Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte , North Carolina . They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The Panthers , along with the Jacksonville Jaguars , joined the NFL as expansion team s in 1995 . In their existence , the Panthers have compiled a record of 125 – 141 , and appeared in Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston , Texas . Franchise history . Origins : 1987 – 1994 . In 1987 , shortly after it was decided that Charlotte would receive an expansion National Basketball Association franchise ( the Charlotte Hornets , now known as the New Orleans Hornets ) , former Baltimore Colts player Jerry Richardson met with a group of potential backers to discuss the possibility of bringing an NFL expansion team to the Carolina region . In 1992 , the NFL released the list of five areas open to a potential NFL team : Baltimore , Maryland ; St . Louis , Missouri ; Memphis , Tennessee ; Jacksonville , Florida ; and the Carolinas , represented by Charlotte , North Carolina . After the vote was delayed because of a dispute between the players and the league , the race began again in 1993 . In June of that year , Richardson Sports announced that they would finance the stadium through the sale of Permanent Seat Licenses , club seats , and luxury boxes . In a stunning show of fan support , all seats were sold out by the end of the first day . On October 26 , 1993 , the league announced that the owners had unanimously voted for the Carolinas to receive the 29th franchise , the first new NFL team since 1976 ( Jacksonville was named the 30th team a month later ) . Fans all over the region celebrated with fireworks . In a memorable moment during the expansion announcement conference , Richardson spoke directly into the camera to thank the 40 , 000 people who had purchased the PSLs and allowing the stadium to be built without a burden to the taxpayers . Dom Capers era : 1995 – 1998 . The Panthers signed Dom Capers , former defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers , as their inaugural head coach . In their inaugural season , he led the Panthers to a 7 – 9 record , setting a record for the most victories by an expansion team . The following season , Capers led the team to a record of 12 – 4 and a division title ; they advanced to the Conference Championship , but fell to the Packers 30 – 13 , who went on to win the Super Bowl . After the Panthers success in 1996 , Capers led the Panthers through two disappointing seasons : a 7 – 9 season in 1997 , and a 4 – 12 season in 1998 ; this resulted in Capers being fired after four seasons with the team . During his career with the Panthers , Capers finished with an overall record of 31 – 35 ( including the playoffs ) and one division title . George Seifert era : 1999 – 2001 . After Dom Capers was let go following the previous season , George Seifert was hired as the second head coach in Panthers history . In his first season with the team , Seifert helped the Panthers improve four games to finish the season with a record of 8 – 8 . He then led the team to a 7 – 9 record the following year , before leading the Panthers to their worst record in franchise history . In 2001 , the Panthers won their season opener 24 – 13 over the Vikings , but set an NFL record by losing 15 consecutive games to finish the season 1 – 15 . Seifert was fired shortly after the season ended , finishing with an overall record of 16 – 32 as head coach of the Panthers . John Fox era : 2002 – 2010 . After Seifert was fired following the disastrous 2001 season , the Panthers hired New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox as the team ' s third head coach . Fox was known for defensive discipline and it would be needed to improve a team that had finished in the bottom of the defensive rankings the previous year . In 2002 , Fox ' s defense - first philosophy worked well as the Panthers improved to 7 – 9 ( a six - game improvement over the previous year ) and posted the second - best overall defense in the league after having the second - worst the previous season . In the 2003 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars , the Panthers were losing 17 – 0 . Jake Delhomme replaced Rodney Peete at quarterback by halftime , then led the Panthers to a fourth quarter comeback , thus winning the starting job . Delhomme eventually led the team to an 11 – 5 record , the NFC South Division title and a playoff berth . In the playoffs , they easily defeated the Cowboys in the wild - card round before facing the St . Louis Rams in the divisional round . Carolina had an 11 - point lead in the last 3 minutes of play , but a the Rams tied the game and sent it to overtime . In the first play of the 2nd overtime , Jake Delhomme hit Wide receiver Steve Smith with a 69 - yard touchdown pass to win the game 29 – 23 . In the NFC Championship game , the Panthers faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles . The Panthers shut down the Eagles offense and , with a victory , headed to their first Super Bowl against the New England Patriots . The multiple close games , won either in overtime or with a slim margin , gave way to a new nickname for the Panthers : the " Cardiac Cats . " In the end the Panthers fell 32 – 29 to the Patriots in the Super Bowl XXXVIII In 2004 , the Panthers suffered major injuries early on , and the Panthers finished the season 7 – 9 . In 2005 , however , the Panthers finished 11 – 5 , securing themselves the NFC ' s # 5 seed . They began their post - season play by shutting out the Giants 23 – 0 . They then defeated the Bears 29 – 21 in the Divisional playoffs , before falling to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship , losing 34 – 14 . After finishing the 2006 and 2007 seasons with records of 8 – 8 and 7 – 9 , respectively , the Panthers rebounded in the 2008 season , finishing the season with a 12 – 4 record , claiming the NFC South title and a first round bye in the playoffs . However , on the Panthers ' season came to a disappointing end , as they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 33 – 13 at Bank of America Stadium in the NFC Divisional playoff game . The Panthers ' offense was plagued by Quarterback Jake Delhomme ' s six turnovers ( five interceptions and a fumble ) . In 2009 , the Panthers finished with an 8 – 8 record , before finishing 2010 with a disappointing record of 2 – 14 ; following the 2010 season , Jerry Richardson decided not to re - sign John Fox , whose contract had expired . After nine seasons with the Panthers , Fox finished with a record of 78 – 74 ( including the playoffs ) , two division titles , and one Conference Championship . Ron Rivera era : 2011 – present . After a disappointing 2010 season , John Fox ' s contract was not renewed and most of his coaching staff were let go . Shortly after , the Panthers hired Ron Rivera as the fourth head coach in Panther history . Rivera was previously the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears and the San Diego Chargers before being hired by the Panthers . Logos and uniforms . The Panthers logo consists of the head of a black snarling panther outlined in blue . It is shaped to resemble the combined borders of North and South Carolina . The helmets are silver , and in 2003 , they changed the helmet color slightly to a more metallic shade . The team normally wears silver pants with their black jerseys , and white pants with their white jerseys . Both the black and the white jerseys have blue stripes over the shoulders . The team introduced an alternate jersey in 2002 that is blue with black shoulder stripes . Carolina debuted the alternate light blue jersey for one game at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 . The alternate jersey has been worn twice a season beginning in 2003 . The Panthers have worn the light blue jersey a few times on the road when the home team has chosen to wear white due to the heat , as the light blue uniforms are more comfortable in the heat than black . Carolina prefers to not wear black when the temperature is hot or not mild enough . With the league rules permitting teams to wear their third jersey twice in the regular season and once in the preseason , the Panthers reserve the use of their alternate light blue jersey for a home game when there is one or two games that they don ' t wear them on the road . Like many other NFL teams located in temperate climates , the Panthers traditionally wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season — forcing opponents to wear their dark ones under the warm autumns in Charlotte . When it gets to the second half of the season the Panthers will start to wear their colored jerseys for home games as temperatures will be more mild . The team ' s uniforms prompted a 2003 lawsuit by the Oakland Raiders , who claimed that the NFL and the Panthers had infringed upon key trademark elements of the Raiders ' brand , specifically the silver and black colors . In the same suit , the Raiders challenged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997 uniform design , including the pirate logo . The Raiders wanted the courts to bar the Buccaneers and Panthers from wearing their uniforms while playing in California . However , since the lawsuit was filed in a state California court , the lawsuit was tossed out because only federal courts have jurisdiction over intellectual property issues . The Raiders have yet to appeal the ruling . The Panthers have played in ten postseason games , wearing the white jerseys in all but their most recent playoff game . Two of those games were at home against the Dallas Cowboys , making the Cowboys wear their " unlucky " road navy - blue jerseys , as the Cowboys are one of three teams who routinely wear their white uniforms at home . Rivals . Atlanta Falcons . The rivalry with Atlanta began in the first season of the franchise when both teams were members of the NFC West . Carolina played Atlanta in its first ever game , losing 23 - 20 in overtime . From 1998 to 2002 , Atlanta dominated the series , winning 9 out of 10 games , including 6 straight from 2000 to 2002 . The rivalry has been much more competitive since then , with both teams being split at 7 wins since 2003 . As both teams are located on I - 85 , travel is relatively easy between home and away games . Atlanta currently leads the series 18 - 12 . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Although Carolina first played Tampa Bay in 1995 , their rivalry did not start until 2003 , when Brentson Buckner claimed Kris Jenkins was the best defensive tackle in football , angering Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp . Since then , the rivalry is known for its trash talking and occasional fights . Notably , Carolina defensive lineman Kavika Pittman essentially had his career ended after getting leveled by a block from the Bucs ' Kenyatta Walker . Also , in 2006 , Tampa quarterback Chris Simms lost his spleen on a hit , and in 2009 Carolina cornerback Dante Wesley laid into punt returner Clifton Smith before he had caught the ball , knocking Smith out and getting Wesley ejected . There were some disputes also between Bucs former kicker Martin Gramatica and Panthers former punter Todd Sauerbrun . Carolina currently leads the series 10 - 7 . New Orleans Saints . Carolina also maintains a rivalry with New Orleans , with both teams playing in the NFC South division . Carolina currently leads the series 17 - 15 . Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was a backup in New Orleans before signing with Carolina in 2003 . Dallas Cowboys . Outside the division , the Panthers biggest rivals are the Dallas Cowboys . In both 1996 and 2003 , the Panthers were responsible for eliminating the Cowboys in the playoffs . In a key game late in the 2005 season , Steve Smith was ejected for touching an official . Late in the game , a blocked field - goal was reversed by a suspicious penalty and Dallas scored the winning touchdown two plays later . This late - season loss kept Carolina from winning the division and forced them to enter the playoffs as a wild card team . Dallas leads the series 8 - 3 , with Carolina being 2 - 0 in the playoffs but only 1 - 8 in regular - season games against Dallas . Former Rivalries . Carolina had several rivalries within the NFC West from 1995 to 2001 , before Carolina moved to the NFC South in 2002 . Due to current scheduling , Carolina has infrequently played many of their former division rivals , and the rivalries have thus dulled . St . Louis Rams . Carolina had a rivalry with St . Louis during their time in the NFC West , but since moving to the NFC South in 2002 the rivalry has faded . It is most known perhaps , for the 2003 Divisional Playoff matchup between the two teams , which Carolina won 29 - 23 in double overtime . Carolina leads the series 11 - 7 , with a 1 - 0 lead in the playoffs . San Francisco 49ers . Carolina was a rival of San Francisco when they were in the NFC West together . Former San Francisco coach George Seifert also coached the team from 1999 - 2001 . They no longer maintain a rivalry , as Carolina was moved to the NFC South in 2002 , and the two have played rarely since then . Carolina currently leads the series 9 - 7 . Single Season Records . Passing Rushing Receiving Returns Kicking Scoring Career Records . Passing Rushing Receiving Returns Kicking Scoring Defense Players of note . Hall of Honor . The Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor was established in 1997 to honor individuals for their contributions to the Carolina Panthers franchise . 10th anniversary team . Offense Defense Special Teams Franchise traditions . Fight song . When the Panthers started in 1995 , fans would sing the official Carolina Panther Fight Song " Stand and Cheer " ( composed by Duane Evans ) every time the team would score . As the first season was played at Clemson University , many fans felt that the song was reminiscent of the collegiate atmosphere those games had . The fight song only lasted a few years before being officially retired . Officials with the Panthers organization said that they received a large number of fan complaints regarding the fight song . The fight song was revived , although in an abbreviated version , during the first preseason game of 2006 . It was used throughout the remainder of the season . Currently , " Sweet Caroline " by Neil Diamond is played and sung by fans after every home victory . Growl Towel . Growl Towel ( called the " Prowl Towel " from 1996 – 1997 ) is the nickname adopted by fans that refers to small , terry - cloth towels that are waved or spun in the air during Panthers home games . The towels are similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers ' Terrible Towel , but are in Panthers team colors ( also white in more recent years ) . Radio and television . The Panthers ' flagship radio stations are WBT in Charlotte and WBT - FM in Chester , S . C . The announcing team consists of Mick Mixon , Eugene Robinson and Jim Szoke . Most preseason and regular season games are locally broadcast by Charlotte ' s Fox affiliate , WCCB channel 18 . The exceptions are when one of their preseason games gets nationally televised on a network other than Fox , in the regular season when they host an AFC team in the afternoon ( in which case the game would be on WBTV , the CBS affiliate ) , or when one of their regular season games is in primetime .