Roaring Riot brings spirit to Carolina Panthers games

Since 2008, the Roaring Riot fan group has grown each year from a few fans to hundreds tailgating for Panthers’ home games and traveling to an away game.

Now, the group is going nationwide.

On Monday, Roaring Riot founder Zack Luttrell will announce the seven new chapters across the country that will assemble every Sunday the Panthers play.

“If you’re outside of Charlotte and want to find the game, hopefully we have the network where you can find where the game is on and have a great time,” Luttrell said. “Our goal is for a Panthers fan to be anywhere in the United States and be able to look up where a Roaring Riot club is and join us.”

Along with the Charlotte chapter, known as the Queen City Riot, chapters will be in Raleigh, Atlanta, Denver, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and New York City. Some, like Denver’s Mile High Cats, have been in existence but are joining the Roaring Riot network.

Members will pay an annual fee of $25 that gets them a T-shirt, sticker, access to members-only events and free beers at tailgates before home games.

“Many of us rebelled from our parents’ previous NFL alliances and took in the Panthers with open arms,” wrote Derek Crumpler, a member of the Denver group. “We have grown in Denver to 175 deep and if we can do it in Denver, we can do it anywhere in the country!”

Members will also get discounts on away game trips, and this year’s trip to Jacksonville is filling up rapidly.

Two years ago, Roaring Riot had about 55 people travel to the Panthers game at Miami. They had 70 people go to Tampa for the season opener in 2013. This year, along with the annual trip to Atlanta for the Falcons game, Roaring Riot will be at the season opener against the Jaguars.

Luttrell said the group has nearly 500 people registered for the trip to Florida. He has a block of 200 tickets in Section 131 behind the visitors’ bench.

Jacksonville’s EverBank Field also has cabanas and swimming pools, and Luttrell hopes his group can secure eight cabanas for the game.

Ultimately, Luttrell says, he wants the Riot group to look like the American Outlaws, an unofficial support group of the U.S. men’s national soccer team. There are numerous chapters across the country that have chants and traditions.

“The Denver group has songs and chants and take Jell-O shots every time the Panthers score. In Atlanta they do Fireball shots,” said Luttrell, adding not all the traditions will be based around alcohol. “Each chapter will have their own unique logo that will take elements from the Panthers’ logo and elements from their city.”

Luttrell aims for there being between 50 and 100 groups nationwide within the next three years.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Roaring Riot brings spirit to Carolina Panthers games."