History
The National Football League announced in 1987 that it was planning to expand for the first time since 1976. Although the planned two-franchise expansion wasn't scheduled to take place until 1994, Jerry Richardson immediately swung into action by lining up investors for an NFL team somewhere in the Carolinas.
Richardson, a former wide receiver who had caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas the in the Baltimore Colts' 1959 championship victory over the New York Giants, had become a successful businessman in his native North Carolina. On December 15, 1987, he announced the franchise bid. Exactly two years later his company, Richardson Sports, announced plans to build a privately-financed stadium in Charlotte if the bid was successful.
Fans helped by selling out NFL preseason games in Raleigh, NC, in 1989; Chapel Hill, NC, in 1990; and Columbia, SC, in 1991.
There were originally 11 bids for the two expansion franchises. NFL owners reduced the list to seven at a meeting on March 18, 1992, and they further cut it to five on May 20. The five finalists were Baltimore, Carolina, Jacksonville, Memphis, and St. Louis.
The final selection was supposed to take place at the NFL owners' fall meeting in October of 1992, but the vote was put off because of ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with NFL players. The labor agreement was signed in January of 1993 and the NFL announced in October that the new expansion franchises had been awarded to Carolina and Jacksonville. The new teams, named the Panthers and Jaguars, would begin play in 1995. In fact, the teams met in the 1995 Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, with the Panthers taking a 20-14 win.
After losing their first five regular-season games, the Panthers went 7-4 the rest of the way. The seven victories easily broke the old record of three wins for an expansion franchise. Along the way, they beat the San Francisco 49ers, 13-7; it was the first time an expansion team had ever defeated the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Panthers played in Clemson University's stadium in South Carolina that first year, while their new stadium in Charlotte was under construction. They moved into the new home, then known as Ericsson Stadium and now Bank of America Stadium, in 1996, and were even more successful. After winning just five of their first nine games, the Panthers ran off a seven-game winning streak to win the NFC West title with a 12-4 record. That got them a first-round bye in the playoffs. They beat the Dallas Cowboys, 26-17, in the second round to advance to the NFC championship game, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Then problems developed. Quarterback Kerry Collins, who had been the Panthers' first-ever draft choice, allegedly used a racial slur while drinking with teammates right after the end of training camp in 1997. He was blasted by the media despite apologies and attempts at explanation, and he had a miserable season, throwing 21 interceptions and only 11 touchdowns, as the team slipped to 7-9.
The following season, the Panthers lost their first four games. In a meeting with Head Coach Dom Capers, Collins asked to be benched. He was not only benched, he was cut, and the team struggled to a 4-12 record that cost Capers his job.
George Seifert was brought in as Capers' replacement. At the time, Seifert had the best winning percentage of any coach in NFL history and he had guided the San Francisco 49ers to two Super Bowl victories. He seemed to get the team back on track, taking them to an 8-8 record and a second-place finish in 1999.
However, the Panthers dropped to 7-9 in 2000 and then suffered through a 1-15 season in 2001. Seifert was replaced by John Fox, who had been the New York Giants' defensive coordinator. Fox immediately engineered a turnaround. The Panthers improved to 7-9 in 2002 and then won the NFC South with an 11-5 record the following season.
They weren't highly regarded entering the playoffs, but they fooled the experts. After beating the Dallas Cowboys, 29-10, at home in a wildcard game, they defeated two heavy favorites on the road: the St. Louis Rams, 29-23, and the Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3.
That got the Panthers into the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. The Patriots were favored by 7 points, but Carolina kept battling back from deficits. Down 21-10 early in the fourth quarter, the Panthers came back to take a 22-21 lead halfway through the period. After New England went ahead, 29-21, Carolina again came back and tied the score. But they lost the game, 32-29, on a 41-yard field goal with just four seconds to play.