Only longterm fans know: The Panthers’ forgotten first home

Before the roar of the crowd at Bank of America Stadium, there was another field where Carolina Panthers history was born. True longtime fans remember that the Panthers’ inaugural 1995 season wasn’t played in Charlotte at all. While their permanent home was still under construction, the expansion Panthers called Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium their temporary nest. For one season, NFL Sundays belonged to Death Valley, as the Panthers played their home games 130 miles away from Charlotte in the heart of Clemson, South Carolina. It was there, on a college campus, where franchise legends like Kerry Collins, Sam Mills, and Kevin Greene first donned the black and blue. The Panthers went 7-9 that inaugural season, with some of those wins coming in the unlikely setting of a college stadium that had never hosted professional football. By 1996, the Panthers finally moved into their purpose-built home in Charlotte—originally called Ericsson Stadium before becoming Bank of America Stadium. But for those who were there from day one, they’ll never forget that the Panthers’ first chapter was written in Clemson, making them one of the few NFL teams to debut away from their intended home city. #NFL #Panthers