couch, and the state holds its breath together.

Reader's Guide

The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season; they were one of two expansion teams to begin playing that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers were put in the NFC West to increase the size of that division to five teams. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach. The team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their second season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division. The Panthers beat the defending Super Bowl champions Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round 26–17 before losing the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers 30–13. After the NFL's expansion to 32 teams in 2002, the Panthers were relocated from the NFC West to the newly created NFC South division. The Panthers' rivalries with the Falcons and Saints were maintained, and they would be joined by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers improved to 11–5 in the 2003 regular season, winning the NFC South. They advanced to Super Bowl XXXVIII before losing to the New England Patriots, 32–29. Following a 1–7 start in 2004, the Panthers rebounded to win six of their last seven games but finished 7–9. The team improved to 11–5 in 2005, finishing second in the division behind Tampa Bay and clinching a playoff berth as a wild card. They were then defeated 34–14 by the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. In 2008, the Panthers rebounded with a 12–4 regular season record, winning the NFC South and securing a first round bye. They were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs, losing 33–13 to the eventual NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. In 2010, the Panthers finished with a league-worst 2–14 record.

Did You Know?

• The Panthers played their inaugural 1995 season at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, while their Charlotte stadium was under construction.
• The Panthers' first ever draft selection was quarterback Kerry Collins out of Penn State in the 1995 NFL draft.
• In December 2017, Jerry Richardson announced he would sell the franchise amid allegations of workplace misconduct; the sale to David Tepper closed in July 2018.