The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte; the stadium also serves as the team's home field. The Panthers are supported throughout the Carolinas; although the team has played its home games in Charlotte since 1996, it played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina during its first season in 1995. The team hosts its annual training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Along with the New England Patriots, it is one of only two teams whose name represents multiple states.
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin.
Samuel Davis Mills Jr. was an American professional football player who was a linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for the Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars of the United States Football League (USFL), where he won two championships in 1984 and 1985. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
Stephen Lamont Davis is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Kerry Michael Collins is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans. He played college football at Penn State, where he won the Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award, and Sammy Baugh Trophy as a senior.
John David Kasay is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. Kasay left the Seahawks in 1995 to sign with the expansion Panthers, whom he was a member of for 16 seasons. He became the Panthers' all-time leading scorer, while also earning Pro Bowl honors during the 1996 season and making a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Retiring after one season with the New Orleans Saints, Kasay was the last remaining player from the inaugural Panthers team.
The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season, while the Tennessee Oilers changed their name to "Tennessee Titans," with the league retiring the name "Oilers."
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The two expansion teams were slotted into the two remaining divisions that previously had only four teams : the AFC Central (Jaguars) and the NFC West (Panthers).
Jordan Alan Gross is a former American football offensive tackle for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American. He spent his entire career with the Panthers, who drafted him eighth overall in the 2003 NFL Draft, and is now their sideline reporter.
Leonard Ray Brown Jr. is a former American football coach and guard who played 20 seasons in the NFL. He last served as the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for The University of Memphis and transferred to Arkansas State University. Brown was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He also played for the Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions over 20 seasons.
Eric Jerrod Swann is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals in the 1st round of the 1991 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 317 lbs. defensive tackle, Swann never attended college and was drafted from a semi-professional football team called the Bay State Titans located in Lynn, Massachusetts. He played in ten NFL seasons from 1991 to 2000 for the Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers.
Charles Johnson is a former American football defensive end who played 11 seasons for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
Eric Matthew "Matt" Elliott is a former American football player. He played college football as a center and guard for the University of Michigan from 1988 to 1991. He started 35 games at Michigan and was selected as an All-American in 1991. He played professional football as a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins in 1992 and for the Carolina Panthers from 1995 to 1997.
Randy Chadwick Baldwin is a former American professional football player who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a running back and kick returner for the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens.
Travis LaVell Hill was an American professional football player who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers. Drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns in 1993, Hill did not see any playing time during the 1993 season, instead making his debut with the Browns in 1994. The following season, he played four games with the Browns before being traded to the expansion Panthers, where he would play the final three games of his career. During his brief career, Hill played in 21 games, recorded two tackles and scored one touchdown, which came after a blocked punt. He died on March 28, 2018.
Aaron James Klein is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Kony Montoy Ealy is a gridiron football defensive end for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Andrew Norwell is an American football guard for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2014. Norwell has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Henry Wyatt Anderson is an American football defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Brian Burns is an American football outside linebacker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
