The 1996 Carolina Panthers were wild. Despite coming into the NFL the previous season, this team took the league by storm, winning the NFC West, advancing to the conference championship and brushing aside several Hall of Famers.
It was remarkable considering where the franchise was 12 months earlier. They were a rag-tag roster playing in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. Now, the franchise was better in that inaugural season than most people remember. Carolina finished 7-9 which was an impressive feat for a newbie. The Jacksonville Jaguars, their expansion brethren, could only cobble together four wins.
There are probably a few things you do remember about the 1996 Carolina Panthers. It is hard to forget that incredible linebacking core of Sam Mills, Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon. But there is also a lot of stuff you probably forgot about.
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Things you may not remember about the 1996 Carolina Panthers
A 1,000-yard season out of nowhere
Carolina drafted Tim Biakabutuka with the eighth pick in the 1996 NFL Draft thinking he would be their starting running back. That didn’t happen. He got hurt in the team’s fourth game and was replaced by 29-year-old Anthony Johnson. The journeyman had spent six years in the league having never rushed for more than 600 yards in a season.
In the Panthers’ first four games, he posted 75 rushing yards in total. But the injury forced Johnson into more action and he would finish the year with 1,120 yards, a mark no one saw coming. Even more astonishing is the fact he scored six touchdowns in 1996 and only had three scores in his other 10 seasons.
Dethroning the 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers had won the NFC West like a gazillion times between 1981 and 1994. Okay, so the actual total is 12 out of 15 seasons which is an amazing run. What’s more, none of the other three division champions managed to sweep the legendary franchise until the Panthers.
This really is hard to explain if you weren’t there, but it was a huge deal. For Carolina to not only win the NFC West but to sweep a San Francisco team that was brimming with hall of fame talent was unprecedented for an expansion team.
Ending the Cowboys
No one really gave Carolina a chance against the Dallas Cowboys despite being at home and coming off a bye. America’s Team won the Super Bowl the previous year and had Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. That wouldn’t be enough.
Irvin got crushed by Lamar Lathon on the Cowboys’ second offensive play and Aikman would only manage to complete 17 more passes in a game the Panthers cruised to victory. As for Dallas, this was the first of five consecutive postseason losses, a streak that wouldn’t end until 2009.
Wesley Walls steals the show
Panthers’ fans know what Wesley Walls was all about, but a lot of football followers may not be aware of his greatness. The tight end was Rob Gronkowski before Gronk was even a thing. Now, Walls would go on to have a better statistical season in 1999, but he was the third option on that side.
In 1996, Walls was the man, leading the team in targets, receptions and touchdowns while finishing a close second in receiving yards. He also dominated the aforementioned 49ers in those matchups, scoring twice each time. And the fact he did this while wearing comically oversized shoulder pads makes it truly special.
The mascot sees game action
The Panthers’ last game of the 1996 regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers was extremely important for both teams. Carolina was in a dogfight to win the NFC West and clinch a first round bye. Bill Cowher and company needed a victory to secure a home playoff game. This wasn’t a case of two sides playing out the string.
Which makes what happens towards the end of the second quarter even more unbelievable. A Josh Miller punt bounces harmlessly in the end zone where it is downed by Panther’s mascot, Sir Purr. That’s right, the dude dressed up in a cat costume touched a live football.
The entire episode is great. The ref has a seemingly polite word with Sir Purr who is incredibly contrite after realizing what he had done. Cowher laughs at the whole thing. Oh, and the moment is mostly forgotten because Kordell Stewart ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the next play.
