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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 Team s. The Panthers conduct summer training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina . FRANCHISE HISTORY Origins: 1987-1994 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 Senator s 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 , 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 , the Baltimore Ravens were established by the league as technically a new expansion team. Capers Era: 1995-1998 The Panthers signed . 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 only for one year. The Panthers first regular season game was against the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome. The Panthers scored on their first three possessions to take a 13-0 lead before the Falcons rallied to win 23-20. The Panthers first home game (in Clemson) was a 31-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams. 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. Seifert Era: 1999-2001 After Dom Capers was let go following a 4-12 season in 1998 , the Panthers hired George Seifert as the team's second head coach. Seifert had won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and had a reputation for winning with talented and experienced teams. His first season, 1999 , the Panthers finished with an 8-8 record and missed out on a wildcard playoff berth through a complicated tiebreaker based on total points scored. His second season saw the Panthers finish 7-9 without ever really contending for a playoff spot. Seifert's third and final season, 2001 , was a disaster. The team released veteran quarterback Steve Beuerlein in the off-season and handed the reins to Jeff Lewis, an untested but promising quarterback obtained from the Denver Broncos . Lewis was released after several poor performances during the preseason which left the Panthers with rookie quarterback Chris Weinke under center. Weinke had won the Heisman Trophy leading Florida State to a national championship in college but he was unable to duplicate that level of success in the NFL. The Panthers won their opening game against the Minnesota Vikings but then lost 15 straight games, an NFL record for most consecutive losses in one season, to finish with a league-worst 1-15 record. Seifert was fired the day after the 2001 season ended and the team then set out to find its third head coach. Although his final season was the worst in team history, George Seifert did help select several outstanding players in the 2001 NFL Draft including Dan Morgan , Kris Jenkins and Steve Smith who have earned several Pro Bowl berths and All-Pro awards while playing for the Panthers. Smith is considered one of the most electrifying and explosive wide receivers in the game today. Fox Era: 2002-present After being turned down by . Peppers was a dominating defensive end at the University Of North Carolina and he was a solid fit for 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 Tackle s Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins to form what many football experts called the best defensive line in the game. Meanwhile, Mike Minter anchored the secondary, while Witherspoon (affectionately called "Spoonie" by fans & teammates) and Mark Fields led the linebacker corps. Fox's defense-first philosophy worked well as the Panthers improved to 7-9 and posted the second-best overall defense in the league including allowing a league-low 3.69 yards per rushing attempt. 2003 season: "The Cardiac Cats" The 2003 season began with the Panthers drafting 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, the NFC South Division title and a playoff berth. In the playoffs, they easily defeated the Cowboys 29-10 in a home Wildcard 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 game 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. , 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". 2004 season The experts all picked the Panthers to repeat their 2003 season success in 2004. Having selected cornerback Chris Gamble and wide receiver Keary Colbert with their top two picks in the 2004 draft, and not having lost any core players from their Super Bowl run, the team looked ready for their 10th Anniversary season. In addition, Mark Fields, who had missed the previous season with Hodgkin's disease, returned and was ready to go. But the team suffered major injuries early on, as Steve Smith broke his leg in the season opener against Green Bay, Stephen Davis suffered a knee injury before the second game of the season, and Kris Jenkins had shoulder problems that benched him for the season, the Panthers had problems early on. In fact, the Panthers had 14 players on injured reserve, including their top ''four'' running backs, more than any other team. This led to a 1-7 start, and people began wondering if they would repeat the 1-15 season of 2001. However, backup fullback Nick Goings stepped up to the challenge with five 100-yd rushing games, Keary Colbert played better than most rookies thrown into the #2 receiver spot, and the defense held together despite the injuries to help the team win 6 of their last 8 games, and the Panthers barely missed the playoffs after losing a close game to New Orleans in the season finale, finishing 7-9. Among the other things the Panthers did in 2004 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the franchise, they named a 10th Anniversary All-Time Team ( Listed Below ). With the exception of tight end Wesley Walls, every offensive starter was on the team during their Super Bowl run of 2003. The only defensive players to make the anniversary team that played in the Super Bowl were the front four ( Peppers , Rucker , Jenkins and Buckner ), linebacker Dan Morgan , and safety Mike Minter . Pro Bowl punter Todd Sauerbrun made the squad as well. Naturally, kicker John Kasay made the team, since he has been the team's kicker since its inception. 2005 season 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 shutout 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 shutout 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. =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 pled guilty and were sentenced to community service, along with denying the sexual accusations. ESPN article about Keathley and Thomas 2006 season See Also: 2006 Carolina Panthers season FRANCHISE TRADITIONS 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. Growl Towel Growl 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. 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. The helmets are silver, and in 2003, they changed the helmet color slightly to a more metallic shade [http://www.misterhabs.com/helmets.htm . 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 Climate s, 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 Autumn s 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. {Link without Title} The Raiders have yet to appeal the ruling. The Panthers have made minor changes to their uniforms 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 routinely wear their white uniforms at home. 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 Some 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. Some also considered the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their AFC rival since both of these teams came into the NFL in 1995. The Panthers first pre-season game was against the Jaguars, which the Panthers won. 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. STATISTICS Season-by-season records
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