How the Carolina Panthers Saved My NFL Soul

For the first 13 years of my life I was a lost NFL soul.  Living in Charleston, SC, was hard as an NFL fan. I had no team to call home.

My friends were all split between the two closest teams: the Redskins, because their parents liked them, or the Falcons because they had Prime Time. Despite the Atlanta football I had earned due to many box tops saved from Cheez-Its, I could call neither mine.

Instead, I happily settled for the Buffalo Bills as my mother grew up only 40 minutes away from Ralph Wilson Stadium. Boy, little did I know how great and horrible it would be as a Bills fan.

The early nineties were the best of times and the worst of times as a Bills fans. We had greats like Thurman Thomas, Jim Kelly, and Andre Reed. The triple threat led the Buffalo nation to four straight Superbowls. But you all know how that turned out.

The sour of four straight Superbowls didn't last too long, as two years later I got a fresh start.

Little did I know that for the past seven years, eventual owner, Jerry Richardson, had been lobbying for lost souls like myself. Richardson had been gathering every politician and businessman who would listen, and some that wouldn't, with the hopes of bringing a team to the Carolinas.

And when he finally beat out Baltimore, Memphis, and St. Louis for a spot, I was relieved. I finally had a home.

Not that I didn't love the Bills, I did and still do. They're "my AFC" team. But it's just not the same as having a  team you can call your own.

No longer did I have to answer, "why do you like the Bills" questions with the fact that my mom is from there. Now it's obvious why I love the Panthers. Simply put, they're my team.

In just our second year, we became the first team with just one year under their belt to reach the conference playoffs. Yeah, the Jaguars also did it that year, but hey, they can get their own story.

And it doesn't matter that the Panthers went on a six year playoff drought. Why? Because I was there for my boys through the good and the bad.

I was quickly rewarded as they went from 1-15 to a Superbowl team in their return. It was the happiest year in my sports fan life.

We were up against America's (new) team, the New England Patriots, and we were letting them know they were in a fight. No, scratch that, we were beating them.

That is until John Kasey kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds with one minute and eight seconds to go. Who does that?

And in typical Patriot fashion, Brady drove his team down the field, and Vinatieri won the game as time expired. 

The Panthers lost on a field goal as I stood shocked infront of my screen. I slowly dropped to my knees with a blank stare on my face. Not again. Not again.

I cried out of disbelief as a kid when the Bills lost the forth one. I just didn't understand how that could possibly happen.

There were no tears left for the Panthers during Superbowl XXXVIII. I was proud despite the loss, days later of course.

My team had reached the Superbowl when just a year before they had lost 15 consecutive games. I soon felt accomplished and couldn't wait for the upcoming draft to see if John Fox could make our team even better.

Seven years later I am still waiting for our return to glory and a chance for redemption. And this year is no different. It starts with the draft and the feeling that this could be the year. And maybe it will be.

Either way, as cheesy as it is, I'm happy knowing there is a team I can call home—the Carolina Panthers.