By continuing to use our website, you agree to our. 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 . The Panthers were the Carolinas team, but for many years, they belonged to Richardson. He gave me a chance when no one else would! pic.twitter.com/9Cjn0PSYW2. Richardson took a lower public profile in later years as his gait and speech slowed he went nine years between press conferences at one point. He did so with lots of help, including the necessary financial backing from close friend and Charlotte mega-banker Hugh McColl Jr. Richardsons son Mark was also instrumental in the effort. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. 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. I sweated it out every day. Richardson survived a series of serious health-related issues in his later years. A year after Carolina was awarded a franchise, in 1994, Richardson spoke to The Observer about what it was like to be an NFL owner. Jerry Richardson is Businessman, public benefactor, former NFL player from Spring Hope, North Carolina, United States. They have a daughter named Ashley and a son named Mark in addition to their son Jon, who passed away in 2013. Jerry Richardson, the self-made millionaire who brought the NFL to Charlotte and founded the Carolina Panthers, died Wednesday. With the Colts, he roomed with quarterback Johnny Unitas, and caught a touchdown pass from the Hall of Famer in the 1959 NFL Championship Game. For me to try to explain to you guys what this man has meant to me and my family and so many others would take a lifetime," Davis posted. 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, has died. Richardson never addressed the allegations against him publicly. He was incredibly gracious to me when I purchased the team, and for that I am thankful. Jerry Richardson, the founder of the American football team Carolina Panthers, has died at the age of 86 He is survived by his wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and three children - Ashley, Jon, and Mark Nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild are also included in his family Written By: Alfeeya Mohsin Pathan With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave the NFL fans here a team to call their own. The team went for a then NFL record $2.275 billion. The family did not list a cause of death. He went on to make his fortune in the restaurant business, becoming chief executive officer of Flagstar, the sixth-largest food service company in the country at the time. Jerry Richardson, a former NFL owner, is survived by his wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date, with details to follow. But Richardsons tenure was marred by off-field issues. He attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he was a star tight end, and still holds the school's single-game record for receiving yards (241 against Newberry College in 1956). The report alleged that Richardson had committed numerous instances of workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment, uttering a racial slur and asking some of his female employees if he could personally shave their legs., The report, which was substantiated by the NFLs ensuing probe, revealed that at least four former Panthers employees had received significant financial settlements from Richardson following his inappropriate behavior in exchange for what amounted to a vow of silence. It also noted that Fridays were Jeans Day at the Panthers offices, and that became fodder for many inappropriate comments by Richardson. Richardson never addressed the allegations against him publicly. All about former Carolina Panthers owners, net worth, statue, scandals and more. 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. While Richardson seldom held press conferences even during the early seasons of the Panthers franchise, his public appearances became far less frequent in his later years. The resignations were a shocking development that left Richardson as the only family member involved in the teams day-to-day operations. "With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave the NFL fans here a team to call their own. Personal Life: Affair, Girlfriends, Wife, Kids. Unitas took a personal interest in Richardson, picking up the young receiver every morning on his way to practice and bringing him home at the end of the day. 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. After he had a heart transplant in Charlotte in 2009, Richardson lived for 14 more years. Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson died Wednesday night at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. The statue now resides in an undisclosed storage facility. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The braver players like linebacker Kevin Greene and Delhomme would call him Big Cat. He was Mister Richardson to nearly everyone else in the building at Bank of America Stadium, with many shortening that name to simply Mister when referring to the team owner. An explanation of winter vs nesting robins locally, winter aconite in snow, hiking the Appalachian Trail, and ice shacks being down on Lake Winnebago are among the notes from around Chicago outdoors. Richardson was hospitalized in the year 2008 in Carolinas Medical Center. Even in his later years, Richardsons posture showcased what Muhleman called a flawless vertical carriage that made him the tallest 6-foot-3 on the planet.. Sign up for the Panthers Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Florida. We wish them much peace and comfort.". The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community.But his league-first attitude as seen through his leadership of numerous NFL committees, including the Stadium Committee and Management Council Executive Committee, helped pave the way for a series of public-private stadium partnerships throughout the country, and collective bargaining agreements that continue to support the growth of the game.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.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. With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave NFL fans here a team to call their own. 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. We wish them much peace and comfort.". NFL draft questions for teams in the top 10: Will the Colts trade up? (AP Photo/Chuck Burton). Richardson called Archie Manning, Peytons father, to clear the air and believed the situation was overblown. We wouldnt go into this if I didnt think we could do it, Richardson said at a Charlotte news conference on Dec. 15, 1987, when he officially announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise. Scott Fowler is a national award-winning sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1959 and caught a touchdown pass from Johnny Unitas in the 1959 NFL Championship Game. 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. Richardson was forced to sell the team to Tepper for a then NFL-record $2.275 billion after the 2017 season amid allegations of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace. Sports columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994. "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. . Photos: Carolina Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson over the years, Support my work with a digital subscription, A nervous Kevin Durant debuts for Phoenix in Charlotte. Richardson took that playoff bonus money and invested it into the restaurant business. While fans saw a stoic Richardson sitting expressionless in his end-zone suite at Bank of America Stadium on Sundays, he was not afraid to cut up with his players. Date of Birth: Jul 11, 1936 (86 years old) He fired a number of Richardson-era employees after his purchase and also quickly changed the 50-yard line symbol to the Panthers logo. "He called me and told my wife and I to meet him at the airport, and he put us on his plane and took us up to Boston Children's Hospital to make sure we got the best care and the best team to look at him. 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. Jerry Richardson Age, Wiki, Biography Along the way, decisions were made that changed the face of sports business. The NFL fined Richardson a league-record $2.75 million after its probe concluded, nearly tripling the amount of its previous record fine of $1 million. Richardson founded the. His survivors include his wife Rosalind and two of their three children Mark and Ashley. He took the money earned from that game and started the first Hardee's franchise in Spartanburg. "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. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. The stadium was named "Jerry Richardson Stadium" after his donation of $10 Million. Read what head coach Frank Reich said to the media during his press conference at the Combine on Wednesday. You'll now receive the top Panthers Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. Mr. Richardson claims that Wofford has had the biggest impact on his achievement in life, with no other influence coming close. We wish them much peace and comfort.. 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, has died. The team said that "moving the statue is in the interest of public safety." Richardson served on several high-level owners committees, playing a key role in labor negotiations with the players' union. Wofford offered Richardson a partial scholarship worth less than $300, and he took it. March 2, 2023 / 5:16 PM / AP. We wish them much peace and comfort.. Prosecutors dismissed domestic violence charges against Hardy after they said the accuser in the case couldnt be found. Charlotte had already become a professional sports town with the arrival of the NBA's Hornets in 1988, but those were the days when the city struggled to build an identity as anything other than a regional outpost, still confused with Charleston, S.C. or Charlottesville, Va., and years from becoming a national banking center. I was told, 'You can't make money selling hamburgers for 15 cents.' "The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community. 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. Category: Richest Business. Foxs greatest success came in 2003, when a team with Jake Delhomme at quarterback and young stars like Steve Smith at wide receiver and Julius Peppers at defensive end made an unlikely run to the Super Bowl before losing on a last-second field goal to the New England Patriots, 32-29. "I never thought about not getting a franchise," Richardson said, expressing his trademark confidence. With the news also came a statement from current owner David Tepper and wife . 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 . Mark Richardson was the team president and the heir apparent to his father, while the more laid-back Jon Richardson oversaw the stadium during its construction and operation. That never deterred me. After growing up in the Fayetteville area, Richardson went to Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.; where he excelled in football and laid the groundwork for a business empire that would allow him to return to the game he once walked away from. 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. Richardson was celebrated for bringing the NFL to Carolina in 1995, but his tenure with the team ended after the 2017 season amid allegations of sexual and racial workplace misconduct. 5:26 PM on Mar 2, 2023 CST. The Panthers began playing in 1995 and Richardson owned them until 2018, when he sold the team under pressure to current owner David Tepper. He was 86. After a bad first half, Richardson caught several passes in the second half from Johnny Unitas and made the team. Conservative by nature, Richardson once cautioned Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton against getting tattoos and piercings after drafting the quarterback No. The family did not own a car until Jerry Richardson was 16. Conservative by nature, Richardson once cautioned Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton against getting tattoos and piercings after drafting the quarterback No. He has given considerable gifts to . Jerry Richardson, Panthers founder and former owner, dies at 86, Jaxon Smith-Njigba wants to re-create connection with Bears QB Justin Fields, NFL Scouting Combine shifts mock draft, but Bears needs unchanged, QBs in NFL Draft in haze as Bears play poker with No. "Jerry Richardson's contributions to professional football in the Carolinas are historic," current Panthers owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole said in a statement. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. That concept was iffy enough that well-known oddsmaker Danny Sheridan gave Charlotte 50-1 odds of getting an NFL team in 1989. He served on some of the league's most prestigious committees and had become one of the more powerful owners. CHARLOTTE Jerry Richardson, the founder of the Carolina Panthers, passed away Wednesday night at age 86. 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. That got Richardson seriously thinking about trying to bring an NFL team to Charlotte. In 2016, Jerry Richardson made donations to establish the Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts on the Wofford College campus in honor of his wife of more than 60 years. "He was incredibly gracious to me when I purchased the team, and for that I am thankful. They played miniature golf in Myrtle Beach on their first date. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. It was expected at the time one of the boys might inherit the team, but that never happened. Fox said from the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Richardson was rarely one to back down from a challenge, but there were some challenges he couldn't overcome by sheer force of will and determination.
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