Panthers legend Sam Mills elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For fans in the Carolinas, the legacy of Sam Mills was going to live forever anyway.

Now, the entire football world gets to share in it.

Mills, the former Panthers linebacker and assistant coach, the first player inducted into the team’s Hall of Honor, and the only player whose number is formally retired by the team, now has a new line in his bio.

Sam Mills is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Mills was announced as a member of the Class of 2022 Thursday night, part of an eight-man group whose names can’t be separated from the story of the game, and whose bronze busts will now watch over football history for generations to come.

Mills was elected in his third and final year of eligibility as a modern candidate.

He’s joined in this year’s modern-era class by Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour, Packers safety LeRoy Butler, and 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young. Also elected were former Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, officiating pioneer Art McNally, and former Raiders receiver Cliff Branch from the senior committee.

For each of them, there’s a constituency that remembers their highlights and their success, or the way they changed the game.

For Sam Mills, and for the Panthers, it runs deeper than anything he did on the field, though.