Mills Again a Semifinalist for Pro Football HOF

The inspiration for the Carolina Panthers’ “Keep Pounding” mantra — and the only player to have his number retired by the franchise — is again a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Former linebacker Sam Mills is among 25 semifinalists for the class of 2020. He was also a semifinalist for the classes of 2016 and 2019.

Mills was on the first Panthers roster in 1995, joining the expansion team after spending his first nine NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He made 331 tackles, recorded 10 sacks and intercepted seven passes during his three-year career with Carolina.

Later a coach for the Panthers, Mills dies of intestinal cancer in 2005. His son, Sam Mills III, has been on Carolina’s coaching staff for nine years.