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Champions

Jerry Richardson: Through the years

1936

July 11: Jerome Johnson “Jerry” Richardson is born in Spring Hope, N.C.

Richardson wore No. 87 for two years with the Colts.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
1958

January: With the 154th pick in the 1958 NFL draft, the Baltimore Colts select Jerry Richardson, end, Wofford College. At age 21, Richardson still has a year of college eligibility remaining.

1959

December: Richardson, a rookie, catches a 12-yard touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the fourth quarter of Baltimore’s 31-16 victory over the New York Giants in the NFL Championship Game.

1960

December: Richardson plays his final NFL game after two seasons with the Colts.

1961

October: Richardson uses his 1959 NFL championship bonus money along with the help of former college teammate Charles Bradshaw to open a Hardee’s franchise in Spartanburg, S.C. The duo form Spartan Investment Co.

1969

April: Spartan Investment Co. goes public and changes its name to Spartan Food Systems.

1976

June: Spartan Food Systems is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

1979

July: Richardson and Bradshaw sell Spartan Food Systems to Trans World Corp. for $80 million. Both men continue to run the company.

1987

April: Richardson contacts NationsBank Chairman Hugh McColl, a longtime business associate, about bringing an NFL team to the Carolinas.

Jerry Richardson laughs with head coach Ron Rivera before a playoff game this year.
Photo by: HUNTLEY PATON
July: Jerry and his son, Mark, along with McColl, Richard Thigpen Jr., Max Muhleman and John Lewis meet in Charlotte to discuss the possibility of entering the competition for an NFL expansion franchise.

August: HOK Sports Facilities Group is selected as the architect for an NFL stadium in the Carolinas.

December: Richardson officially announces his bid for an NFL franchise and stadium in the Carolinas, and begins lobbying NFL owners.

1989

April: NFL hall of famer Mike McCormack joins Richardson Sports as executive consultant for the Carolinas NFL expansion effort.

June: Coniston Partners buys TW Services, which includes Spartan Food Systems, and Richardson is named president and CEO of TW Services.

August: Richardson Sports stages “Carolinas Kickoff ’89” at Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium a preseason game between the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, before a sellout crowd of 52,855. Two other preseason games, in 1990 and 1991, are held across the Carolinas to demonstrate support for an NFL franchise.

September: Richardson announces the formation of a partnership group to help bring an NFL expansion franchise to the Carolinas.

December: An area near uptown Charlotte is named the future site of a privately financed NFL stadium.

1991

February: F.N. Thompson Co. of Charlotte is tabbed as general contractor for the new stadium.

September: Richardson Sports submits a formal application for a Carolinas NFL franchise with a $100,000 deposit.

1992

June: Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co. invests $300 million into TW Holdings Inc. Richardson retains the roles of president and CEO and assumes the title of chairman of TW Services.

September: A stadium financing plan is presented to NFL officials, which discloses that no public money would be used to finance the NFL stadium, instead relying on a unique new concept involving the sale of permanent seat licenses to help with the financing.

Paul Tagliabue looks on as the franchise is awarded in 1993.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
1993

April: The NFL gives approval to Richardson Sports’ plan to privately finance a stadium with the sale of PSLs.

May: Richardson announces that the proposed team would be named the Carolina Panthers, also unveiling a model and renderings of the Panther blue, silver and black color scheme and stadium.

May: The NFL sets the price for an expansion franchise at $140 million.

June: TW Services, a division of TW Holdings, changes its name to Flagstar Cos.

July: By the end of the first day of selling tickets, all club seats sell out and all luxury suites are reserved and leased. First-day PSL orders total 41,632. The ticket campaign ends in September with the proposed franchise receiving orders for 104 luxury suites, 8,314 club seats and 49,724 PSLs. Deposits for luxury suites, club seats and PSLs total $54 million, representing a total pledge of $112.7 million.

September: Richardson Sports and Clemson University announce that the Panthers would play their first season at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

October: NFL owners unanimously select the Carolinas as the 29th NFL franchise and the first expansion team since 1976. Richardson becomes the first former NFL player since George Halas to become an NFL team owner.

1994

January: Jon Richardson joins the Panthers as director of stadium operations.

January: Richardson announces the hiring of veteran NFL executive Bill Polian as general manager and the promotion of Mike McCormack to club president.

May: The Panthers announce they will hold training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.

May: NFL owners vote to match the expansion Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1995 Hall of Fame game. The game will be the first in team history for both franchises. The Panthers go on to defeat the Jaguars 20-14.

July: The Panthers select Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., as the team’s temporary practice site until completion of the team’s facilities in Charlotte.

November: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue places the Carolina Panthers in the NFC West division.

1995

May: Richardson announces his resignation as chairman of Flagstar in order to devote full attention to the NFL.

October: The Panthers earn their first regular-season victory, defeating the New York Jets. They go on to finish 7-9 during their inaugural season.

1996

June: The Panthers announce an agreement to name their new home Ericsson Stadium with a 10-year, $25 million deal.

July: The team hosts a PSL Appreciation Day, marking the first public event in Ericsson Stadium.

December: The Panthers win the NFC West division in just their second season. They go on to make the NFC championship game, losing to the Green Bay Packers 30-13.

Richardson attends the Pro Bowl in 1997.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
1997

March: Panthers President Mike McCormack announces his retirement.

April: Jon Richardson is named president of Carolinas Stadium Corp., and Mark Richardson is named president of the Panthers.

1998

October: Richardson is named chair of the NFL expansion committee.

2000

May: Richardson is inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

2001

May: NFL owners unanimously approve league realignment into eight four-team divisions when the Houston Texans begin play in 2002. Carolina is placed in the NFC South division.

2002

October: Richardson undergoes successful quadruple heart bypass surgery.

2003

December: Carolina wins its first NFC South title, eventually finishing the regular season 11-5.

With sons Jon (far left) and Mark (far right) as they present jerseys to Bank of America’s Graham Denton and Ken Lewis in 2004
Photo by: AP IMAGES
2004

January: Bank of America and the Panthers agree to a 20-year, $140 million sponsorship agreement to rename the stadium Bank of America Stadium.

January: Carolina wins its first NFC championship, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3.

February: The Panthers play in Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing to the New England Patriots 32-29.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney (left) and Richardson (right) introduce Roger Goodell (second from left) as Paul Tagliabue’s replacement as NFL commissioner in 2006.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
2006

January: The Panthers reach their third NFC championship game in 10 years, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 34-14.

April: Richardson is named co-chair of the committee to find a new NFL commissioner.

2008

December: Carolina clinches the NFC South division and earns the franchise’s fourth playoff berth.

2009

February: Richardson receives a heart transplant.

September: Jon Richardson resigns as president of Bank of America Stadium, and Mark Richardson resigns as president of the Panthers.

September: TCU Athletic Director Danny Morrison is named president of the Panthers.

Richardson and Hugh McColl announce the naming of UNC Charlotte’s football field in 2011.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
2011

April: Following a 2-14 season, the Panthers select quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL draft. Newton goes on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in February 2012.

July: Richardson plays a prominent role in negotiating a new NFL collective-bargaining agreement.

October: Wofford College retires Richardson’s No. 51 jersey.

2013

January: The Panthers ask the Charlotte City Council for $125 million to help pay for renovating Bank of America Stadium.

April: The Panthers and the Charlotte City Council agree to an $87.5 million deal for the renovations. Construction starts in January 2014.

February: Linebacker Luke Kuechly is named Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Panthers are just the fourth team to have back-to-back offensive or defensive rookies of the year since The Associated Press started presenting the awards in 1967.

June: Richardson donates $10 million to the fledgling UNC Charlotte football program, and the school’s new football stadium is named Jerry Richardson Stadium. In 2011, Richardson and McColl made a donation to the football program and in return the field was named McColl-Richardson Field.

December: The Panthers claim the NFC South division title after going 12-4.

With his wife, Rosalind, in 2014
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
2014

February: Ron Rivera is selected as Coach of the Year, and Kuechly is named Defensive Player of the Year.

December: The Panthers earn the team’s second consecutive NFC South title and become the first team in NFC South history to win consecutive division championships since realignment in 2002.

2015

January: The Panthers win the team’s first playoff game since 2005.

January: Linebacker Thomas Davis is named the 2014 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

February: Commissioner Roger Goodell names Richardson to the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities. He ultimately would back the failed Carson, Calif., stadium project.

April: Richardson is inducted into the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

June: Richardson donates $100,000 to the families of the nine victims killed inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

Terry Bradshaw interviews Richardson moments after Carolina’s 49-15 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship game in January, as the Panthers’ owner keeps a tight grip on the league championship trophy.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
October: Wofford College breaks ground on the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, the new home of the school’s basketball and volleyball teams, initiated through a donation by Richardson.

December: The Panthers claim the team’s third consecutive NFC South division title.

2016

January: The Panthers host the NFC championship for the first time in team history and earn the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance by beating the Arizona Cardinals 49-15.

February: Newton is named the league’s Most Valuable Player, the first Panther to win the honor, and Rivera wins Coach of the Year for the second time as the Panthers become just the seventh team in NFL history to win 15 or more regular-season games.

February: Richardson pays for all staff members and interns to travel to the Super Bowl, an act the owner also carried out for employees during the Panthers’ 2004 Super Bowl trip. The Panthers lose Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos 24-10.

— Compiled by Brandon McClung

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