NCHSAA football championships in Charlotte? 'Don't want to burn bridges,' but maybe

At his introductory news conference as the owner of the Carolina Panthers Tuesday, billionaire hedge-fund manager David Tepper talked about winning right away and having "the right kinds of concerts" at Bank of America Stadium.

He also said he would like to see high school football state championships played in Charlotte.

Currently, the N.C. High School Athletic Association hosts its championships at four college venues: Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill and at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, where Wake Forest plays.

Charlotte has not hosted an NCHSAA state championship since 1987, when Harding lost to Garner at Memorial Stadium. The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association, which plays to much smaller private school crowds, generally hosts its state finals at the site of one of the participating teams.

NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said the public school association would be open to talking to the Panthers about hosting a state championship in Charlotte.

"Obviously," she said, "we are extremely pleased that the new owner has expressed an interest in high school athletics and, in the future, bringing a state championship there. It would be something that we would be willing to sit at the table and discuss whether or not it is feasible."

Tucker said the association hasn't spoken to anyone from the Panthers, but said she would welcome the opportunity to showcase the state's best players and teams at the Panthers stadium.

She said there are logistical issues to work out. The association hosts eight championships annually and it has strong relationships with the universities that host the finals. The NCHSAA hosts its championships on the second Saturday in December and would want to avoid scheduling issues with a potential Saturday home game for the Panthers.

Carolina last played a Saturday home game on Christmas Eve in 2016, hosting the Atlanta Falcons.

"We couldn't play all eight (state) finals the same day or even four on one day," Tucker said. "Now, we have our rotation with our colleges and universities and they have been good to us. We don't want to burn bridges by going to the pro stadium. So it's more than 'Oh let's just do it this year because they don't play on that Saturday in December 2018.'

"You have to look at everything, look at the big picture, but we're pleased that (Tepper) considers us worthy to play on that stage and we would be willing to have some dialogue."

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 3:12 PM.