Panthers fans turn out to show NFL playoff pride

Randall Goode drove to Charlotte from Gaston County on Sunday to see a team that has pulled together so strongly that its NFL playoff dreams came true.

But first the Carolina Panthers had to survive wide receiver Steve Smith’s departure in 2014 as well as many other challenges. All the while, the team’s players did so much for the community, Goode said.

So he put on his No. 1 jersey, Buckle jeans and gray cowboy boots before he and his wife, Pam Goode, made the drive to the stadium Sunday.

“We only have two games to win to go to the Super Bowl again,” Good said during a tailgate party near the stadium. “It’s been a long time coming.”

For Tyler Kepler of Winston-Salem, a tailgate party with friends – his first – was also a 16th birthday celebration.

Tyler arrived around 7 a.m. with group of nearly a dozen others as snow fell and temperatures hung low in the 30s.

He played football, danced with a drumline band and ate from a buffet that included fried chicken, chili, ribs, burgers and hot dogs. The food was good. The weather ... it could have been better, he said.

“It’s awesome for my birthday,” he said. “It’s pretty good for my first tailgate party.”

This story was originally published January 17, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Panthers fans turn out to show NFL playoff pride."