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.
#88. Fred Lane
Fred Lane’s brief tenure with the Panthers was marred by high highs, low lows, and a tragic ending. He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Lane College, which from my limited research shares no relationship with Fred Lane himself. Despite his status as an undrafted free agent, he quickly established himself as the lead back over incumbent starter Anthony Johnson and the previous year’s first round pick, the oft injured Tshimanga Biakabutuka. He led the team with 182 rush attempts, taking those for 809 yards and eight touchdowns. He set franchise rookie records for rush attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns that all held for over a decade before the arrival of Jonathan Stewart. He followed that with another year taking the lion’s share of carries, though his efficiency took quite a dip. In year three, he split carries almost 50/50 with Biakabutuka.
Lane’s dwindling usage and subsequent trade after the 1999 season probably had something to do with some antics that seem very trivial by today’s standards. He was benched for a game for missing a team flight and then was suspended for a game for celebrating a touchdown by grabbing his nether regions. Between the diminishing play and the off field concerns, the Panthers found reason to trade Lane to the Colts.
Lane would never suit up for Indianapolis. Less than three months after he was traded and a couple weeks before training camp was set to begin, he returned to Charlotte to take care of some matters related to his move and the separation from his ex-wife. He entered his former home, where Deidra Lane was waiting for him with a shotgun. She killed him as he walked through the door. At trail, she was somehow allowed to plea to manslaughter and was sentenced to less than eight years in prison.
Lane’s star burned bright and burned fast. He quickly endeared himself to Panthers faithful with his against-all-odds story, gritty play, and infectious personality. It’s a shame the end came in such tragedy.
