Carolina Panthers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Year founded: 1993 | |||||
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| City | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||
| Other nicknames | The Cardiac Cats | ||||
| Team colors | Black, Panther Blue, and Silver | ||||
| Head Coach | John Fox | ||||
| Owner | Jerry Richardson | ||||
| General manager | Marty Hurney | ||||
| Mascot | Sir Purr | ||||
| League/Conference affiliations | |||||
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National Football League (1995–present)
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| Team history | |||||
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| Championships | |||||
| League Championships (0) | |||||
Conference Championships (1)
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Division Championships (2)
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| Home fields | |||||
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The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, began play as 1995 NFL expansion teams. The Panthers conduct summer training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
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[edit] Origins: 1987-1994
- For more details on this topic, see History of the Carolina Panthers.
Back in 1987, shortly after it was decided that Charlotte would receive an expansion National Basketball Association franchise (the Charlotte Hornets, now known as the New Orleans Hornets), former Baltimore Colts player Jerry Richardson met with a group of potential backers to discuss the possibility of bringing an NFL expansion team to the Carolina region. Richardson Sports decided upon a spot in the uptown section of Charlotte to build a privately financed stadium seating more than 70,000 fans.
Richardson's announcement created a buzz in the region, as politicians, businessmen, and citizens all joined together to show the NFL that a team could be supported in the area. United States Senators Jesse Helms of North Carolina and Ernest Hollings of South Carolina put aside their partisan differences to lobby NFL owners to support the expansion. Meanwhile, North Carolina Governor James G. Martin and South Carolina Governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. created a committee of citizens from North and South Carolina to help the cause. Preseason games were held in the region in 1989, 1990, and 1991; all of the games were sold out as part of the fans' efforts to show their support.
Also, in 1991 the Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American Football played professional football in North Carolina, without any success on the field, though.
In 1992, the NFL released the list of five areas open to a potential NFL team: Baltimore, Maryland, St. Louis, Missouri, Memphis, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Florida, and the Carolinas. After the vote was delayed because of a dispute between the players and the league, the race began again in 1993. In June of that year, Richardson Sports announced that they would finance the stadium through the sale of Permanent Seat Licenses, club seats, and luxury boxes. In a stunning show of fan support, all seats were sold out by the end of the first day.
The feasibility of the team was no longer a question, but it was still up to the league to decide where the team would go. On October 26, 1993, the league announced that the owners had unanimously voted for the Carolinas to receive the 29th franchise, the first new NFL team since 1976 (Jacksonville was the other city). Fans all over the region celebrated with fireworks. In a memorable moment during the expansion announcement conference, Richardson spoke directly into the camera to thank the 40,000 people who had purchased the PSLs and allowing the stadium to be built without a burden to the taxpayers.
Even though St. Louis and Baltimore lost out on their expansion bids, they eventually acquired new teams: the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995. And as the result of the 1996 Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, the Baltimore Ravens were established by the league as technically a new expansion team.
[edit] Capers Era: 1995-1998
The Panthers signed Dom Capers, former defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as their inagural head coach. During the 1995 expansion draft, Rod Smith was the first player selected by the Panthers. Greg Kragen, Jack Trudeau, and Mark Carrier were among the other players selected. Bill Goldberg was picked up off the rosters of the Atlanta Falcons, but made Panther history by being the first player cut by the Panthers; Goldberg would later go on to much greater fame as a professional wrestler for WCW and WWE. During the 1995 NFL Draft, the Panthers made their first significant addition (in terms of long-term contributions to the team) by drafting Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins. And in 1995, when the Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars began building their team, they had the luxury of something the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks did not have when they entered the league in 1976: free agency. The Panthers made excellent use of the tool, picking up wide receiver Don Beebe, linebacker Sam Mills, and placekicker John Kasay. As of 2006, Kasay is the only remaining "Original Panther" from the inaugural season. The Panthers became the first expansion team to win their first game, winning the annual Hall of Fame Game against the fellow expansion Jacksonville Jaguars 20-14 on July 29, 1995 (a game known as the "Battle of the Big Cats", due to the similar nicknames of the franchises). The home games that first season were played at Clemson University, as the stadium was still under construction. This made the Panthers the only sports team in one of the Big Four leagues ever based out of South Carolina, even if it was only for one year. The Panthers won their first game against the New York Jets 26-15 on October 15, 1995, after Sam Mills returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown. Later that year, the Panthers stunned the league by not only winning four consecutive games (an expansion team record), but defeating the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, 13-7, the first time an expansion team had beaten the reigning champs. The Panthers finished their season 7-9, more than doubling the previous record of a first year expansion team (and far surpassing the 0-14 record of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their inaugural season).
In the 1996 Draft, the Panthers used their first pick on running back Tim Biakabutuka, and their second pick on wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. During the off-season, they also picked up quarterback Steve Beuerlein, tight end Wesley Walls, and linebacker Kevin Greene. The second year proved even better than the first, as the players found a groove and rattled off a seven-game winning streak to end the season and took the top spot in the NFC West. They beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 in the NFC Divisional Playoffs before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers 30-13 in the NFC Championship. Their fellow second-year expansion team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, played in the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots but lost 20-6; the NFL nearly had an all-expansion Super Bowl. Panthers fans took it in stride, however, as the team had made massive improvement from the year before, and the team was represented at the Pro Bowl by eight players, including Collins, Kasay, Greene, Mills, Walls, Michael Bates, Eric Davis, and Lamar Lathon.
The Panthers fully expected to return to the NFC title game in 1997, but a 2-4 start quickly began to cloud the minds of Carolina fans. Meanwhile, the Panthers became known as much for their problems off the field as they did on. Wide receiver Rae Carruth, taken with their first pick of the 1997 Draft, was arrested in 1999 for conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend. He was later convicted, and is serving his sentence in Raleigh, North Carolina. Star quarterback Kerry Collins was dealing with alcoholism, and was accused of making racial comments about teammates (notably Muhsin Muhammad). Collins was later released following the 1998 season. Former running back Fred Lane was shot and killed by his wife during a domestic dispute in 2000, after signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
[edit] Fox Era: 2002-present
After being turned down by Steve Spurrier and Tony Dungy for the coaching job, the Panthers hired New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox as the team's third head coach. Fox was known for defensive discipline, and it would be needed to improve a team that had finished in the bottom of the defensive rankings the previous year. Fox looked to the 2002 draft to begin revamping the franchise, and it started with the second overall pick of the draft: Julius Peppers. Peppers was a dominating defensive end at the University of North Carolina, and he was a solid fit with Fox's defensive plan. The Panthers also picked up linebacker Will Witherspoon and running back DeShaun Foster in the draft. Peppers combined with fellow defensive end Mike Rucker and defensive tackles Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins to form what many football experts called the best front four defensive line in football. Meanwhile, Mike Minter anchored the secondary, while Witherspoon (affectionately called "Spoon" by fans & teammates) and Mark Fields led the linebacker corps. Fox's defense-first philosophy worked with the team, as they turned around to a 7-9 record, and posted the second-best overall defense in the league, including allowing a league-minimum 3.69 yards per rushing attempt.
[edit] 2003:The Cardiac Cats
The 2003 season started with hope. The Panthers had drafted several young prospects, including Ricky Manning, Jr. out of UCLA at cornerback, and Jordan Gross at offensive tackle. In addition, quarterback Jake Delhomme, running back Stephen Davis, and wide receiver Ricky Proehl were signed in the off-season, making additions to an offense that needed to complement a top-ranked defense. The team was not without tragedy, however, as it was revealed that former linebacker and coach Sam Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer; additionally, linebacker Mark Fields was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. The team used their struggle as inspiration, and started the season 5-0, after Delhomme replaced Peete at halftime of the season opener and led the Panthers to a fourth quarter comeback, thus winning the starting job. Delhomme eventually led the team to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth.
In the playoffs, they easily defeated the Cowboys 29-10 in the Wild-card game before facing the St. Louis Rams in the divisional playoff game in the Edward Jones Dome. Carolina had an 11-point lead in the last 3 minutes of play, but a touchdown from Marshall Faulk, a successful two point conversion, and an onside kick that led to a field goal tied the game and sent it to overtime. Both John Kasay and Jeff Wilkins missed potential game-winning kicks in the first overtime, and Carolina had the ball at the start of the second overtime. In the first play of 2nd OT, however, Jake Delhomme hit Steve Smith with a 69-yard touchdown pass to win the game, 29-23 and send the Panthers into the NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, led by Donovan McNabb, were in the NFC title match for the 3rd year in a row, but had lost the previous two years. The Panthers made it three in a row for Philadelphia, as they shut down the Eagles offense and, with a 14-3 victory, headed to their first Super Bowl, against the New England Patriots.
Super Bowl XXXVIII may have been remembered more for the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show with Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction", but football fans will agree that the game was one of the best played games in Super Bowl history. The first quarter was scoreless, and neither team scored until near the end of the first half. However, 24 points were scored in the last 5 minutes of the first half, and the score going into halftime was 14-10 New England. The third quarter was as scoreless as the first, and it wasn't until late in the game that things heated up once again. The teams traded leads numerous times in the highest-scoring fourth quarter in Super Bowl history, including setting a record when Jake Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad for an 85-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter, the longest offensive play in Super Bowl history. That pass made the score 22-21, Carolina. After New England responded with a touchdown of their own and a 2-point conversion to make it 29-22, Carolina would storm right back to tie the game with a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:08 left in regulation, opening the possibility to the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. However, John Kasay's kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball on their own 40-yard line. Adam Vinatieri, who had won Super Bowl XXXVI two years earlier on a last-second field goal, repeated his heroics, connecting on a 41-yarder with four seconds left, even though he had already missed two field goals in the game. This gave the Patriots their second Super Bowl win in three years. The multiple close games, won either in overtime or with a slim margin, gave way to a new nickname for the Panthers: the "Cardiac Cats".
[edit] 2005
Before the 2005 season even began, the Panthers were once again plagued with off-field troubles. First, in March, punter Todd Sauerbrun, center Jeff Mitchell, and former offensive tackle Todd Steussie were linked to using steroids on a 60 Minutes report. Then in April, linebacker coach Sam Mills succumbed to his battle with intestinal cancer. And it was revealed that Mark Fields, who has Hodgkin's, would miss the 2005 season as he did the 2003 season while he goes for treatment. Fields was awarded the ESPN "Best Comeback Athlete" award at the July 2005 ESPY Awards. Panther fans looked forward to repeating their Super Bowl run with a team added to by Thomas Davis and Eric Shelton. Sports Illustrated picked the Panthers to be Super Bowl favorites over the Indianapolis Colts in the preseason picks, with Jake Delhomme gracing the cover of the magazine just before the season began.
Despite a home-opening loss to the New Orleans Saints 23-20 on an inspirational field goal by John Carney, and heightened by national feelings of sympathy for the homeless New Orleans Saints displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the Panthers got revenge against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots for the loss in Super Bowl XXXVIII winning the rematch by a final score of 27-17. Despite going on the road and losing a close game to the Miami Dolphins 27-24, the Panthers managed to get a six-game winning streak going. First, they won at home on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers 32-29. Then, they squeaked out victories in their next two games, on the road against the Arizona Cardinals (24-20) and the Detroit Lions (21-20). Coming off of their Week 7 Bye, the Panthers won their home game against the Minnesota Vikings 38-13. During that game, Steve Smith, who had already emerged as one of the league's best wide receivers, had a real breakthrough. He caught 11 passes for 201 yards and 1 touchdown, with his longest reception of the game being 69 yards. Jake Delhomme also enjoyed one of his best outings in years, completing 21 of 29 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns, giving Delhomme a nomination for FedEx Air Player of The Week. A week later, the Panthers won against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road with a final score of 34-14. Then, they won at home against the hapless New York Jets 30-3.
Their winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Chicago Bears. The #1 defense held the Panthers to just three points, as they lost 13-3. A week later, they traveled to Ralph Wilson Stadium to play against the Buffalo Bills. For the most of the game, they were held in check by the Bills' defense, as they were held to just three field goals. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers rallied and got a 13-9 win, thanks to a three-yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme to TE Michael Gaines. Then, they would go home and win against their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons 24-6. Unfortunately, the Bucs would come to town a week later and get revenge with a final of 20-10. Despite going to LSU's Tiger Stadium and winning against the Saints 27-10, they would lose a close game to the Dallas Cowboys 24-20 after a controversial running into the kicker call.
After losing to the Cowboys in the season's penultimate game, the Panthers needed a victory to secure a spot in the playoffs. They responded with a dominating New Years Day performance at the Georgia Dome, a 44-11 victory over the Falcons, making the score the largest margin of victory in franchise history. This was the first time since 1997 that the Panthers were able to beat the Falcons in the Georgia Dome. With that victory, the Panthers secured themselves the NFC's #5 seed.
The Panthers began their post-season play on Sunday January 8, 2006 at Giants Stadium against the New York Giants. After both sides failed to score in the first quarter, the trifecta of Jake Delhomme, DeShaun Foster, and Steve Smith showed dominance as they shut-out the Giants 23-0. Carolina's coach, John Fox, used to be the defensive coordinator for the Giants when they went to the Super Bowl earlier in the decade. New York was the nation's number one television market, and the shut out in the playoffs was significant.
Their next opponent was the Chicago Bears, home to the nation's third largest television market, who started off the week by reminding the Panthers about their regular season victory over them. The Panthers responded with a victory, beating the Bears at Soldier Field with a final score of 29-21. Unaffected by the major media hype of the Bears' defense, the Panthers led throughout starting with an incredible touchdown reception by Steve Smith on the second play from scrimmage. With that victory, the Panthers advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the third time in the franchise's 11-year history. However, during the game Deshaun Foster suffered a crushing ankle injury that would keep him indefinitely sidelined. Also, star defensive end Julius Peppers re-injured an ailing shoulder. The next weekend they played against the Seattle Seahawks for the NFC Championship title, but came up short, and the Panthers lost 34-14.
[edit] The TopCat scandal
On November 5, 2005, two members of the TopCats, the Panthers cheerleading squad, were arrested for assaulting a security guard at a Tampa bar. Angela Keathley and Renee Thomas were charged in the assault after they angered patrons. It was alleged that Keathley and Thomas were having sex in a bathroom stall. Two days after the incident, owner Richardson dismissed Keathley and Thomas from the TopCat squad. Both women plead gulity and were sentenced to community service, along with denying the sexual accusations.[1]
[edit] Franchise traditions
[edit] Fight song
When the Panthers started in 1995, fans would sing the official Carolina Panther Fight Song every time the team would score. As the first season was played at Clemson, many fans felt that the song was reminiscent of the collegiate atmosphere those games had.
The fight song only lasted a few years before being officially retired. Officials with the Panthers organization said that they received a large number of fan complaints regarding the fight song. The fight song was heard again, although in an abbreviated version, during the first preseason game of the 2006 season. The song was used throughout the remainder of the season.
There has been an unofficial Panthers song recorded by the Charlotte hip-hop group Q.C. Riders that proved somewhat popular during the team's first Super Bowl run. Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" is an often-played song at home games at Bank of America stadium.
[edit] Prowl Towel
Prowl Towel is the nickname adopted by fans that refers to small, terry-cloth towels that are waved or spun in the air during football games. The towels are similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers' Terrible Towel but in Panthers team colors (1996-1997) or in white in more recent years.
[edit] Logo and uniforms
The Panthers logo consists of the head of a black snarling panther outlined in blue. It is shaped to resemble the combined borders of North and South Carolina.[1] The helmets are silver. The team normally wears silver pants with their black jerseys, and white pants with their white jerseys. Both the black and the white jerseys have blue stripes over the shoulders. The team introduced an alternate jersey in 2002 that is blue with black shoulder stripes.
Like many other NFL teams located in temperate climates, the Panthers traditionally wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the warm autumns in Charlotte.
The team's uniforms prompted a 2003 lawsuit by the Oakland Raiders, who claimed that the NFL and the Panthers had infringed upon key trademark elements of the Raiders' brand, specifically the silver and black colors. In the same suit, the Raiders challenged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997 uniform design, including the pirate logo. The Raiders wanted the courts to bar the Buccaneers and Panthers from wearing their uniforms while playing in California. However, since the lawsuit was filed in a state California court, the lawsuit was tossed out because only federal courts have jurisdiction over intellectual property issues. [2] The Raiders have yet to appeal the ruling.
The Panthers have not made any changes to their jerseys since coming into the NFL in 1995. The dark jerseys are black tops, silver pants with black socks and white tops, white pants and carolina blue socks. They have added a Carolina Blue alternate jersey which has been worn with the team's silver pants and black socks. The alternate jersey has been worn twice a season beginning in 2003. They did wear the silver pants with the white jersey just once in 1998.
The Panthers have played in six postseason games, wearing the all-white jerseys in each game. Two of those games were at home against the Dallas Cowboys, making the Cowboys wear their road navy-blue jerseys. The Cowboys are one of three teams who's regular home jersey is the white as opposed to the dark.
[edit] Rivals
The teams considered to be the Panthers' fiercest rivals are the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, both in the NFC South along with Carolina. The rivalry with Atlanta dates back to 1995, when both teams were in the NFC West, and made a resurgence in 2005 after the Panthers won twice over the Falcons, turning the tide in what was considered to be a one-sided rivalry, given the Falcons' success over the Panthers in preceding years. The rivalry with Tampa intensified during 2003, when the Panthers blocked an extra point at the end of a Week 2 matchup that would have given Tampa a win. The Panthers went on to win the game in overtime, 12-9.
The team also has lesser rivalries with fellow NFC South members New Orleans Saints, and former NFC West foes San Francisco, and St. Louis
A few Panthers fans have begun to suggest the Dallas Cowboys as a particular foil for Carolina. This is due to a few contested or humiliating defeats dealt to Carolina by Dallas, including a game in 2005 where Steve Smith was ejected for touching a Ref and a field-goal block was reversed by a dubious penalty, leading to a Dallas touchdown. This late-season loss led to Carolina being a wild card in the playoffs, not a division champion. Also, Dallas won 35-14 with a huge number of unanswered points on the higher-profile NBC Sunday Night Football in 2006. Dallas fans think of the Panthers as rivals because the Panthers have knocked the Cowboys out of the playoffs twice. It should also be noted that before their 1996 playoff matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys then Dallas coach Barry Switzer claimed to not know where Charlotte is located.
[edit] Feline theme
The Panthers are one of three teams in Carolina sports history whose name is derived from a feline animal. The Panthers' name is said to have served as the inspiration for that of an NBA expansion franchise, the Charlotte Bobcats; the Carolina Cougars of the old ABA were another feline-inspired team that played their home games in three cities (Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh). In addition, Charlotte's public transportation system is popularly known as "CATS" (an acronym for "Charlotte Area Transit System"), and its future light-rail line is called "LYNX." The city of Raleigh's bus transportation is also named "CAT" for Capital Area Transit.
[edit] Statistics
[edit] Season-by-season records
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1996 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1st NFC West | Won Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) 26-17 Lost Conference Championship (Packers) 30-13 |
| 1997 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 1998 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 4th NFC West | -- |
| 1999 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2nd NFC West | -- |
| 2000 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NFC West | -- |
| 2001 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 5th NFC West | -- |
| 2002 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 4th NFC South | -- |
| 2003 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1st NFC South | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Cowboys) 29-10 Won Divisional Playoffs (Rams) 29-23 (2OT) Won Conference Championship (Eagles) 14-3 Lost Super Bowl XXXVIII (Patriots) 32-29 |
| 2004 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 3rd NFC South | -- |
| 2005 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 2nd NFC South | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Giants) 23-0 Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 29-21 Lost Conference Championship (Seahawks) 34-14 |
| *2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 2nd NFC South | -- |
| Totals | 90 | 102 | 0 | (1995-2006, regular season) | |
| 6 | 3 | - | (1995-2006, playoffs) | ||
| 96 | 105 | 0 | (all games, 1995-2006, including playoffs) | ||
* = Current Standing
[edit] Record vs. Opponents
(As of the end of the 2006 NFL season. Includes postseason records.)
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
(1) - 2006 NFC Divisional Playoff Game
(2) - 2006 NFC Championship Game
[edit] Players of note
[edit] Current players
[edit] Draft history
- Further information: Carolina Panthers draft history
[edit] Pro Football Hall of Famers
[edit] Retired numbers
("Hall of Honor")
- Sam Mills - #51 retired at the beginning of the 2005 NFL season
- Mike McCormack - Executive Manager, General Manager & Consultant
- PSL Owners
[edit] 10-year anniversary team
- Source: 10 Year Anniversary, Panthers.com (URL last accessed August 19, 2006)
Offense
- Quarterback - Jake Delhomme
- Running Back - DeShaun Foster
- Fullback - Brad Hoover
- Wide Receiver - Muhsin Muhammad
- Wide Receiver - Steve Smith
- Center - Jeff Mitchell
- Tackle - Jordan Gross
- Tackle - Todd Steussie
- Guard - Kevin Donnalley
- Guard - Jeno James
- Tight End - Kris Mangum
Defense
- Defensive End - Julius Peppers
- Defensive End - Mike Rucker
- Defensive Tackle - Brentson Buckner
- Defensive Tackle - Kris Jenkins
- Linebacker - Kevin Greene
- Linebacker - Sam Mills
- Linebacker - Dan Morgan
- Cornerback - Chris Gamble
- Cornerback - Tyrone Poole
- Safety - Chad Cota
- Safety - Mike Minter
Special Teams
- Placekicker - John Kasay
- Punter - Todd Sauerbrun
- Kick/punt Returner - Michael Bates
[edit] Head coaches
- Dom Capers (1995-1998)
- George Seifert (1999-2001)
- John Fox (2002-present)
[edit] Current staff
- Owner/Founder - Jerry Richardson
- President-Panthers Stadium, LLC - Jon Richardson
- President-Panthers Football, LLC - Mark Richardson
- General Manager - Marty Hurney
- Head Coach - John Fox
- Assistant Head Coach - Jim Skipper
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator - Jeff Davidson
- Quarterbacks Coach - Mike McCoy (Passing Game Coordinator)
- Wide Receivers Coach - Richard Williamson (NFL)
- Running Backs Coach - Jim Skipper
- Tight Ends/Quality Control Coach - Geep Chryst
- Offensive Line Coach - Dave Magazu
- Offensive Assistant - Vacant
Defensive Coaches
- Defensive Coordinator - Mike Trgovac
- Defensive Line Coach - Sal Sunseri
- Linebackers Coach - Ken Flajole
- Secondary Coach - Tim Lewis
- Secondary/Safties Coach - Mike Gillhamer
- Defensive Quality Control Coach - Sam Mills III
- Defensive Assistant - Vacant
Speciality Coaches
- Special Teams Coach - Danny Crossman
- Special Teams Assistant - Tony Levine
- Strength and Conditioning Coach - Jerry Simmons
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - Tony Levine
[edit] Radio and television
The Panthers' flagship radio stations are WBT-AM in Charlotte and WBT-FM in Chester, S.C.. The announcing team consists of Mick Mixon and Eugene Robinson. Most preseason games are locally broadcast by Charlotte's Fox affiliate, WCCB channel 18.
[edit] Trivia
- The Panthers have recorded the second-highest number of interceptions in the NFL since their arrival in 1995 behind only the St. Louis Rams.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Carolina Panthers official web site
- Carolina Panthers Fan Club (on Yahoo): established in 1998, the oldest online Carolina Panthers fan club
- Sports E-Cyclopedia.com
- Carolina Panthers Scout.com Site "Panthers Insider"
- Carolina Panthers fan site and message board
- Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver Steve Smith Official Site
- Carolina Panthers Fan base in the nations Capitol
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| Carolina Panthers Head Coaches |
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| Capers • Seifert • Fox |
