Legend of the Game: Michael Bates

Q: In those first years, what was it like with the constant change as the team was being built, and then winning so quickly?

Bates: “Well, as players, we were considered scrubs because the other teams didn’t want us on their squad, so we were given up for expansion drafts and free agency and whatnot. So we, as players, I know myself, had something to prove. And Dom Capers, our coach, he had something to prove. And as veterans, we were just released from other teams, so we wanted to come in and come in together and make a name for ourselves, right? And we did that.”

Q: As one of those founding pieces of those teams, you got to know Sam Mills as a teammate and a coach. To be back this weekend and hit that Keep Pounding drum and keep that legacy alive, what’s that like?

Bates: “Well, I knew Sam before I got there, because my brother Mario played with him in New Orleans, so I actually knew Sam real well.

“When Sam came into Carolina, and when Carolina picked me up, it was great to be back with him. So this is going to be meaningful. As you know, Sam was a great guy; his family, his kids — I’ve known his kids since they were little; his oldest became a coach (Sam Mills III).

“So this is really meaningful, not only that I can actually keep it pounding and get out there and represent the Carolina Panthers, but myself and Sam, and then a whole class of those early teams.