1. Jerry Richardson founded the Carolina Panthers, and was its owner from its first season in 1995 until selling the franchise in 2018.
18 Facts About Jerry Richardson
1. 2.
Jerry Richardson went to Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
3.
Jerry Richardson was an Associated Press Little All-American selection in 1957 and 1958.
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Jerry Richardson still holds Wofford's single-game record with 241 receiving yards vs Newberry in 1956 and is the school's record holder for touchdown receptions in a season and in a career.
5.
Jerry Richardson called being elected team captain in 1958 the greatest honor he had received.
6.
Jerry Richardson was active in numerous groups on the Wofford campus; he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, and member of the SCA Cabinet.
7.
Jerry Richardson caught a touchdown pass in the 1959 NFL Championship Game from quarterback Johnny Unitas.
8.
Jerry Richardson was traded from the Colts to the New York Giants for John Guzik on August 3,1961.
9.
Jerry Richardson later was the CEO of Flagstar, which was the sixth largest food service company in the United States, controlling 2,500 restaurants and providing jobs for 100,000 employees.
10.
On October 26,1993, Jerry Richardson became the first former NFL player since George Halas to become an owner when the Carolina Panthers were unanimously awarded the NFL's 29th franchise.
11.
Jerry Richardson played a role in locking out the NFL players in 2011 and in negotiating a new players agreement.
12.
On January 16,2013, WBTV in Charlotte reported that Jerry Richardson wanted the team to be sold after he died, but presumably only to someone who would keep the team and jobs in Charlotte.
13.
On June 28,2018, Jerry Richardson was fined $2.75 million for the alleged workplace misconduct.
14.
Jerry Richardson was hospitalized in Charlotte at Carolinas Medical Center in early December 2008, one month after receiving a pacemaker.
15.
Jerry Richardson had a history of heart trouble and had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in 2002.
16.
Jerry Richardson received a new heart on February 1,2009, and fully recovered from the transplant operation.
17.
In 2000, Jerry Richardson was elected into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
18.
Jerry Richardson died at home in Charlotte on March 1,2023, at age 86.