Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? When he owned the team, Richardson would often refer back to the lessons learned selling hamburgers. Jerry Richardson - Wikipedia The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Richardson wanted $10,000 for the 61 season; the Colts offered $9,750. ", "I will always be thankful to Mr. Richardson for providing me with the opportunity to play for the Panthers. Jerry Richardson dies at 86; former NFL player was first owner of The Ohio State product feels good about his ability as a passer and extending plays with his legs, but he's just as willing to put in the work to grow at the next level. CHARLOTTE, N.C Jerry Richardson, the Carolina Panthers founder and for years one of the NFL's most influential owners until a scandal forced him to sell the team . $2 Billion. Charlotte had already become a professional sports town with the arrival of the NBA's Hornets in 1988, but those were the days when the city struggled to build an identity as anything other than a regional outpost, still confused with Charleston, S.C. or Charlottesville, Va., and years from becoming a national banking center. They have a daughter named Ashley and a son named Mark in addition to their son Jon, who passed away in 2013. . Because of his imposing build and status as a former NFL player, Richardson engendered a level of respect not often accorded to NFL owners. Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is a former NFL player who turned a $4744 championship bonus into a billion dollar fast food fortune. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL, 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Richardson died peacefully Wednesday night at his Charlotte home, the team said in a statement. Scott Fowler is a national award-winning sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer. People had said it was 150-to-1, 200-to-1. When linebacker Thomas Davis retired in 2021, he thanked Richardson for believing in him and keeping him on the roster despite having suffered three torn ACLs in the same knee. He was a loyal member of the league, and painted "The Shield" logo at the 50-yard-line of his home field throughout his tenure as owner. He was 86. Carolina began play in 1995 and Richardson quickly built the Panthers into one of the league's model franchises, while becoming a powerful figure in the NFL. CHARLOTTE Jerry Richardson, the founder of the Carolina Panthers, passed away Wednesday night at age 86. "The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community. . I have the ultimate American dream, it couldnt be better for me. Please check your email for a confirmation. Jerry Richardson family: Who are wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and The NFL fined Richardson a league-record $2.75 million after its probe concluded, nearly tripling the amount of its previous record fine of $1 million. He has given considerable gifts to . The lack of consistency irritated Richardson, as Carolina failed to put together back-to-back winning seasons during his 23 seasons as owner despite hiring four coaches: Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox and Ron Rivera. Richardson remained confident throughout the process, getting a license plate that read PNTHERS in 1989 four years before his ownership group would actually be awarded a team. With the arrival of the Panthers in 1995, he changed the landscape of sports in the region and gave the NFL fans here a team to call their own. Richardson packed up, left the Colts training camp and pointed his Oldsmobile station wagon toward the Carolinas. Richardson was well liked by his players. Richardson, a North. "Jerry Richardson's contributions to professional football in the Carolinas are historic," current Panthers owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole said in a statement. That never deterred me. While hitchhiking with some Wofford friends at Pawleys Island, S.C., during the summer of 1957, he met a Winthrop student and former Florence High cheerleader named Rosalind Sallenger. He sold the team to Tepper, a hedge fund owner, in May 2018 for a then-NFL record $2.27 billion. He was 86. Also Read: What is enlarged heart? An only child, Richardson had a modest upbringing. "I didn't pay any attention to it. He fired a number of Richardson-era employees after his purchase and also quickly changed the 50-yard line symbol to the Panthers logo. He calls and says, Jake, the sun came out today at my house, did it come out at yours?, Delhomme told The Associated Press on Thursday. He began to slow down as he entered his mid-60s, battling heart issues. Jerry Richardson, Panthers founder and former owner, dies at 86, Jaxon Smith-Njigba wants to re-create connection with Bears QB Justin Fields, NFL Scouting Combine shifts mock draft, but Bears needs unchanged, QBs in NFL Draft in haze as Bears play poker with No. Jerry Richardson Net Worth. He is survived by his wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and three children Ashley, Jon, and Mark. His other. Rosalind Sallenger Richardson; the wife of former player and current team owner, Jerome Johnson Richardson, simply known as Jerry Richardson; he is the owner of the Carolina Panthers. On game days, he'd ride around Bank of America Stadium in his golf cart, greeting fans and taking pictures, relishing the moments. The braver players like linebacker Kevin Greene and Delhomme would call him Big Cat. He was Mister Richardson to nearly everyone else in the building at Bank of America Stadium, with many shortening that name to simply Mister when referring to the team owner. Photos of Jerry Richardson throughout his time with the Panthers. One of our dear friends said, God does not give out hearts lightly, Rosalind Richardson told The Observer two weeks after the surgery. In 1987, Richardson heard on the radio that businessman George Shinn had won his bid to bring an NBA franchise to Charlotte. Heather ODonnell of the Chicago social services agency Thresholds says the money is an opportunity to really build up substance use care.. The Richardsons are both lifelong residents of North Carolina. The magazines investigation portrayed Richardson as an owner who acted inappropriately with a number of his female employees and also directed a racial slur at an African-American scout employed by the Panthers. That got Richardson seriously thinking about trying to bring an NFL team to Charlotte. The Panthers began play in 1995 and Richardson quickly built Carolina into one of the leagues model franchises, while becoming a powerful figure in the NFL. The David and Nicole Tepper Foundation supported the first-of-its-kind in Mecklenburg County project, which offers urgent care for behavioral health needs. Richardsons catch came in the horseshoe end of Memorial Stadium, where the rowdier Colts fans congregated. The team said that moving the statue is in the interest of public safety. It has never returned. In 2000, wide receiver Rae Carruth, the teams first-round draft pick in 1997, was convicted on a murder conspiracy charge in connection with the drive-by shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend. Richardson would set several Wofford receiving records on his way to a career that led the school to retire his football number. His survivors include his wife Rosalind and two of their three children Mark and Ashley. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was dedicated to making the Panthers the team of the Carolinas, building Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and making Wofford College the long-time home of the team's training camp. That team went 15-1 in the regular season but would eventually lose to Denver in the Super Bowl, 24-10, as the championship Richardson wanted the most barely eluded him again. Richardson was . He calls and says, Jake, the sun came out today at my house, did it come out at yours?, Delhomme said Thursday. A former teammate of Johnny Unitas who caught a touchdown pass in the Baltimore Colts victory over the New York Giants in the 1959 NFL championship game, Richardson only spent two years in the NFL before venturing into the restaurant business. He never publicly explained the rift with his sons. Richardson delivered an impassioned speech at the 2010 annual meetings, imploring owners to take back our league. But his hard-line tactics didnt sit well with all players, particularly after he was said to have spoken condescendingly toward Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees during a negotiating session. It was widely assumed Richardson would hold onto the team until his death. Quarterback Jake Delhomme, who led the Panthers to their first Super Bowl in the 2003 season, recalls getting a phone call from Richardson a couple of days after enduring he endured a disastrous four-turnover performance in a 33-13 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2008 playoffs. The resignations were a shocking development that left Richardson as the only family member involved in the teams day-to-day operations. The sale of the Panthers for a reported $2.275 billion followed the scandal that was uncovered by Sports Illustrated magazine in December 2017. 1 overall in 2011 for fear it would impact his image. We wish them much peace and comfort.". We wouldnt go into this if I didnt think we could do it, Richardson said at a Charlotte news conference on Dec. 15, 1987, when he officially announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise. Too brutal.. Jerry Richardson Wiki, Age, Bio, Height, Wife, Career, Net Worth For better or worse. Richardson kept a game ball from the championship game and a pair of Unitas cleats in the basement of his Charlotte home. The team said that "moving the statue is in the interest of public safety." The plan to finance the stadium largely with his own money was the part that carried the biggest risk, but Richardson told The Observer in 1987 that would be part of the fun. That concept contributed more than $100 million to the stadiums eventual cost of around $187 million. Who helped themselves and who took a misstep on the second day of workouts at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine? The family did not own a car until Jerry Richardson was 16. Former Carolina Panthers owner, Wofford grad Jerry Richardson dies He was incredibly gracious to me when I purchased the team, and for that I am thankful.. The statue now resides in an undisclosed storage facility. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton), NFL comissioner Roger Goodell, left, and Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson walk together during a break at an NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015. But underlying differences in how the team should be run made the owner ask his sons to resign in late August of 2009, about six months after Jerry Richardsons heart transplant. Richardson served on several high-level owners committees, playing a key role in labor negotiations with the players union. Also Read: Who was Jerry Richardson? He went on to make his fortune in the restaurant business, becoming chief executive officer of Flagstar, the sixth-largest food service company in the country at the time. It revealed that Richardsons assistant would escort female employees to Richardsons office and then leave. In the late 1950s, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson studied at Winthrop University. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date. The team reached the Super Bowl in the 2003 and 2015 seasons, but lost both times. Carolina Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson died Richardsons legacy also includes the birth of the Panthers and the development of a restaurant empire that made him a rich enough man to join one of Americas most exclusive clubs the leagues 32 NFL owners. Carolina Panthers founder Jerry Richardson died Wednesday night at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are saddened to hear about the passing of former owner Jerry Richardson. "No one has done more for Wofford students. "Jerry Richardson's contributions to professional football in the Carolina's are historic,'' current owners David and Nicole Tepper said in a statement. He was 86. Panthers founder, former owner Jerry Richardson dies at 86 Jerry Richardson family: Who are wife Rosalind Sallenger Richardson and children Ashley, Jon and Mark? Olsen and his wife Kara later named the child Trent Jerry Olsen after Richardson. I've been told a lot of things.". "The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community.But his league-first attitude as seen through his leadership of numerous NFL committees, including the Stadium Committee and Management Council Executive Committee, helped pave the way for a series of public-private stadium partnerships throughout the country, and collective bargaining agreements that continue to support the growth of the game. Richardson pulled down an 8-yard pass from Unitas for his first NFL touchdown in a 38-31 loss to Cleveland on Nov. 1, 1959. And he went above and beyond to bring love and comfort to a family at its toughest time.". Ralph Waclawicz/Call (212) 686-8900 or e-mail info@wireimage.com to license WireImage images. He was incredibly gracious to me when I purchased the team, and for that I am thankful. After purchasing the Panthers, Tepper said he was "contractually obligated" to keep the statue of Richardson, flanked by two panthers, outside of the downtown Charlotte stadium that Richardson built. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? The NFL would independently investigate and substantiate many of the allegations raised by the magazine article while also uncovering similar matters that have not been the subject of public discussion, according to a 2018 NFL press release. Personal Life: Dating, Girlfriends, Wife, Kids. But until Oct. 26, 1993 the day Richardson was awarded the NFL's 29th franchise it was all still a dream, to everyone but Richardson. Mar 02, 2023 at 01:47 PM. Because so many events in his life seemed to be marked by football time, the procedure began on Super Bowl Sunday, as the Steelers of his close friends the Rooney family were in the process of beating the Cardinals. The Carolina Panthers are a testament to his extraordinary and tireless dedication to the community.But his league-first attitude as seen through his leadership of numerous NFL committees, including the Stadium Committee and Management Council Executive Committee, helped pave the way for a series of public-private stadium partnerships throughout the country, and collective bargaining agreements that continue to support the growth of the game.As a former player himself, Jerry cared deeply about the welfare of players and the labor agreements he helped negotiate have led to improved pay and benefits for generations of players.From a personal perspective, he was a wise and caring advisor to me, his fellow owners, and many Panthers players and coaches over the years. He began the Carolina Panthers franchise, which he owned from 1995 to 2018. Richardson served on several high-level owners committees, playing a key role in labor negotiations with the players union. By then, Richardson had become a generally popular owner with his players and was doing the Panthers job full-time, having left the day-to-day restaurant business in 1995. The team reached the Super Bowl in the 2003 and 2015 seasons, but lost both times.