The Carolina Panthers are finally getting one of their own enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
Late Panthers linebacker Sam Mills has been elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The announcement came Thursday evening during NFL Honors, the league’s award show. It was Mills’ third straight year as a finalist and final year of eligibility as a modern candidate.
Mills is part of an eight man class that will be inducted in August.
The legacy of Mills stretches far behind his play on the field in Carolina for three seasons. He coined the phrase “Keep Pounding” in 2003 after his cancer diagnosis, and became a fabric of life in the Carolina’s until his death in 2005.
Following retirement Mills was a coach on the Panthers staff for six seasons.
