Jerry Richardson, the creator of the Carolina Panthers American football team, passed away at age 86. After Carolina received an NFL team from the League in 1993, Richardson became the second former NFL player to hold the owner position.
The Panthers expressed their condolences via Twitter, saying they were saddened to hear about his passing. Richardson left behind his spouse, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson, and his three children: Ashley, Jon, and Mark in this word.
Jerry Richardson’s Family
After graduating from high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Jerry Richardson attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His wife, Rosalind Sallenger, also studied at Winthrop University in the late 1950s.
The couple spent their entire lives in North Carolina and had three children, including a daughter named Ashley and a son named Mark.
Sadly, his son Jon, the former president of the Panthers stadium, passed away in 2013 at 53 after a long battle with cancer. The family includes nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Unfortunately, not much information is known about Jerry Richardson’s children.
Jerry Richardson honored his wife of over 60 years by donating in 2016 to show the Rosalind Sallenger Center for the Arts at the Wofford College center.
In 2021, he made the largest gift in the history of Wofford College, totaling $150 million, focusing on need-based scholarships and student opportunities.
Including capital upgrades, his contributions to the college exceed $260 million. Mr. Richardson credited Wofford College as the biggest influence on his success in life.
Personal life
Jerry Richardson, the founder of the Carolina Panthers football team, had a history of heart trouble and underwent quadruple bypass surgery in 2002.
In 2008, he was hospitalized at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte one month after receiving a pacemaker. He was put on a patron waiting list for a new heart and received a transplant on Feb 1, 2009. He fully recovered from the operation.
Richardson was a great donor to various charitable causes in the Carolinas. He and businessman Hugh McColl bought the naming rights to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s football field in 2011, and it was renamed Jerry Richardson Stadium in 2013 after an additional $10 million donation.
Richardson was inducted into the South Carolina Business and Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and 2015 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
In memory of his 60-year-old wife, he founded the Richardson Center for the Arts on the Wofford College campus in 2016. In 2017, he established the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium at Wofford College.
In 2021, Richardson made the largest gift in Wofford College’s history by donating $150 million. The donation is designated for the college’s endowment, focusing on providing need-based financial scholarships and experiences for Wofford students.
Richardson’s gifts to Wofford, including capital improvements, exceed $260 million. He credited the college with being the greatest influence on his success in life, with no other influence coming close.
Unfortunately, Jerry Richardson passed away at his Charlotte home on Mar 1, 2023, at 86.
