The Hall: Wesley Walls

[jfra78]

2 minutes ago, GRWatcher said:

In 1996 or 1997 Walls penned a short article for the Charlotte Observer on how fans can help the Panthers win. In those early years in Ericsson Stadium, fans were acting as if watching a college football game: "alumni" sitting quietly, "students" going nuts at the wrong times. Unfortunately there were more "alumni" than "students". Good lord, I remember the ladies in fur coats and men in suits, nary a word from them.

So he told them to boo loudly when the other team was introduced. (You'd be surprised how they didn't even do this.) To start yelling and screaming when the opposition first enters their huddle so it's difficult for them to hear the QB. And to keep yelling past the ball snap. Then he told them to be hear-pin-drop quiet when our offense was on the field. And to always show respect for anyone who is injured.

I lol at huddlers who think our fans are bad. OMG! They were much, much worse in the beginning, loudly cheering while on offense, quiet while on defense (which gave the other team a quiet huddle). That's why other teams used to say it was like playing a home game. Raised as a Bills fan I knew better and cheered accordingly but it took Wesley saying it to make it cannon.

I once mentioned this article to Scott Fowler for his book but he told me he never did find that article. Too bad. It's still relevant today.

i vaguely remember this

[ellis]

Badass. Just badass. 

[jbland]

1 hour ago, GRWatcher said:

In 1996 or 1997 Walls penned a short article for the Charlotte Observer on how fans can help the Panthers win. In those early years in Ericsson Stadium, fans were acting as if watching a college football game: "alumni" sitting quietly, "students" going nuts at the wrong times. Unfortunately there were more "alumni" than "students". Good lord, I remember the ladies in fur coats and men in suits, nary a word from them.

So he told them to boo loudly when the other team was introduced. (You'd be surprised how they didn't even do this.) To start yelling and screaming when the opposition first enters their huddle so it's difficult for them to hear the QB. And to keep yelling past the ball snap. Then he told them to be hear-pin-drop quiet when our offense was on the field. And to always show respect for anyone who is injured.

I lol at huddlers who think our fans are bad. OMG! They were much, much worse in the beginning, loudly cheering while on offense, quiet while on defense (which gave the other team a quiet huddle). That's why other teams used to say it was like playing a home game. Raised as a Bills fan I knew better and cheered accordingly but it took Wesley saying it to make it cannon.

I once mentioned this article to Scott Fowler for his book but he told me he never did find that article. Too bad. It's still relevant today.

I remember the those days. I also remember the wave going around the stadium while we were on offense... We still have a ways to go but as a whole we have come pretty far. 

[cookinwithgas]

my buddy and I would yell

THROW THE BALL

TO WESLEY WALLS!

That and yelling HOOOOOOOOver were our favorite ways to express our drunken fandom. Great times, it was something else to be a fan of a new team and see who would emerge as the favorite players back then.

[Carolina Cajun]

20 hours ago, L-TownCat said:

Dunno man...after Walls and before Olsen, the pickin's was mighty slim at the old TE position.

Jeff King, Gary Barnidge, Dante Rosario, Michael Gaines, Kris Mangum, Mike Seidman.

That is a list that deserves to have a Walls and Olsen added, just to raise the average.

Lets not forget we did have Jeremy Shockey 1 year too and he was pretty good that year.  Now he's not on the level of the other 2, but was definitely no slouch.

[45catfan]

8 minutes ago, Carolina Cajun said:

Lets not forget we did have Jeremy Shockey 1 year too and he was pretty good that year.  Now he's not on the level of the other 2, but was definitely no slouch.

Yep, and we've never had 1a and 1b TEs since then.  I've been barking up that tree for 8 years now.

[Moo Daeng]

I was at most of those early games. I never saw fur coats or suits. I saw rednecks,  fights, people tumbling down the walkways, cocaine being done in the stands and in the bathrooms. People might not have known not to get loud when on offense but it was a bit wild at times.

[L-TownCat]

3 hours ago, Carolina Cajun said:

Lets not forget we did have Jeremy Shockey 1 year too and he was pretty good that year.  Now he's not on the level of the other 2, but was definitely no slouch.

That year was cool.  It was deadly, but Im not sure Greg is a sharer.  

[PurityControl]

Outstanding!! one of my fav panthers of all time. 

But I still have to hear from my father in law (SF fan) how he was a 49er first.... blah