We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
There are 69 days until the first game of the season for the Carolina Panthers. Today’s piece looks at the history of the number 69 jersey, which no player is currently wearing per Panthers.com.
Only three players have worn the number 69 jersey for more than a season. Those players are defensive end Les Miller, left tackle and team legend Jordan Gross, and center Tyler Larsen. They, and a few other one year players like defensive end Jared Allen, wore this jersey for 22 out of the Panthers 30 years.
- Miller was an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State and Fort Hays State Universities in 1987. He had multiple stints with the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers until being out of football in 1995. He joined the ’96 Panthers and stuck around as a rotational player and occasional starter through the 1998 season. He played in 45 games and started 19 for the young Panthers.
- Gross is the standard that all Panthers left tackles are held to. He provided and incredibly stable presence on and off the field. He started all 167 games that he was healthy for in his 11 year career, from the time the Panthers made him the eighth overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft to the day he retired after the 2013 season.
In many ways, the Panthers have been trying to replace Gross since his retirement. The team has had leaders and it even now has a multi-year starter at left tackle in Ikem Ekwonu, but it has never replaced Gross’ combination of character, leadership, and competence in one player.
- Larsen joined the Panthers at the start of their current decline. The 2016 Panthers had hope and even a false start playoff appearance in 2017, but slid downhill through the remainder of Larsen’s years (2016-2020) in Charlotte and beyond.
As a player, he was a reasonably reliable back up center who helped the team transition on from the stalwart tenure of Ryan Kalil. He was also a Ron Rivera guy who followed the former Panthers head coach to Washington with a bunch of other former Panthers. Larsen lasted another three seasons with the Commanders before retiring from the NFL.