Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline [Hardcover]

Scott Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

The Carolina Panthers shocked the NFL in 2003. Only two seasons removed from a disastrous 1-15 season, they won three straight playoff games and roared all the way to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance before losing in the final seconds in one of the best Super Bowls ever played. Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline is the behind-the-scenes story not only of that extraordinary Panthers team, but also of the men who have shaped Carolina's past and will determine its future. Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Sam Mills, John Fox, Mike Rucker, Kevin Donnalley, Bill Rosinski, and many others sat down for exclusive interviews with author Scott Fowler, ensuring that there are many stories about the Panthers that readers have never heard before. From Delhomme's brief stint as a karaoke singer to the reason Steve Smith walks to every Panthers home game to the real story about Mills' courageous battle with cancer, Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline brings the Panthers' biggest stars into vivid focus. Says Tony Kornheiser, star of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption: "The Carolina Panthers captured our imagination like no other sports team in 2003. This team has an incredible story that must be told -- and nobody can tell it as well as Scott Fowler."
Not just a celebration of the Panthers' 2003 season, Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline also features anecdotes about the Panthers' early years. From the team's birth in 1995, a host of memorable characters has passed through the locker room. They include a future reality TV star, a head coach who kept his distance from everyone, and a player who loved to saunter in on Sundays wearing platform heels and a fur coat. Bulging with bite-sized anecdotes both funny and poignant, this book is a must-read for every Carolina Panthers fan. It is a fun-filled, unforgettable look at a team that rose to the top of the NFL in the 2003 season.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Panthers captured our imagination like no other sports team in 2003. This team has an incredible story that must be told -- and nobody can tell it as well as Scott Fowler." --Tony Kornheiser, star of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption"

"Will take Panther fans to places they have never been before but would love to go." --Chris Mortensen, ESPN

About the Author

Scott Fowler is an award-winning sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer, the largest newspaper in the Carolinas. He has written about the Carolina Panthers on a daily basis for the newspaper since the teamÂ’s birth in 1995. He has covered more than 100 Panthers games in person, including every game of CarolinaÂ’s remarkable run through the 2003 playoffs. FowlerÂ’s work on the Panthers has won more than a half-dozen national awards and has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers around the country. He has made several appearances on ESPNÂ’s Outside the Lines and serves as a frequent guest on ESPN sports radio. He lives with his wife and their three children in North Carolina. This is his second book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Sports Publishing LLC; Assumed First edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582618356
• ISBN-13: 978-1582618357
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,362,057 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scott Fowler is an author as well as a national award-winning sports columnist for The Charlotte Observer, the largest newspaper in the Carolinas. He has written for The Observer since 1994. You can also visit his personal website at www.ScottFowlerSports.com -- information about all six of his books can be found there -- or e-mail him at [e-mail].

Scott's newest book -- "Lost on the Road to Nowhere," published in 2012 -- is the fictional adventure of four children stranded in the North Carolina woods in the aftermath of a car wreck. It is family-friendly and recommended for ages 8 and up (adults seem to enjoy it too).

Scott's newest nonfiction book -- "What It Means to be a Tar Heel" -- is an affectionate oral history of UNC basketball, told through the eyes of 42 of the program's greatest players. It is available from Amazon.com and was named one of the "Top 20 New Sports Books" by bleacherreport.com.

A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina in 1987.

He worked for three years from 1987-90 covering the University of Kentucky sports teams - primarily UK basketball - for The Louisville Courier-Journal. He then took a job with The Miami Herald and covered the NFL's Miami Dolphins for most of three seasons, writing about teams led by head coach Don Shula and quarterback Dan Marino.

In 1994, Scott moved back closer to home to write for The Charlotte Observer's sports section. Scott and his colleague Charles Chandler combined to cover the Carolina Panthers on a day-to-day basis during their early seasons. They also co-wrote a regional bestseller called "Year of the Cat" (1997, Simon & Schuster).

He followed it with "Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline" (2004); "North Carolina Tar Heels: Where Have You Gone?" (2005); and "Jimmy Black's Tales from the Tar Heels" (2006), which was a story of the 1982 UNC title team that Scott wrote in collaboration with Black, the squad's senior point guard.

Scott has been a Charlotte Observer sports columnist since 1999. He writes mostly about the Carolina Panthers, college basketball, NASCAR and the Olympics. He has interviewed a number of sports celebrities (that picture with him in the orange shirt is a shot of Scott interviewing Michael Jordan).

Scott's newspaper work has won more than a half-dozen national awards and has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers around the country. He has made several appearances on ESPN and was on camera as part of HBO's 2009 "Tobacco Road" documentary on the UNC-Duke basketball rivalry.

Scott and his wife Elise live with their four rambunctious children in North Carolina. He welcomes your e-mails at [e-mail] or your visit to his personal website at www.ScottFowlerSports.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't have to like football...., October 15, 2004

By 

Nancy T. Luckey (Denver) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline (Hardcover)

If I enjoyed this book, you Carolina Panther fans are going to love it. It's not just about the team. There are stories about the individual players - really sweet, poignant stories. And it's a book that you can put down (if you have to) because it's written in relatively unconnected chapters. As Scott puts in his introduction, "Whether you like to read in small sips or big gulps, you should be set."
To those who appreciate malaprops - there's a chapter on one of the Panthers who's as quotable as Yogi Berra. And remember the famous picture of Muhsin Muhammad's shushing the crowd? That story (as well as the picture) is in here.
Scott Fowler makes the players human. After reading this book, when you see one being interviewed you'll think, "Oh yeah. That's the one Scott said...."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HAH! And you thought you knew everything about the panthers, August 27, 2004

By 

Ghetto Yetti - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline (Hardcover)

Well, think again. This book provides readers with an amazing insight on the most memorable football season for carolinians since... ever. Scott Fowler somehow manages to create the perfect way to combine everything you didn't know about the panthers into this book. Each chapter contains seperated ministories by headlines. each one is exciting, and filled with memorable moments, things you don't remember but do after reading about them, and things you never even heard about. it starts off the first 3/4 of the book talking about the cardiac cat season. it then has chapters on sam mills, the 1996 season and "weird stuff". the carolina panthers did something special in 2003. NEVER LOSE THE FEELING.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed in the off-season!, May 11, 2007

By 

R. Zigler "Cat Fan in Concord" (Concord NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales from the Carolina Panthers Sideline (Hardcover)

Tales from the Panthers Sideline is a must-read for Panthers fans! This book is filled with funny and fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, and includes recaps of electrifying Panther moments on the field. I laughed out loud often while reading; and nodded my head and said, "cool", many times... If you have a short attention span, as I do, you'll appreciate that the book is broken up into short stories, so you can skip around without losing continuity.