Carolina Panthers’ ‘Keep Pounding’ mantra celebrates Sam Mills’ legacy
The Carolina Panthers’ “Keep Pounding” mantra, inspired by Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Mills, embodies resilience and determination far beyond football
WILL BE THE NEW YORK GIANTS, THIS TIME THROUGH A TRADE. RIGHT NOW, THE CAROLINA PANTHERS WILL MAKE THEIR FIRST SELECTION IN ROUND ONE UNTIL PICK 19 AGAIN. THAT IS, IF THEY KEEP THAT PICK AND GENERAL MANAGER DAN MORGAN TOLD OUR SPORTS TEAM HE’S IN THE BEST PLAYER MINDSET WHEN IT COMES TO THIS YEAR’S DRAFT. BUT THAT’S NOT THE ONLY ONE GUIDING THE CAROLINA PANTHERS. WXII 12 SPORTS REPORTER CHANEL PORTER IS IN STUDIO TONIGHT TO EXPLAIN AND LOOK AHEAD. CHANEL IF YOU’RE A BIG FOOTBALL FAN, LIKE I KNOW EVERYBODY IN THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT IS. THIS IS REALLY WHEN THINGS START TO GET EXCITING FOR THE 2026 SEASON. I EVEN HAD PEOPLE BE LIKE, OH MY GOSH, IT’S ALREADY DRAFT SEASON. AND WITH THE NEW DRAFT CLASS COMING TO CHARLOTTE LATER THIS WEEK, THEY’LL QUICKLY LEARN ABOUT A MANTRA IN CAROLINA THAT CARRIES A LEGACY FAR BIGGER THAN FOOTBALL. FOR THE PANTHERS, KEEP POUNDING ISN’T JUST THE SAYING IT’S ABOUT ENDURING THE HEARTBEAT THAT IS SAM MILLS. TWO WORDS, ONE IDENTITY. IN CAROLINA KEEP POUNDING. IT’S MORE THAN A CHANT. IT’S A MINDSET, A STANDARD, AND A PROMISE. IT’S NOT SOMETHING THAT A GROUP OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS SAT IN A ROOM AND SAID, WE NEED TO COME UP WITH A MANTRA FOR THIS ORGANIZATION. IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ORGANICALLY, AND I THINK THAT GIVES IT EVEN MORE POWER. WHETHER IT’S POUNDING THE DRUM OR POUNDING ON THE FIELD, IT’S THE HEARTBEAT OF THE CAROLINA PANTHERS, AND IT ALL TRACES BACK TO ONE VOICE. LEGENDARY LINEBACKER SAM MILLS FROM A HALL OF FAME PLAYER TURNED COACH IN CHARLOTTE MILLS, GAVE A SPEECH TO HIS TEAM THAT AT THE TIME, THE GROUP HAD NO IDEA HOW LEGENDARY IT WOULD BECOME. IT WAS THE PLAYOFF GAME AND IT WAS LIKE THE GAME TOMORROW NIGHT. IT WON’T ALWAYS GO OUR WAY, BUT WE JUST GOT TO KEEP POUNDING. SOMETIMES IN LIFE YOU GET DEALT A HAND. HE GOES, I’VE BEEN DEALT A HAND, BUT I JUST KEEP POUNDING AND HE GOES OUT IN EVERY FACET OF MY LIFE. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST KIND OF IT WAS LIKE, MAN, WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO WIN. THAT SPEECH CAME WHILE MILLS WAS BATTLING TERMINAL CANCER. AND THROUGH EVERY SETBACK, EVERY CHALLENGE, HE KEPT POUNDING. A CONSTANT SOURCE OF ENERGY, A BELIEF AND A FIGHT COMES RIGHT BY ME AND KIND OF TAPS ME ON THE BEHIND AND. ALL RIGHT, JAKE, LET’S GO SEE IF WE CAN GET BETTER THIS WEEK. AND AT THAT MOMENT, I HAD A WAKE UP AND QUIT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF. IT’S MY FIRST YEAR STARTING. SOME OF MY BODY WAS. YOU KNOW, YOU’RE BATTLING AS YOU’RE GOING THROUGH THE SEASON. AND I REMEMBER SAYING TO MYSELF, HERE’S A GUY THAT’S DYING GOING THROUGH CHEMO AND RADIATION, AND HE’S GOING OUT TO THE PRACTICE FIELD AND HE’S ABOUT READY TO RUN SOME 100 SECONDS FOR PRACTICE. AND HERE I AM FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF BECAUSE I GOT HIT A FEW TIMES THE WEEK BEFORE, AND I’M PROCESSING A NEW GAME PLAN. AND THAT WAS KIND OF A A WATERSHED MOMENT FOR ME. IT’S JUST A DIFFERENT MINDSET THAT YOU HAD TO TAKE. MILLS PASSED AWAY IN 2005, BUT HIS WORDS, THEY NEVER LEFT. HIS LEGACY STILL ECHOES THROUGH BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM. EVERY SNAP, EVERY HIT, EVERY SUNDAY. SAM’S STORY JUST BECAME A RALLYING CRY. RALLYING CRY FOR THE ORGANIZATION. I THINK IT’S FANTASTIC THAT WE KEEP THAT MEMORY ALIVE AND SO MANY PLAYERS, THEY KNOW IT’S IT’S STITCHED ON THE INSIDE OF EVERY JERSEY. WE HAVE TO KEEP POUNDING, DRUM, THE STATE, THE STATUE OUTSIDE THE STADIUM. IT WAS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST THE FOOTBALL PLAYER. NOW, THE FIRST THING THAT THE PANTHERS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK DOES WHEN TOUCHING DOWN IN CHARLOTTE IS HIT. THE KEEP
Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter
Carolina Panthers’ ‘Keep Pounding’ mantra celebrates Sam Mills’ legacy
The Carolina Panthers’ “Keep Pounding” mantra, inspired by Hall of Fame linebacker Sam Mills, embodies resilience and determination far beyond football
Updated: 9:35 PM EDT Apr 21, 2026
Weekend Sports Anchor/Reporter
With a new draft class arriving in Charlotte later this week, they will quickly learn about a mantra in Carolina that carries a legacy far bigger than football. For the Panthers, “Keep Pounding” isn’t just a saying. It’s about enduring the heartbeat of Sam Mills. Whether it’s pounding the drum or pounding on the field, it’s the heartbeat of the Carolina Panthers — and it all traces back to one voice: legendary linebacker Sam Mills. A Hall of Fame player turned coach in Charlotte, Mills gave a speech to his team that, at the time, the group had no idea how legendary it would become. “It was the playoff game, and he was like the game tomorrow night won’t always go our way, but we just have to keep pounding,” said former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme. That speech came while Mills was battling terminal cancer. Mills passed away in 2005. But his words never left. His legacy still echoes through Bank of America Stadium — every snap, every hit, every Sunday. “Sam’s story became a rally cry for the organization,” said Panthers Historian David Monroe.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
With a new draft class arriving in Charlotte later this week, they will quickly learn about a mantra in Carolina that carries a legacy far bigger than football.
For the Panthers, “Keep Pounding” isn’t just a saying. It’s about enduring the heartbeat of Sam Mills.
Whether it’s pounding the drum or pounding on the field, it’s the heartbeat of the Carolina Panthers — and it all traces back to one voice: legendary linebacker Sam Mills.
A Hall of Fame player turned coach in Charlotte, Mills gave a speech to his team that, at the time, the group had no idea how legendary it would become.
“It was the playoff game, and he was like the game tomorrow night won’t always go our way, but we just have to keep pounding,” said former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme.
That speech came while Mills was battling terminal cancer.
Mills passed away in 2005. But his words never left. His legacy still echoes through Bank of America Stadium — every snap, every hit, every Sunday.
“Sam’s story became a rally cry for the organization,” said Panthers Historian David Monroe.