Panthers pumped millions into Spartanburg economy while training at Wofford. 'A sad day.'

Spartanburg's economy stands to lose millions of dollars from the decision to move the Carolina Panthers summer training camp from Wofford College to the team headquarters in Charlotte.

"For nearly 30 years, the Carolina Panthers have played an important role in our community's evolution bringing visitors from all over the nation and millions in economic impact," said Allen Smith, president and CEO of OneSpartanburg, Inc. "We are grateful for their investment in our community."

The Panthers have held training camp at Wofford College every year since their inception in 1995, except for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when it stayed in Charlotte.

The NFL team announced the move Wednesday. Wofford College is the alma mater of the late Jerry Richardson, who sold the team to David Tepper in 2018.

"We appreciate Wofford and the Spartanburg community for their hospitality over the years," Carolina Panthers president Kristi Coleman said in a statement. "We are dedicated to the fans in South Carolina, and, we will continue to bring fan and community events to the state."

The Panthers were one of only six NFL teams to hold training camp away from their facilities and just one in five to train at a college campus. This past summer marked the team's 28th training camp at Wofford.

"We have enjoyed our special relationship with the Carolina Panthers since the team's founding," Wofford College President Nayef Samhat said. "We will miss having them on campus and the excitement training camp has brought to Spartanburg and the Upstate."

Smith: Panthers camp helped Spartanburg economy grow

Smith said even though the team is based in North Carolina, Richardson was committed to South Carolina support by bringing the training camp to Spartanburg.

"The late Jerry Richardson and Danny Morrison were fully committed to Spartanburg and the notion of a two-state team," Smith said. "Their commitment to Spartanburg played a role in our market's development as tourism metrics are higher than ever."

Spartanburg City Councilman Jamie Fulmer, a ticket holder since the Panthers' first season, said Wednesday was "a sad day."

"I don't think anyone could have imagined what the Panthers would come to mean to this community and how great their time here has been," Fulmer said. "Spartanburg will always take great pride that we served as the summer home of the Carolina Panthers for almost three decades."

Spartanburg Mayor Jerome Rice on Thursday issued this statement:

“We are grateful to the Carolina Panthers for their years hosting training camp in Spartanburg and their investments in our community, including the state’s first Play60 park and the organization’s generous support for community initiatives and quality-of-life improvements throughout our city. We wish the organization and the team well, and we look forward to continuing our partnership and to their continued positive impact in Spartanburg’s future.”

Earlier this year, Billy Dunlap, chief tourism officer with OneSpartanburg, Inc., estimated the Panthers pump $7 million into the local economy, benefiting hotels, restaurants, bars and merchants — "anything a visitor will spend money on."

Panthers leaving was a question of when

Leaving Wofford wasn't a total surprise to fans. Two years ago, the team said this year would be the last training camp at Wofford and the first in a new $800 million training facility just 25 miles from Charlotte in Rock Hill.

But Panthers owner David Tepper's GT Real Estate Holdings terminated the agreement and stopped construction in early 2022 because "The City of Rock Hill became delinquent on its obligation to fund the public infrastructure."

Later in 2022, Tepper's real estate company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy projection and said it was ending the Rock Hill project. The Panthers then said the 2023 training camp would again be held at Wofford, but would not say whether that would last beyond this year.

"We don't comment beyond the current season," a Panthers spokesman told the Herald-Journal.

Panthers departing while baseball is coming to Spartanburg

Meanwhile, Smith and Fulmer said they anticipate Spartanburg embracing a new professional sport, Minor League Baseball.

"Tourism metrics are higher than ever, and more than $800 million has been announced or is under construction in downtown Spartanburg," Smith said.

Starting in 2025, a new 3,500-seat stadium under construction behind the A.C. Hotel will host a Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers Major League organization owned by Diamond Baseball Holdings.

"As much as we will miss the team and its fans, I am thinking about the future and exciting new opportunities like the return of minor league baseball to Spartanburg," Fulmer said.

Bob Montgomery covers Spartanburg County politics and growth & development. Reach him via email at bob.montgomery@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: 'A sad day': Panthers at Wofford boosted Spartanburg's image, economy