Panthers Keep Pounding drum, explained: How late Sam Mills' speech became a Carolina football tradition

Teddy Ricketson

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Panthers Keep Pounding drum, explained: How late Sam Mills' speech became a Carolina football tradition image

NFL teams are all about identity. There is the team name, logo and even the team colors, all of which are meticulously debated to ensure fans feel like they are part of something.

The Carolina Panthers are one of many teams that have developed a slogan over the years to inspire fans. The Panthers faithful say, “Keep Pounding”: even when faced with hardship, you have to keep pounding and keep moving forward.

Teams around the NFL have different pregame rituals. The Minnesota Vikings often have an honored guest lead a “Skol” chant before blowing into a massive Viking horn. Carolina’s version takes place right after the coin toss and again just before the fourth quarter. An honored guest is given a large mallet and tasked with banging the “Keep Pounding” drum at Bank of America Stadium.

Here is more on the history of the Panthers’ “Keep Pounding” chant and the tradition that emerged from it.

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Panthers Keep Pounding drum, explained

At home games, fans in attendance will see a guest of honor on the video board addressing the crowd before turning their attention to a 6 ft. Drum. The guest then wallops the drum four or five times, and this leads into the crowd chanting "Keep" on one side of the stadium and "Pounding" on the other. This act is performed twice per home game. The first time is right after the coin toss ahead of the opening kick, and the second is the break leading into the fourth quarter. 

Why do Panthers fans say 'Keep Pounding'?

The Panthers faithful say "Keep Pounding" in honor of former linebacker and coach Sam Mills. He was coaching with Carolina in 2003 when he was diagnosed with terminal intestinal cancer. Despite being told he only had a few months to live, Mills opted for chemotherapy and kept coaching the Panthers. 

Mills gave a speech to the team ahead of the 2004 postseason after his diagnosis. In the speech, he referenced a game against Tampa Bay during the regular season. The Buccaneers had a chance to win the game after scoring a touchdown with very little time left. Tampa Bay needed the extra point to win, and Carolina blocked it. 

Mills referenced that game in his speech, saying, "That was the turning point for me. You guys inspired me. When all odds were against you, you kept fighting. You didn't give in. You didn't quit. You blocked that extra point, and you went on to win the game. That's what inspired me to keep pounding."

He gave the team this speech ahead of the 2004 playoffs, which saw Carolina make an impromptu run to the Super Bowl. The mantra was further solidified when Mills lived for an additional 17 months beyond his original prognosis. Since then, it has been the mantra and mindset for the Panthers. 

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Who is Sam Mills?

Mills was an NFL linebacker who had a 16-year playing career and then became a football coach. He went to Montclair State from 1977 to 1980 and then went undrafted in 1981. Mills was a member of the Cleveland Browns practice squad in 1981, spent the 1982 season with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL and then played three years in the USFL. 

In 1986 Mills joined the New Orleans Saints and spent eight years with the franchise. He ended his career with two years with the Panthers until retiring in 1997. Mills then became a defensive assistant and linebackers coach in 1998 and was a member of the Carolina staff for seven seasons. 

Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2003. He exceeded his initial prognosis of only a few months left to live, but passed away in April 2005. 

The Panthers retired Mills' jersey at the start of the 2005 season, making No. 51 the first jersey that Carolina ever retired. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

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Panthers Keep Pounding drum videos

Some of the biggest names in Panthers history have beaten the drum before games and heading into the fourth quarter. The tradition even went international when star linebacker Luke Keuchly banged the drum in Germany in the 2025 season. It took two sings and he broke the drum.

Keuchly is not the first Panthers alum to break the drum. Former fullback Mike Tolbert broke it and then remembered to "Keep Pounding," so he kept whacking the drum despite there being a hole in it. 

Whether by instruction or pure instinct, the chosen drum hitter tends to go overboard. Some have broken the drum, others have broken the drum stick from hitting the drum so hard. 

Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry, who went to Davidson University outside Charlotte, pounded the drum for the Panthers ahead of Super Bowl 50. 

Former star tight end turned commentator Greg Olsen got a crack at the drum during the 2025 season. 

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