For the Carolina Panthers, 2003 was a magical season.
All the parts were in place to make a strong push for the Super Bowl.
Head coach John Fox was in his second year with the Panthers and quarterback Jake Delhomme made his first start as a Panther in the second half of the '03 season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Panthers had depth on offense, a man-eating defense that bolstered an extraordinary backfield, and a great special teams unit.
In 2003 the Panthers became known as the Cardiac Cats with their many come-from-behind wins. Typically, games that went into overtime, the Panthers found a way to come out on top all-the-while keeping us fans on the edge of our seat.
To get all of this talent on the same field in the same uniform, head coach John Fox set to work in the offseason of 2002, and came up aces starting with the second overall draft pick, defensive end Julius Peppers.
Peppers was a dominating defensive end at the University of North Carolina and was the perfect fit for Fox's defensive plan.
That same year, the Panthers also drafted linebacker Will Witherspoon and running back DeShaun Foster.
In addition to these pieces of the puzzle, the Panthers already had the services of defensive end Mike Rucker, defensive tackles Brentson Buckner and Kris Jenkins, to form what many football experts declared the best defensive line in the game.
Mike Minter was already in place, as he anchored the defensive secondary; Witherspoon and Mark Fields led the linebacker corps.
The 2003 season saw even more talented players join the Panthers, whether by draft or free agency.
Ricky Manning, Jr., a cornerback out of UCLA and offensive tackle Jordan Gross were two of the Panthers top selections out of the draft, while free agent signings of quarterback Jake Delhomme from the New Orleans Saints, running back Stephen Davis from the Washington Redskins, and former St. Louis Ram Ricky Proehl, a wide receiver, made up an offense that needed to complement a top-ranked defense.
2003 was not all roses and buttercups however, as off-field matters arose. Linebacker Mark Fields was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease and sat out the season.
Two weeks later, former linebacker and coach Sam Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, to which he lost his battle in April of 2005.
The team took the disheartening news in great stride, using it as a motivational tool to start the season off at 5-0.
On opening day, Fields ran onto the field with the Panthers. The players wore T-shirts with Fields' and Mills' number from his playing days under their jerseys.
One of the greatest moments of the 2003 season, and in Panthers history was the 12-9 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers beat the reigning NFL Champions in their city, on their turf, in front of their fans.
The Buccaneers were the biggest collection of seemingly little-known talent in all of sports: Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, and Derrick Brooks, just to name a few.
The Panthers were nine-and-a-half point underdogs going into that meeting and in overtime, Carolina return man Steve Smith returned a punt 52 yards. Five plays later, John Kasay kicked the sudden-death field goal to give the Panthers a well deserved win.
In Week Six the Panthers hit a brick wall when they fell horribly to the Tennessee Titans, 37-17, in front of their Charlotte, NC home crowd.
The Panthers had been playing well on offense, defense, and special teams, but had many problems from all three areas in this matchup.
A week later, Carolina rebounded when they beat the division rival New Orleans Saints 23-20.
Running back Stephen Davis had a great game, rushing for a franchise record 178 yards, propelling Carolina to another close win.
One of the more memorable cliches used—abused—during a post game interview, was a quote from receiver Steve Smith. "We've just got to ride this horse," Smith said, "until the wheels come off."
In the playoffs, the Panthers easily knocked off the Dallas Cowboys, 29-10, in a home Wildcard game.
At the conclusion of their lopsided victory, defensive tackle Brentson Buckner ran into the locker room shouting, "America's team don't live in the Carolinas!"
After reaching the locker room, Buckner turned around and ran with his teammates through the tunnel and out for a second victory lap, their way of thanking the fans for their support.
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