Paul Janus

Paul Janus

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers are members of the southern division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The team itself is legally registered as Panthers Football, LLC, and is worth approximately USD $1 billion according to Forbes.

The Carolina Panthers began play in 1995 and had success in their first two years, finishing 7–9 in 1995 (an all-time best for an expansion NFL team's first season) and 12–4 in 1996. The Panthers did not have another winning season until 2003, when the team won the NFC Championship Game and made it to Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to the New England Patriots. The Panthers have made the playoffs four times, reaching the NFC Championship Game in three of them. They have won three division titles, one of them in the NFC West and two of them in the NFC South. The team's most recent playoff appearance was in 2008, when the Panthers finished 12–4 before losing to the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round. Since then the team has failed to record a winning season, with their 2012 season ending with a 7–9 record, a one-game improvement over their 6–10 finish in 2011. The team's ownership is controlled by Jerry Richardson and the Richardson family, who own 48% of the team; the remainder of the team is owned by a group of 14 limited partners. The team's head coach is Ron Rivera, while the team's president is Danny Morrison.

The Carolina Panthers play their games at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte; the stadium also serves as the team headquarters. The Panthers are one of the few teams in the NFL to own their stadium, which is legally registered as Panthers Stadium, LLC. The Panthers are supported through the Carolinas. Although a "wine and cheese atmosphere" has been observed at home games, part of this reputation can be attributed to citizens of Charlotte that have relocated from cities with other NFL teams. The Panthers' uniforms consist of black, white, and blue jerseys paired with white and silver pants, a pattern which has only seen minor changes since the team's inception. The team maintains rivalries with all of their fellow NFC South teams in addition to out-of-division rivalries with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys.