Conservative by nature, Richardson once cautioned Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton against getting tattoos and piercings after drafting the quarterback No. Richardson pulled down an 8-yard pass from Unitas for his first NFL touchdown in a 38-31 loss to Cleveland on Nov. 1, 1959. He was later released. Sign up for the Panthers Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? Because of his imposing build and status as a former NFL player, Richardson engendered a level of respect not often accorded to NFL owners. Jerry Richardson, the founding owner of the Carolina Panthers, died Wednesday night at the age of 86, the team announced Thursday in a release on behalf of his family. Jerry Richardson, the former Carolina Panthers owner who sold the team amid accusations of workplace misconduct, and his wife Rosalind have donated $5 million to Charleston's International . There, he began creating the emphasis on customer service that would carry over into his stewardship of his football team. They becamethe parents of three children. But the workplace misconduct scandal changed that timetable, and Richardson spent the last five years of his life without owning the team that had defined a large part of his business career. He visited every owner in the league all 28 of them at least once, Muhleman said, and sought out the brilliant retired NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle at his California home. Three months later, running back Fred Lane, who had just been traded to Indianapolis, was shot and killed by his wife in their Charlotte home. He ultimately became a millionaire and used that money to purchase the Panthers for $206 million. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The following month the NFL fined Richardson $2.75 million for alleged workplace misconduct. From a personal perspective, he was a wise and caring advisor to me, his fellow owners, and many Panthers players and coaches over the years.". A 13-foot, 4500-pound statue of Richardson, given to him by his ownership partners in 2016 and placed outside Bank of America Stadium, was removed in June 2020 by the Panthers. The Panthers decided to charge for the right to buy season tickets in their proposed new stadium a radical idea that later helped build many other stadiums around the country. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. With the news also came a statement from current owner David Tepper and wife Nicole, who thanked Richardson for what he had done for them and the organization. In 23 NFL seasons with Richardson as owner, the Panthers qualified for two Super Bowls, in the 2003 and 2015 postseason, although they lost both games. That concept contributed more than $100 million to the stadiums eventual cost of around $187 million. The Panthers defeated the Buccaneers 21-14. I am truly heartbroken and sad over the loss of my friend. Carruth was imprisoned for 16 years. "As a former player himself, Jerry cared deeply about the welfare of players and the labor agreements he helped negotiate have led to improved pay and benefits for generations of players. He'd drop in on restaurants from time to time to check up, sticking his head in the drive-through line to surprise customers and employees alike. 2005 NFC Wild Card Playoff Game - Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants - January 8, 2006 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey United States January 8, 2006 Photo by Ralph Waclawicz/WireImage.com, To license this image (6995493), contact WireImage: +1 212-686-8900 (tel) +1 212-686-8901 (fax) info@wireimage.com (e-mail) www.wireimage.com (web site), CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 28: Owner Jerry Richardson of the Carolina Panthers looks on before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 13, 2004 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. It revealed that Richardsons assistant would escort female employees to Richardsons office and then leave. Carolina Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson died The lack of consistency was a source of irritation for Richardson, as Carolina failed to put together back-to-back winning seasons during his 23 seasons as owner despite hiring four coaches: Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox and Ron Rivera. The promise came close to coming true during the 2003 season. Tepper has said several times in interviews that the business side of the Panthers organization was in disarray when he bought the team in 2018. While hitchhiking with some Wofford friends at Pawleys Island, S.C., during the summer of 1957, he met a Winthrop student and former Florence High cheerleader named Rosalind Sallenger. Carolina earned high marks in several key areas in survey, which rated various aspects of players' experience from strength coaches and the locker room to treatment of families. Once a fixture at tailgate parties with random Panthers fans before home games he liked to show up unannounced via golf cart Richardson was rarely seen in public in his final years. In every case he had one purpose: asking for advice and learning what it was that was wanted from member teams and owners.. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The NFL would independently investigate and substantiate many of the allegations raised by the magazine article while also uncovering similar matters that have not been the subject of public discussion, according to a 2018 NFL press release. A PSL would cost anywhere from $600 to $5400 per ticket and could later be re-sold or handed down in the right-holders will. CHARLOTTE, N.C Jerry Richardson, the Carolina Panthers founder and for years one of the NFL's most influential owners until a scandal forced him to sell the team . Then, in his rolling Southern. The Spring Hope, North Carolina, native spent years trying to persuade the NFL to put a team in the Carolinas, ultimately succeeding through a relatively original concept of funding a new stadium through the sales of permanent seat licenses. Richardson began the process of building a football team in July of 1987, when he met with former Bank of America CEO and Charlotte icon Hugh McColl to discuss his dream of bringing the sport to his home state. Chad Reuter provides a stock report from Indianapolis. "And he went above and beyond to bring comfort to a family at its toughest time.". He still holds the school's single-game record for receiving yards (241 against Newberry in 1956), as well as records for touchdown receptions in a season (9) and career (21). Richardson died. At Wofford, Richardson majored in psychology, worked as a dormitory hall manager and joined the ROTC. He was 86. "No one has done more for Wofford students. He was 86. I'd been here for one season and we'd won six games. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date. Richardson remained confident throughout the process, getting a license plate that read PNTHERS in 1989 four years before his ownership group would actually be awarded a team. In 2000, wide receiver Rae Carruth, the teams first-round draft pick in 1997, was convicted on a murder conspiracy charge in connection with the drive-by shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend. Wofford offered Richardson a partial scholarship worth less than $300, and he took it. Richardson kept a game ball from the championship game and a pair of Unitas cleats in the basement of his Charlotte home. 2 days ago But Richardsons reputation took a tremendous hit when he announced he was selling the Panthers on Dec. 17, 2017, the same day Sports Illustrated reported that four former Panthers employees received significant monetary settlements due to inappropriate sexually suggestive language and actions by Richardson. Date of Birth: Jul 11, 1936 (86 years old) "The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community. This story was originally published March 2, 2023, 3:51 PM. Scott Fowler is a national award-winning sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer. "The odds against us were huge. 1 overall in 2011 for fear it would impact his image. The NFL expansion process was painstaking. Richardsons legacy also includes the birth of the Panthers and the development of a restaurant empire that made him a rich enough man to join one of Americas most exclusive clubs the leagues 32 NFL owners. His contributions to Wofford to date total more than $260 million, including capital upgrades. But Richardson also showed compassion for his players. Rajeeta Kochhar? The Olsens honored Richardson by naming their son T.J., short for Trent Jerry. Richardson said in 2018 his greatest mission in life was bringing the NFL to the Carolinas. In 1987, Richardson heard on the radio that businessman George Shinn had won his bid to bring an NBA franchise to Charlotte. He was 86. Playing for the Browns that day was offensive tackle Mike McCormack, whom Richardson would later hire as the Panthers first president. He used his championship bonus money to open the first Hardees in Spartanburg, South Carolina close to where he had attended Wofford College. He and Bradshaw Richardsons former quarterback at Wofford opened their first Hardees restaurant in 1961 in Spartanburg. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. On game days, he'd ride around Bank of America Stadium in his golf cart, greeting fans and taking pictures, relishing the moments. In the late 1950s, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson studied at Winthrop University. Former Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen, who played for Carolina from 2011 to 2019, revealed in a video message on Twitter that his son T.J., who was born with hypo-plastic left heart syndrome that initially required four open heart surgeries, was named in part after Richardson as the "J" is Jerry. Although Richardson once promised the Panthers would win a Super Bowl "within 10 years" of beginning play in 1995, they never did. Olsen and his wife Kara later named the child Trent Jerry Olsen after Richardson. Im 58 years old, and I dont hunt, I dont fish, and I dont play golf. Heather ODonnell of the Chicago social services agency Thresholds says the money is an opportunity to really build up substance use care.. Net Worth: $2 Billion. Richardson became the first former NFL player to own a team since Chicago's George Halas when he landed the expansion Panthers in 1993. He was 86. Richardson had heart problems at some point during his life. The Dallas Cowboys will place the franchise tag on running back Tony Pollard if the two sides cannot reach a long-term deal before March 7's deadline, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday, per sources. Please check your email for a confirmation. Jerry Richardson got his heart transplanted in the year 2009. When linebacker Thomas Davis retired in 2021, he thanked Richardson for believing in him and keeping him on the roster despite having suffered three torn ACLs in the same knee. Richardson was insistent on his stadium being financed privately. He and I spent a tremendous amount of time talking about his vision for what the Panthers could do for the Carolinas. That kind of production earned him Associated Press Little All-America honors in 1957 and 1958, and in 1959, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. View photos of Richardson from the inaugural season in 1995 through decades of coaches and players in the Panthers community. Pictures of Richardson holding babies or showing up at pre-game tailgates made their rounds on social media before most games. His father was a barber. Though, he is 1.91 m tall, he weighs about 84 kg. Deeply rooted in both Carolinas and once a wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts, Richardson persuaded the NFL to put an expansion team in Charlotte in 1993. When linebacker Thomas Davis retired in 2021, he thanked Richardson for believing in him and keeping him on the roster despite having suffered three torn ACLs in the same knee.