CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No phrase offers more insight into Carolina Panthers nation than the motto first uttered over a decade ago: Keep Pounding.
Late Panthers player and coach Sam Mills urged players to keep fighting on Jan. 2, 2004, and for the first time, keep pounding.
[ WATCH: WSOC-TV to air 'Panthers Pride' primetime special Jan. 15 ]
The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker was diagnosed with cancer a year before and given only months to live but continued coaching in the midst of chemotherapy treatments.
After a two-year battle, Mills died at the age of 45.
"No matter what happens in life, bigger than football, you have to keep going," said his son, Sam Mills III, a Panthers defensive line coach.
Mills III said he explained the "Keep Pounding" motto to the team two years ago, with the blessing of Head Coach Ron Rivera, and said many of the players continue to pass it down on their own.
"I've passed it on through Thomas Davis and Charles Johnson and Thomas has passed it on to Luke (Kuechly)," Rivera said.
Mills III said he noticed an even bigger shift in popularity within the last couple years with the "Keep Pounding" motto now included on team uniforms, as well as fundraising efforts for the Levine Cancer Institute at Carolinas Medical Center.
“Knowing him, he was so modest, I'm pretty sure he never thought it would get to this,” Mills III said of his father.
“It's about never quitting,” added former Panthers receiver Muhsin Muhammad. “It's about resilience, endurance.”
“Keep Pounding” has been especially timely this season, Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly said.
The Panthers regular season meeting against the Seattle Seahawks is an example.
“It’s one of those situations where you’ve got to keep playing the game, no matter what’s going on,“ Kuechly said, with the team facing a fourth quarter deficit.
Channel 9 will broadcast live from Fanfest at the EpiCentre Friday night for a one-hour prime time “Panthers Pride" special at 8 p.m.
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