Jerry Richardson

Lore & Background

In the early 1990s, North Carolina had no NFL team, and the state's football identity was split between college rivalries and a lingering attachment to the old Charlotte Hornets. Richardson, already a well-known figure in the Triad furniture scene, lobbied hard for an expansion franchise. When the NFL awarded the team in 1993, the Panthers became the first professional football club in the state's modern era, and Richardson's name was attached to every press conference, every draft-day handshake, every season-ticket drive down I-85. Fans remember the early years as scrappy and personal. Richardson was known to be in the stands, in the owner's suite, or on the field at practice. The 1995 season, with the new Cable & Wireless Stadium still smelling of fresh paint and the roster a patchwork of undrafted free agents and late-round picks, felt like a community project more than a corporate venture. When the Panthers reached the NFC Championship in 2003, the image of Richardson in the owner's box, arms crossed, watching the overtime thriller against the Eagles, became one of the franchise's most iconic photographs. His death in January 2015, before the 2015 season, left a void that no amount of corporate restructuring could fill. The transition to family ownership—Jane Richardson and Jerry Richardson Jr.—was handled quietly, and the Panthers organization issued a simple, heartfelt statement. For the fan base, it felt like losing a neighbor rather than a CEO. The blue-and-black colors, the 'Carolina' in the team name, the very existence of a professional football team in Charlotte: all of it traced back to one man's stubborn belief that the state deserved a franchise.

In Their Own Story

The parking lot at Cable & Wireless Stadium was still wet from a Tuesday-night rain when Jerry Richardson pulled his truck up to the gate, no entourage, just a faded Panthers cap on the dashboard and a thermos of coffee in the cupholder. He'd been in the building since six, arguing with the front office about a practice-field drainage issue, and now the security guard waved him through without a word. Inside, the concourse was empty except for a janitor mopping near the tunnel. Richardson walked the length of the field, running his hand along the sideline railing, looking at the empty blue seats as if they were a congregation he was about to address. He never said much. He just stood there, breathing in the smell of new turf and industrial paint, and for a long moment the whole stadium felt like it was holding its breath for him.

Reader's Guide

Game day in Charlotte has a distinctly Southern, unpretentious energy. Fans arrive in waves, many from the Triad, the Research Triangle, and the coastal plains, filling the concourse with the smell of hushpuppies, sweet tea, and Carolina BBQ. The atmosphere is loud but warm—less corporate spectacle, more tailgate-party-on-steroids. Panthers fans are known for their 'Blue and Black' wall of color in the stands and a vocal, almost sing-song support for the defense. The stadium itself evolved with the team: the original Cable & Wireless Stadium (1996) felt intimate and slightly unfinished; the Sprint Stadium era brought modern concessions and bigger screens; Bank of America Stadium (renamed 2013) added a sleeker profile and improved sightlines. Each iteration kept the same core: a single-purpose football bowl in the heart of Charlotte, close enough to the city that fans can walk in from downtown. The Panthers are woven into North Carolina's identity in a way that goes beyond sports. In a state long defined by college football, the Panthers gave working-class fans in Greensboro, Raleigh, and Asheville a professional team to call their own. Richardson's Greensboro roots meant the Triad felt like home turf, and that regional pride still colors how Panthers games are watched across the state. The team is not just a franchise here; it's a shared civic story.

Did You Know?

• Jerry Richardson was a furniture retailer in Greensboro, North Carolina, long before he ever set foot in an NFL front office.
• The Carolina Panthers were awarded as an NFL expansion franchise in 1993 and played their first regular-season game in 1995.
• Richardson owned the Panthers for the entire span of the franchise's existence, from founding through his death in January 2015.
• The Panthers' home stadium in Charlotte has carried at least three different corporate names since opening, yet fans have always simply called it 'the stadium' or 'Bank of America Stadium' in recent years.