Nineteen-ninety-six was a glorious season for the Carolina
Panthers. They went 12-4, won all their home games at Ericsson
Stadium, and in just the second season of their existence, beat the
San Francisco 49ers twice and knocked the defending Super Bowl
champion Dallas Cowboys out of the playoffs. The Panthers'
unprecedented playoff run was eventually derailed by the Green Bay
Packers in the NFC championship game, but not before Carolina had
already established themselves as part of the NFL's elite.
Nineteen-ninety-six was the year the Panthers made a name for
themselves nationwide. It was the year of the cat. When Panthers'
owner Jerry Richardson announced to the world in 1993 that Carolina
would win a Super Bowl within ten years of their first season, many
thought he was speaking out of turn. But after Carolina's stunning
second-season success, his prediction seems conservative. With
Richardson, general manager Bill Polian, and head coach Dom Capers,
the Panthers have franchise-builders who can keep the team atop the
NFC West for years to come. In Year of the Cat, award-winning
journalists Scott Fowler and Charles Chandler go behind the scenes
to explore Carolina's successful second season, and in doing so
paint a vivid portrait of the players, the coaches, and the
personalities that gave the team its identity and its first shot at
winning an NFC championship: franchise player Kerry Collins, the
Generation X, hard-throwing, hard-partying quarterback whose
off-the- field behavior sparked controversy at a team meeting that
turned the Panthers' season around; Kevin Greene and Lamar Lathon
-- "Salt & Pepper" -- two ornery All-Pro linebackers whose
distinct differences off the field translated into immediate
success on it; Bill Polian, the fiery GM whose hard-nosed
negotiations and astute football knowledge helped piece together a
winning combination in the Carolinas; Wesley Walls, the good ol'
southern boy from Pontotoc, Mississippi, whose lilting drawl and
exciting play gave Carolina fans something to root for; Eric Davis
and Sam Mills, the perceptive veterans and locker-room leaders
whose defensive performances sparked many to emulate their inspired
play; and Dom Capers, the meticulous, obsessive coach whose game
strategy and leadership brought the fledgling franchise to the
brink of the Super Bowl. Like any team and any franchise, the
Carolina Panthers had their ups and downs: from the Reverend Billy
Graham's inspiring dedication of Ericsson Stadium to the suspension
of center Curtis Whitley for a drug-abuse problem that was never
fully revealed until now, Fowler and Chandler chronicle the ins and
outs of the Panthers' second season. From the sweltering heat of
the Carolinas to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Year of the
Cat is the inside story of the meteoric rise of the NFL's most
beloved new franchise. Told with the wit, candor, and unflinching
charm that have captivated the readers of The Charlotte Observer
for two NFL seasons, Year of the Cat is a football fanOs dream and
a Carolina fanOs keepsake.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
