The Carolina Panthers, more regularly known as the Panthers, is a professional American Football team (gridiron). The Panthers play in the NFC South Division in the National Football Conference of the National Football League. The team is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and is headquartered in the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, which is also the team’s home field.
The team, which is one of the newer franchises in the NFL, has garnered fans in a relatively short existence. They appeal to markets in both North Carolina and South Carolina. They played just one season at the Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. Its annual training camp is held yearly at Wofford College, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This is one of only two teams that represents more than one state, along with the New England Patriots.
All About The Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers joined as the NFL’s 29th franchise in 1993 founded by the team’s first owner, Jerry Richards. The Panthers started playing in 1995.
Unlike many of the new expansion teams, the Panthers actually performed relatively well in their first two seasons. They finished their first season with a 7-9 record which was an all-time best for an NFL expansion team’s inaugural season. They managed a very impressive 12-4 season the next year and won the NFC West Division. That season they beat the defending Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys, and got all the way through to the NFC Championship Game before losing out to the Green Bay Packers, the eventual Super Bowl winners.
Their next winning season didn’t come until 2003, when they won the NFC Championship Game and reached Super Bowl XXXVIII. They fell short in this game, losing to the New England Patriots. The Panthers managed to clinch playoff spots in 2005 and then again 2008 but failed to reach the postseason after that until 2013 when they won the first of their three back to back NFC South division titles. In 2015, they made it to another Super Bowl with Cam Newton as their star quarterback. In this season, they lost out to the Denver Broncos. Since then, they have only reached the playoffs twice more – in 2015 and in 2017. The Panther’s five NFC South Division titles since 2002 have only been topped by the New Orleans Saints.
The Carolina Panthers Player Personnel
- Owner: David Tepper
- President: Kristi Coleman
- Head Coach: Frank Reich
- General Manager: Scott Fitterer
To date, the Carolina Panthers are the newest club currently playing in the NFC. The team is now owned by David Tepper and is registered as Panther Football, LLC. The team’s purchase from original founder, Jerry Richardson, was approved in 2018. The last valuation estimated that the team is worth around $2.3 billion. In recent seasons, the team has struggled to find an effective quarterback.
The Panther’s career points leader is kicker, John Kasay, who scored 1482 points during the 16 seasons in which he played for the Panthers. He is well ahead of Graham Gano. The Panthers’ career passing leader is Quarterback, Cam Newton, who threw 29,041 yards during his nine seasons as a Panther. The career rushing leader for the Panthers is running back Jonathan Stewart, who rushed 6868 yards in his ten years on the team.
Steve Smith, a former American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers from 2001 to 2013, became the all-time franchise leader in receiving yards with an impressive 12,197 yards. Smith was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and was named First-Team All-Pro twice in his career. In addition to his receiving yards, he also holds the franchise record for most receptions (836) and receiving touchdowns (67). He is well ahead of Muhsin Muhammad and Greg Olsen, the second and third respective leaders for the Panthers in career receiving yards.
The Carolina Panthers Main Rivalries
The Carolina Panthers main rivals in the National Football League are:
The Atlanta Falcons
The rivalry between these two NFC South division teams is fierce. This rivalry first began in 1995 when the Panthers joined the National Football League as an expansion team. These two teams both played in the NFC West division between 1995 and 2001, before both moving over to the NFC South division when it was created in 2002.
To date, the Atlanta Falcons hold a 35-21 lead in the all-series. However, these are only regular-season games as they have not currently met in the playoffs.
In combination, the teams have won 11 division titles between them since 1995 and both of the teams have reached the Super Bowl twice. The Falcons reached Super Bowls XXXIII and LI, whilst the Panthers reached Super Bowls XXXVIII and 50 – however, both teams have been unsuccessful in the final game. Ironically, both of the teams lost to the same two AFC teams – the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos. These are also the only two of the 16 NFC teams that haven’t won at least one NFL Championship either before or after the AFL/NFL merger.
This rivalry is also known as the I-85 (Interstate 85) because Atlanta and Charlotte are just four hours apart on Interstate 85.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Another inter-divisional rivalry is between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. These two teams first met in 1995 after the Panthers joined the National Football League as an expansion team. However, there was no real rivalry between the teams until 2002, when the two teams were both placed into the new NFC South division. It was then that the teams started playing each other twice each season. This head to head was a popular picture straight away – and it started to become a little more heated in 2003 when both of the teams were considered as contenders for the NFC Division titles for most of the early to mid-2000s seasons.
Many describe the games between the Panthers and Buccaneers as ‘physical’ having resulted in several players suffering from injuries that have ended their playing season. One of the most serious of these was in 2006 when Chris Simms suffered a ruptured spleen. The animosity also led to Kavika Pittam suffering a knee injury that ended his career. In both of their 2009 matchups, Clifton Smith ended up with a concussion.
Overall, to date, the Panthers lead the Buccaneers by 25 wins to 20. However, they have not yet met in the playoffs.
The New Orleans Saints
The Panthers and the Saints have been division rivals for a while now, but realistically their rivalry isn’t as intense as the one with the Falcons and the Buccaneers. They’ve been playing in the same divisions in both the NFC West and then the NFC South, but the Panthers are currently lagging just behind with 28 wins compared to the New Orleans’ 29 wins, which includes a 2017/18 Wild Card victory.
The Panthers had a good run between 2002 and 2008, defeating the Saints on the road for seven straight seasons. However, this rivalry isn’t as dramatic as the others, despite the fact that it previously led to a rant and resignation from the Saints’ former Head Coach Jim Mora. The 2005 season opener between the two teams was emotional, with the Saints beating the Panthers 23-30 in the face of Hurricane Katrina.
Carolina Panthers Facts
The main facts you need to know about the Carolina Panthers…
Carolina Panthers Nicknames
- The Cardiac Cats (later given to the Detroit Lions)
Championships Wins:
To date, the Carolina Panthers have never won any Super Bowls or league championships.
NFL/NFC Conference Championships
In the Carolina Panthers franchise history, they have won the Conference Championships twice:
- 2003
- 2015
Division Championships
The Carolina Panthers have won 6 division championships – 1 NFC West Division title:
- 1996
Plus the NFL team has won 5 NFC South Division titles:
- 2003
- 2008
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
Playoff Berth Appearances
The Carolina Panthers clinched NFC playoff spots 8 times since they were first established:
- 1996, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017.
Carolina Panthers Home Fields
Since they were first created, the Carolina Panthers have had two home fields:
- The Memorial Stadium in 1995
- The Bank of America Stadium from 1996 until present
Carolina Panthers Pro Football Hall of Famers
Any player that has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is considered to have made an outstanding contribution to professional football.
Players
- No. Player Position Dates Induction
- 92 Reggie White DE 2000 2006
- 91 Kevin Greene LB / DE 1996, 1998–1999 2016
Coaches and Contributors
- Name Position Seasons Inducted
- Norm Van Brocklin Head Coach 1968–1974 1971
Carolina Panthers Most Valuable Player Awards
Here are all the Most Valuable Player Awards (MVP) received by Atlanta Falcons players:
- Season Player Position
- 2016 Matt Ryan QB
Carolina Panthers FAQs
Where Can I Bet on NFL Draft Fantasy Menu Games?
If you live in a state where fantasy betting is legal then there are more NFL sites for fantasy football bets than ever. Look for your chosen site, download draft fantasy filter and choose what Panthers players you want on your team.
Can I Bet on the Panthers Winning the Super Bowl?
Yes very easily. Make sure to choose a betting site with an excellent reputation – with live streaming, audio gallery, promo and offers. Simply open search settings, click on Super Bowl, menu, teams, and look for the Panthers bets. There will be different types of bets available including Moneyline, Totals, Against the Spread, and also props bets such as single-player playlist playoffs performances. You can also bet on free agent signings when the season is over.
Look to see how well the Panthers are playing- follow the Panthers’ Instagram, Twitter, Facebook pages and look for Panthers news etc – find out anything that might affect whether or not they stand a chance. Check the location network news, pause – and decide whether or not the Panthers have a realistic chance of winning their first Super Bowl title.
