Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers just recently joined the National Football League in 1995, along the football squad the Jacksonville Jaguars. Based in the state of North Carolina particularly in the city of Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers are among the newest professional football teams in the United States.
They belong to the Southern division of NFC or National Football Conference in NFL. They started playing as a new NFL member in 1995. The franchise history of this club began in 1987. It was in this period when a guy named Jerry Richardson discussed the possibilities of bringing the NFL expansion squad to the regions of Carolina. Richardson was a former player for the Baltimore Colts and he conversed with a cluster of potential promoters regarding the proposal.
It was the Richardson Sports who decided to build a behind-closed-doors financed arena with a seating capacity of above 70, 000 viewers. That announcement made a buzz around the region and businessmen, citizens and politicians all united together, proving the National Football League association that the potential for building a football team in their area is high.
US senators Ernest Hollings from South Carolina and Jesse Helms from North Carolina put their adherent differences aside to grace the NFL owners to support the proposed extension. Meanwhile, the governors in North Carolina and South Carolina, James Martin and Carroll Campbell respectively, organized a committee of the South and North Carolina citizens to aid the cause. The preseason competitions were played in the state in the years 1991, 1990 and 1989. All the tickets were sold out, to show the fans’ effort and support of the extension.
In the year 1992, the NFL announced the potential members of the association. Along with the Carolina Panthers are the teams from Jacksonville, Tennessee, Missouri, and Maryland. The vote was actually delayed due to petty disputes of the league and of the players yet when it was over, the tournament started again in the year 1993. During the month of June, in that same year, the Richardson Sports made an announcement regarding their Permanent Seat scheme, luxury boxes and club seats. In a spectacular show of follower support, every seat was sold out during the first day.
The team’s feasibility was not a question yet still it was up to the association to determine where the football team will go. On the 26th of October 1993, the NFL committee unanimously voted for the Panthers to get the 29th charter, becoming the first and newest NFL team ever since 1976. The fans made a stunning celebration and Richardson spoke before the 40, 000 to thank them for purchasing the PSL’s and letting the football arena be created without so much load to the tax paying citizens.
The team had their share of off-field troubles. During the 2005 season, their players Jeff Mitchell, Todd Sauerbrun and Todd Steussie were alleged to have used steroids. A month after, Sam Mills, their coach gave in to his intestinal cancer battle. Aside from that, the dubbed Best Comeback Athlete, Mark Fields knew he would miss the 2005 tournament season after learning about Hodgkin’s illness. Adding this is the TopCat scandal, where two members of the North Carolina Panthers were detained for attacking the guard of Tampa bar.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are known for their black snarling Carolina Panthers logo outlined in color blue. It was shaped resembling the shared borders of South and North Carolina. Their helmets are in metallic shade. Normally, they wear black jerseys and silver pants or white jerseys and white pants.
The close rivals of the Carolina Panthers football team are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, both in the NFL’s south division. The team is also one among the three football teams in the sports history of Carolina that have derived the team’s name from a catlike creature.