NFL Owner's words make believers out of Panthers

Jerry Richardson promised Carolina a Super Bowl title within 10 years of its start.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Caught up in the excitement of securing an NFL expansion team, Jerry Richardson uttered a promise that would haunt him for the next nine years.
The owner of the Carolina Panthers guaranteed his team would win a Super Bowl within its first decade.
What followed was a laundry list of off-field arrests, atrocious behavior and years of losing that made the Panthers and their owner look like fools.
Now, as they prepare for their first Super Bowl appearance, Richardson and the Panthers are in position to have the last laugh.
"He had a goal," defensive tackle Brentson Buckner said. "He had his vision. Ain't nothing wrong with making a statement as long as you know you're willing to do everything within your power to at least give your organization a chance to do it."
Inspired words
At a rally on Oct. 29, 1993, to celebrate his successful bid to bring an NFL team to the Carolinas, Richardson addressed a crowd of 50,000.
"You know we do what we say," he began. "This is my next pledge to you. Listen very carefully: We didn't get into this for funsies. Our goal is to put together an organization and a coaching staff so that one day we're going to be standing here in this same area celebrating our first Super Bowl."
The crowd erupted into cheers, and Richardson waited for silence.
"Wait a minute," he said. "You missed the best part. Our first Super Bowl victory -- within 10 years."
The Panthers came close in their second year of existence, stuffing their roster with experienced veterans who carried them to the NFC championship.
But Carolina lost to Green Bay to fall one game short of a trip to the Super Bowl.
The same veterans who helped build the team into contenders quickly turned into old men, and Carolina's talent level dropped off. Years of losing followed. Until this season, that 1996 campaign was the only winning season in franchise history.
Disappointments
Not long ago, the idea that the Panthers might be in position to make good on Richardson's boast seemed laughable.
Quarterback Kerry Collins, Carolina's first draft pick, quit the team in 1998 because his "heart was no longer into it."
It was later revealed that Collins had a drinking problem, and once recovered, he led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl.
The Collins fiasco punctuated a 4-12 season that led to the firing of coach Dom Capers.
He was replaced by George Seifert, who coached the San Francisco 49ers to two Super Bowl wins.
But things got worse in 1999, when wide receiver Rae Carruth, another first-round draft pick, was charged and later convicted of conspiring to kill his pregnant girlfriend.
The Panthers hit rock-bottom with a 1-15 season in 2001 that cost Seifert his job.
When Richardson brought in John Fox, character became a major issue in selecting players, and Richardson signed off on a long-term rebuilding effort.
That plan has come to fruition much sooner than anyone expected.
While some might view Richardson's long-ago promise as better forgotten, the Panthers say it motivates them to this day.
"I love it," safety Mike Minter said. "That's one of the reasons I'm here right now, for the simple fact he believes in what he says. He believes in what he wants to do. That goes a long ways."