Becoming an NFL Franchise
In 1993, Jerry Richardson, who opened the first Hardee’s Franchise in Spartanburg, South Carolina, expressed his interest in owning a team. Two years later in 1995, the Carolinas were awarded an expansion team, thus the Carolina Panthers were born. Originally placed in the NFC West, the Panthers would switch to the newly minted NFC South when the NFL expanded again to add the Houston Texans.
30 Greatest moments in Carolina Panthers history
