Jerry Richardson, the former owner of the Carolina Panthers, passed away on Thursday, and longtime Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paid tribute to him with his statement.
Jerry Jones on the passing of former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. pic.twitter.com/5mYQnXmkGk
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 2, 2023
In the early and mid-1990s, the NFL looked to expand in the South, and it awarded the Panthers franchise to Richardson.
He was a star wide receiver for Wofford College in the 1950s, and he played two seasons in the pros for the Baltimore Colts in 1959 and 1960.
When Richardson was a rookie, the Colts won their second straight NFL championship over the New York Giants.
He then started a Hardee’s franchise in Spartanburg, S.C., which is where Wofford College is located, and he went on to have a successful business career in the field of food services.
As the owner of the Panthers, Richardson wielded a lot of power, and he helped establish a progressive culture, as he refused to re-sign defensive end Greg Hardy after he faced domestic violence charges in 2014.
In 2015, he saw his team reach Super Bowl 50 with Cam Newton becoming one of the first black quarterbacks to play in the big game, as well as the first such QB to be the sole winner of the regular season MVP.
David Tepper bought the Panthers from Richardson in 2018, and the team hasn’t made the playoffs since.
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