Your Panthers fandom biography...

[RealBitsOfPanther]

My fandom started with the 03 super bowl run when I was a kid. I thought Deshaun Foster was legit (I think it was the tinted visor lol). Dan Morgan was awesome as well. 

 

My fandom got cemented when I moved to NC as a junior in high school when I could watch them every week. 

[FuFuLamePoo]

2 hours ago, Tartan Panther said:

Nice! My team is Heart of Midlothian (Hearts), they are the top team in Edinburgh, but pretty unsuccessful historically as Scottish football is dominated by two teams from Glasgow. The club has quite a cool history, from the whole team leaving to volunteer in WW1 to the fans buying the club a couple of years ago after the Lithuanian/Russian owner was declared bankrupt (now in prison).

Hope you have a great time in Bonnie Scotland :)

Yeah I've heard of them!  But yeah the Scottish Premiership has always been dominated by Celtic/Rangers. and as a whole I don't think the league is near the quality top to bottom that it once was.  I'm staying in Edinburgh some of the time I'm there, I am stoked

[Omega Atrocity]

I was born in western NC and in 1994, so the Panthers have always been the local game when I watched football on Sunday. I remember the super bowl run quite well. It broke my heart , 9 year olds shouldn't have to deal with poo like that, but it also made me a life long fan.

[ECUPantherFan]

I moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina from New York in 1990 at the age of 6.  My dad wasn't a big NFL fan at the time... he was more of a hockey fan (loved the Islanders).  So, when I got to NC, I didn't have a rooting interest, and all of my friends that I met around here were either Redskins fans or Cowboys fans.  I watched some games with them over the years, but didn't care about any of them.  

When the Panthers started up in 1995, I thought it was neat, but I was 11 years old and didn't LOVE NFL football.  It took a couple years to build the fandom, but by the 1997 season, I was die hard... I then went to Gerald Williams football camp in 1999.  Wesley Walls was my position coach at camp.  (I played TE)... TA McClendon was also in my group.  I don't know why he was with the TE's, as he was a RB at Albermarle.  

But that interaction with Gerald Williams and Wesley Walls over that week just solidified things even more for me.

Lived in Charlotte from 2007-2010, and averaged about 4 home games every season.  (Was a bad economy...) But I tailgated for almost every game and watched from either a bar or back home.

Now I live in deeeeeeeep southern GA, and am surrounded by Falcons and the occasional Jaguars fan.  It has put a little more pep in my Panthers step, and I've upped my gear purchases.  Have to rep.

[panthersphan]

Born in Toronto in 1988 with my Mom and her family coming from just across the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, NY, I didn't have a choice but to be a Bills fan....until 1993, we moved to Charlotte and that Fall the Observer said that the NFL was coming to Charlotte in 1996, before a year in SC. I was hooked immediately as a young kid.

I went to the grand opening party for Ericson Stadium in 96 ...saw the Panthers beat the Cowboys in 2004 Playoffs and went to Super Bowl 38 in Houston. Diehard fan since inception. Now living in Denver, I'm a proud member of The Mile High Cats!

Cheers fellow Huddlers!!


Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

[Jangler]

I've always liked rollercoasters.

[KB_fan]

On 5/10/2017 at 7:22 PM, KB_fan said:

But here's what got my attention.  Cam's 70+ rushing TD.  THAT made me sit up and take notice.  Wow, what kind of QB can do THAT?!?!?

So much fun to get on Twitter today after nearly 48 hours off social media and to see the very play I was talking about show up on my timeline (some fan posted 28 best Cam plays to celebrate his 28th bday yesterday)...

Yes indeed, that's my QB, and that play is probably why I'm a Panthers fan today!

[fjblair]

NC native and in my 30's when the Panthers were born. I was already a lifelong Redskin fan. Then Danny Boy Snyder killed the franchise and I slowly became a Panther fan. I am still a Redskin fan first, it's just in my blood, but it's close. I follow and root for the Panthers the same as I do the Redskins. When they play each other I pull for whoever needs the win the most in my football mind, but Carolina has owned Washington for a while now. I just do not hate Atlanta and New Orleans to the degree that I despise Dallas and Philly and New York. 

[top dawg]

I moved around quite a bit as a child, and as someone who just had the proclivity to root for the local team, I have been a fan of the Eagles, Cardinals, Browns, Bears, Lions and Steelers (and, yes, I've lived in all those places and experienced most of the stadiums). I also lived in Atlanta, but for some reason I just could never get with the Falcons for some reason (for true). In any event, after graduating college I returned to my birthplace (Raleigh) circa 1992, so when I heard that my home state was getting a team, quite naturally I was ecstatic and have been rooting for the Panthers even before they got on the field. I tried to stay true to the Steelers (whom I still appreciate), but gave up the ghost a decade ago when I found myself substantially more concerned with the Panthers. Still a fan of the NFL in general, my true love will forever be the Panthers. I can say that because not only are they truly the home team, but now that we have the Internet, we can keep up with whatever team we want. As a native North Carolinian who has a love-hate relationship with my state, it's all love for the Panthers. They are one of the 100 percent good things about the state.

On an off note, I have distant relatives that I truly don't know in the Rock Hill, South Carolina area. So that's even another tie that binds.

[SuperLego5]

On 11/05/2017 at 9:28 AM, Tartan Panther said:

Long time reader and feel this is the perfect thread to post for the first time.

Growing up in Scotland, NFL wasn't very close to the top of the list of popular sports. I was first introduced to the sport in early 2004 and as luck would have it, the first game I watched was the Panthers heroic effort in Philly in the Championship game, I was immediately hooked. The fight that the team showed was like little I had ever seen before, and despite not knowing what was going on most of the time, I knew this team was for me. Over the next few years, I learned the sport and got to know the players. Delhomme was and always will be my favourite Panther, his jersey still hangs proudly on my wall. I've never been to a Panthers game but it has been a few years now since I missed a game on TV (I consider watching every game of the 2-14 season as one of my biggest sporting achievements), despite the often sadistic times the games are on over here. I now get the same feeling of elation and despair from watching Panther games as I do when watching my local football (soccer) team. From a 12 year old staying up past my bedtime to watch the games until now, my passion for the team has only grown stronger. I proudly label myself as Scotland's biggest Panther fan (and will do until someone proves otherwise), I hope that one day soon I will be able to take down that Delhomme jersey, pop across the water and join you all at BOA stadium.

That makes 2 of us. Gamepass is a god send.

I proudly sport my Panthers hat at the football (soccer).

[Ship]

moved to charlotte in 1995, the same year as the panthers! i was entering the 1st grade at eastover and in one of the hallways they had this display with different panthers players' pictures that were autographed. i remember they had kerry collins, wesley walls, and kevin greene. kevin green looked awesome and i'd always pretend to be him when my friends played football.

i was a big sports card collector back then as well, and i'd collect all the panthers players and display them. i remember having a rocket ismail card and thinking he was the coolest guy with the coolest name.

anyway, my dad mainly took me to more hornets games over football, but every once in a while our family friends who had PSLs would give us tickets and sometimes when family from pittsburgh came into town we'd go to a steelers-panthers game (we always cheered panthers).

the team wasn't very interesting for me until middle school, i think 8th grade, was when we went to the super bowl. i remember hearing about the team on the radio and went to my friend's house for a superbowl party. it was an incredible night, until we lost. i remember being so upset and i thought school would be cancelled on monday because we lost!

anyway, after that i was heavy into playing basketball in high school and then i burnt out of sports all together. in college my friends invited me into a long standing fantasy football league and i joined up. the first season was 09-10 and i loosely started following the panthers again. in 10-11, i started following the team more, and by the end of the 2010 season, i figured with the times changing, it was a good time to become a real fan. so i found this website at the end of the 2010 season and followed all the talk of andrew luck and cam newton and the coaching search. i had no clue who cam or who luck was until then. all the changes during the offseason were really fun to follow on here, so i got hooked on checking the forums.

i lurked on the boards for about 2 years until actually setting up an account because i didn't think i knew enough to have an opinion worth sharing. i haven't missed a game since cam arrived in the preseason.

seriously, this community is the reason i was able to re-engage with the team and i feel lucky to be a panthers fan along with all of you! here's to many more seasons!

[CatofWar]

Born and raised in Htown. Grew up with the Astros, rockets and oilers. I wanted to be Jeff Bagwell, Hakeem and Warren Moon. When the oilers left Houston, we moved to Charlotte. Then the Panthers arrived. Been a fan since (fug the Texans). 

 

Highlights of my fandom:

 

Set the alarm off at Jeff Lewis's house, almost got shot. 

 

Walking in the backyard of Jason Peter and his Rottweilers we're out. Almost got ate. 

 

Went to Tim Moribitos crib, rang the bell, and he answered in his tighty whities. Almost had a boner. 

 

Hanging with Ricky Manning Jr macking on bitches. Almost got laid. 

 

 

[csx]

I went to the second home game in Charlotte when we beat the 49ers.  I went to a bunch of games between 99 and about 2008. Now I try to make 1 a year. Nothing special but I've had fun.

 

One away game at Lambeau in 2008. That was epic fun.

 

Oh...and Dallas playoff game in 03...pre game watching Tennessee vs Baltimore projected against one if the buildings downtown. Not sure how that was legal.

 

Another classic was first game of 2993 when Jake came in against the Jags at the half.  

[Burnout189]

Born and raised in Charlotte, even though I no longer live there sadly. I've loved the Panthers since they were brought into the league. It was hard watching them from 2008 to 2012 just bc of work and being overseas but I kept up as best as I could. However I I have converted my wife into a fan and I took her to her first home game last year when we played ATL. We lost which sucked, but we still had such a great time. I will always love this team, during the highs and the lows. Keep Pounding my brothers and sisters.