Jerry Richardson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jerry Richardson (born 1936 in Spring Hope, North Carolina) is the current majority owner and founder of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Richardson is a graduate of Fayetteville High School and Wofford College, where he played wide receiver and set several school records.
Richardson was taken in the thirteenth round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. His playing career only lasted two years catching fifteen passes for 171 yards and four touchdowns. His most notable reception was in the 1959 NFL Championship Game win against the New York Giants, in which he caught the winning touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas.
Using his $3,500 check from the playoff games, Richardson founded (with Charles J. Bradshaw) Spartan Foods, a food-service company which became the second (and largest) franchisee of Hardee's. Spartan Foods later founded Quincy's Steakhouse and Dooley's Seafood Emporium. Bradshaw and Richardson achieved their goal of being listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1976. Through merger activities, Richardson became CEO of TW Services (later Flagstar) which operated Denny's and El Polo Loco franchises in the Carolinas. Richardson put the earnings towards his lifelong goal of purchasing an NFL franchise.
Richardson began lobbying to bring an NFL team to his home state in 1988. In 1993 Richardson became the first player to own a team since George Halas of the Chicago Bears, when NFL owners unanimously selected Charlotte as the next site. Richardson pledged after the 1996 season that the Panthers would reach the Super Bowl within ten years. That pledge was honored when the Panthers reached Super Bowl XXXVIII capping the 2003 season, which they lost, however, to the New England Patriots. The Panthers have also made the playoffs two other times, reaching the Conference Championship game on both occasions as well--1996, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, the winner of Super Bowl XXXI, and in 2005, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks, who lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.
Richardson remains an active owner of the team, but generally has allowed his front office staff and coaches to make all decisions regarding player personnel and game strategy. He has always supported the Panthers in good and bad times, having never missed a Carolina home game.
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