Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We’ve always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.
#82. Marty Hurney
Marty Hurney originally came to the Panthers in 1998 as the Director of Player Operations, essentially working under Dom Capers, who was the de facto GM. In 2002, Hurney got his big break, being named the General Manager of the Panthers, a title he held for the next 11 years. He was later brought back for the last couple of seasons under Ron Rivera and the first year of the Matt Rhule era.
Hurney had a 103-121 record with the team overall, but he had some incredibly high highs with the organization including the team’s first Super Bowl appearance. Hurney was much better at selecting in the first round of the Draft compared to the rest of the rounds, but he was responsible for a slew of Panthers legends. The first selection he made as GM was Hall of Famer Julius Peppers. He followed up that home run pick with first rounders Jordan Gross, Chris Gamble, Thomas Davis, DeAngelo Williams, Jon Beason, Jonathan Stewart, Cam Newton, Luke Kuechly, DJ Moore, Brian Burns, and Derrick Brown. Nary a miss in that entire list, if we’re being honest. Hurney did manage to find some gems later in the draft as well, but those were overshadowed by far too many absolute duds taken in the middle rounds.
Without a doubt, Hurney was integral in building many of the most successful teams this franchise has ever seen. While he wasn’t around for the second Super Bowl run, he put together a good chunk of that roster. He was also responsible for hiring the two longest tenured head coaches in team history: John Fox and Ron Rivera. Though Hurney left a lot to be desired from a team building standpoint, he earned his spot on this list and in Panthers lore.
