Carolina Panthers Trivia: The Most Important Facts About Charlotte’s NFL Team

As one of two expansion teams in 1995, the Carolina Panthers are still a relatively young franchise, but there has still been enough time to build some noteworthy facts.

In this article, we’ll challenge fans to see who are die-hards vs. the box score checkers, as we have questions ranging from easy to obscure.

Carolina Panthers Trivia

We’ve broken down our questions into several categories: Panthers players, notable statistics, team accomplishments, and miscellaneous.

Panthers Players

• Who was the Panthers’ first pick in the 1995 NFL Expansion Draft?
  • Rod Smith of the New England Patriots
• One of the best wide receivers in Panther history, Muhsin Muhammad, played his college football for which school?
  • Michigan State
• Who was the first player to be cut by the Carolina Panthers?
  • Bill Goldberg, who went on to become one of the most famous professional wrestlers of his era.
• Who was the first NFL Draft pick by the Carolina Panthers?
  • Kerry Collins was drafted fifth overall by the Panthers in the 1995 NFL draft.
• What round was Panthers star receiver Steve Smith drafted in?
  • Third round, 74th overall: Great value for a player who leads the Panthers all-time in receptions, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards.
• Which Panther led the NFL in tackles as a rookie?
  • Luke Kuechly led the league in tackles during his rookie year with 164.

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Statistics

• Who held the single-season rushing record for the Panthers first?
  • Derrick Moore, who rushed for 740 yards in the Panther’s 1995 inaugural season.
• How many players have rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season multiple times as a Carolina Panther?
  • Two: Christian McCaffrey and DeAngelo Williams each have two 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a Panther.
• How many players have rushed for more than 10 touchdowns in a season multiple times as a Carolina Panther?
  • Two: Cam Newton and Jonathan Stewart have both had two seasons with double-digit rushing touchdowns. Interestingly one of the two times Stewart did it, DeAngelo Williams, had 18 touchdowns himself in that 2008 season.
• Who has the single-season record for passing yards as a Carolina Panther?
  • Steve Beuerlein threw for 4,436 yards and led the league in passing in 1999.
• Who was the Panther that threw for 400 yards in his debut?
  • Cam Newton destroyed the NFL rookie debut record for passing yards.
• Who was the first Panther to ever have 1,000 receiving yards?
  • Mark Carrier had 1,002 yards in the Panthers’ 1995 season.
• What player other than a kicker leads the Panthers in career points?
  • Steve Smith has 454 points and is third all-time in points scored as a Panther. Kickers John Kasay and Graham Gano are first and second all-time with 1,482 and 742, respectively.
• Who leads the Panthers in return yardage (punts & kicks) all time?
  • Michael Bates leads the Panthers with a combined 6,016 return yards all time. Bates rarely returned punts, though, with only eight career returns as a Panther. His combined return yardage included 5,987 yards on kick returns. 

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Team Accomplishments

• How many years did it take before Carolina had a winning season after their 1995 expansion into the NFL?
  • Two years, or in their second season. The Panthers were incredible, going 12-4.
• The Panthers own the best season as an expansion team. What was their record in their inaugural season?
  • 7-9
• Who was the first NFL team the Panthers beat in a regular season game?
  • The New York Jets. After starting their first season 0-4, the Panthers beat the Jets and started a five-game winning streak.

Miscellaneous

• Where did the Panthers play their first season in the NFL?
  • The Panthers played at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium while their stadium was being built.
• What is the Panther’s mascot name?
  • Sir Purr

AP Photo/Brian Westerholt