Carolina Panthers, an American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina which competes in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference was founded 28 years ago.
The team, whose home stadium is the Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Carolina was founded by Jerry Richardson in the year 1993 and began to play in 1995.
Jerry Richardson
Jerome Johnson Richardson Sr, a businessman, and a former American football player is the founder of the Carolina Panthers.
Richardson who is also a former owner of the National Football League (NFL) was born on July 8, 1936, in Spring Hope, North Carolina.
He had his high school education at Fayetteville and further proceeded to Wofford College.
Richardson started playing football at the college level before going professional for a few years. He was drafted in the 13th round by the defending champion Baltimore Colts where he played for two seasons and earned Colt Rockie of the Year in 1959. He caught a touchdown pass in the 1959 championship Game from quarterback Johnny Unitas.
After his career in the National Football League, Jerry Richardson opened the first Hardee’s franchise in Spartanburg using the bonus he received from the 1959 championship along with his friend and former Wofford quarterback Charles Bradshaw.
The business was very successful within a short period of time. Richardson later became the CEO of Flagstar, a food service company that had about 2,500 restaurants under its control and over 100,000 employees. He retired in 1995.
On October 26, 1993, Jerry Richardson became the first former NFL owner since George Halas to become an owner after the Carolina Panthers were awarded the NFL’s 29th Franchise. The team represented not only Charlotte and North Carolina, but rather the whole state.
Jerry Richardson is married to Rosalind Richardson with three children; two sons and a daughter.
