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50 free Carolina Panthers trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Carolina Panthers trivia quiz starts with a Hardee's franchisee and former Colt named Jerry Richardson, a first season played at Clemson, and an NFC Championship Game in year two, then runs through the 1–15 season, John Fox and Jake Delhomme's run to Super Bowl XXXVIII, Sam Mills and 'Keep Pounding', and the Cam Newton–Luke Kuechly era that produced a 15–1 season and Super Bowl 50. It also covers Steve Smith's blue socks, Julius Peppers' Hall of Fame call, Christian McCaffrey's 1,000/1,000 season, David Tepper's record purchase, Matt Rhule and Frank Reich, the trade up for Bryce Young, Sir Purr and the Keep Pounding drum, the logo shaped like the Carolinas, and the surprise 2025 division title. Questions run from easy to hard with the difficulty shown on each one. Every answer has been checked against a primary reference and each question carries its citation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Where did the Panthers play home games in 1995 while their Charlotte stadium was built?
Clemson, South Carolina
They practised at Winthrop University in Rock Hill that year; the Charlotte stadium opened in 1996.
Q 02With which team did Jerry Richardson earn the 1959 NFL title bonus he used to open the first Hardee's?
Baltimore Colts
The Spartanburg franchise grew into a fast-food empire; his NFL bid was inspired by George Shinn landing the NBA's Hornets for Charlotte.
Q 03On October 26, 1993, NFL owners voted to make Carolina the league's what?
29th franchise
The vote was unanimous; Jacksonville got the 30th team a month later and both began play in 1995.
Q 04Which Penn State quarterback was the Panthers' first-ever draft pick in 1995?
Kerry Collins
A veteran later hired as head coach for one season was actually the first starting quarterback in 1995.
Q 05Who was the Panthers' first head coach?
Dom Capers
The former Steelers defensive coordinator went 7–9 in year one, the best-ever record by a first-year expansion team, and 12–4 in year two.
Q 06In only their second season, 1996, the Panthers reached the NFC Championship Game. Who beat them 30–13?
Green Bay Packers
They had knocked out the defending champion Cowboys 26–17 the week before; the Packers went on to win the Super Bowl.
Q 07The Panthers' 1–15 record in 2001 set what mark, since broken by the 2008 Lions?
Most consecutive losses in one season
They won the opener and lost the last 15; the bright spot was drafting a future franchise receiver in the third round.
Q 08Which future Hall of Famer did Carolina draft second overall in 2002 out of North Carolina?
Julius Peppers
He also lettered in basketball for the Tar Heels; in 2024 he became the first player drafted by the Panthers to enter Canton.
Q 09Which head coach took the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII in his second season, 2003?
John Fox
The former Giants defensive coordinator lasted nine seasons and left after a 2–14 year in 2010.
Q 10Which quarterback, an undrafted NFL Europe veteran, led the 2003 Panthers to the Super Bowl?
Jake Delhomme
The Louisiana-Lafayette product had spent years as a Saints backup; his six turnovers in a 2008 playoff loss to Arizona effectively ended his Carolina career.
Q 11The Panthers lost Super Bowl XXXVIII 32–29 on a last-second field goal by which kicker?
Adam Vinatieri
Peter King called it the greatest Super Bowl ever; it is also remembered for the Janet Jackson halftime show.
Q 12Which Panthers receiver caught an 85-yard touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII?
Muhsin Muhammad
He finished the game with 140 yards, but New England kicked the winner with four seconds left.
Q 13Sam Mills's 'Keep Pounding' speech before a 2004 playoff win over Dallas came while he was fighting what?
Intestinal cancer
The linebacker-turned-coach died in April 2005; the phrase is now stitched into the collar of the jersey and the name of a cancer fund.
Q 21Who beat the Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50?
Denver Broncos
Von Miller's strip-sacks of the Carolina quarterback decided a defensive slog in Peyton Manning's final game.
Q 22Which Boston College linebacker became the youngest ever AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2013?
Luke Kuechly
He retired in January 2020 aged just 28 because of repeated concussions.
Q 23The Panthers' great third-round receiver from the 2001 draft went to college where?
Utah
He got there via Santa Monica College; as team captain he chose the blue socks that set the Panthers' all-black look apart.
Q 14Which number is the only one the Panthers have retired?
51
It belonged to Sam Mills, whose statue stands outside the stadium alongside that of the club's first president.
Q 15Before every home game an honorary drummer strikes the six-foot Keep Pounding Drum how many times?
Four
Once for each quarter; the drummers are people who have overcome serious adversity, and the tradition began in 2012.
Q 16The Panthers' 23–0 win at the Giants in 2005 was the first road playoff shutout since when?
1980
They also won at Chicago the next week before losing 34–14 in Seattle in the NFC Championship Game.
Q 17Which Heisman-winning Auburn quarterback did the Panthers take first overall in 2011?
Cam Newton
As a rookie he set the record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (14) and became the first rookie to pass for 4,000 yards.
Q 18The Panthers' 2011 first overall pick set a rookie record with how many rushing touchdowns by a QB?
14
He was also the first rookie quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 500 in the same season, and won Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Q 19The 2015 Panthers finished the regular season with what record, tying the best in NFC history?
15–1
They started 14–0, had the league's top-scoring offence and thumped Arizona 49–15 in the NFC Championship Game.
Q 20The Panthers led Seattle by what half-time score in the 2015 divisional playoff they won 31-24?
31–0
The Seahawks stormed back in the second half; two weeks later Carolina lost Super Bowl 50 to Denver 24–10.
Q 24Which Panthers running back had 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, joining Craig and Faulk?
Christian McCaffrey
The Stanford product was traded to San Francisco in the 2022 rebuild after the head coach was fired.
Q 25Which Panthers linebacker won the 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year after three torn ACLs?
Thomas Davis
He tore the same knee three times in three years and played 14 seasons in Charlotte.
Q 26Which former Panthers receiver was convicted in 2001 of conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend?
Rae Carruth
Cherica Adams died a month after the 1999 shooting; the child survived, and Carruth served 18 years.
Q 27For roughly how much did David Tepper buy the Panthers in 2018, then a record?
$2.3 billion
The hedge-fund billionaire had been a minority owner of the Steelers; he also founded Charlotte FC in MLS.
Q 28Why did Jerry Richardson announce in December 2017 that he was selling the team?
Allegations of workplace misconduct
An independent investigation substantiated the claims and the NFL fined him $2.75 million.
Q 29Which head coach was hired from Baylor in 2020 and fired in October 2022 with an 11–27 record?
Matt Rhule
He released the 2015 MVP, signed Teddy Bridgewater, traded for Sam Darnold and then brought the MVP back in 2021.
Q 30Which Heisman winner did the Panthers draft first overall in 2023 after trading up with Chicago?
Bryce Young
The price included two first-round picks and receiver D. J. Moore; the Alabama quarterback lost his debut 47–10 to New Orleans.