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 countdown 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.
#99. Kemp Rasmussen
After the 2002 NFL Draft ended without Rasmussen’s name being called, the former Indiana Hoosier signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent. Rasmussen spent four years with the team, largely contributing on special teams. Though he signed with the Seattle Seahawks for the 2006 season, an injury landed him on injured reserve and he retired later that year.
Rasmussen was largely forgettable for the stat watchers, only notching 53 tackles and a lone sack in 50 career games. Rasmussen’s impact on the field went mostly unnoticed, and he continues that tradition today working as a firefighter in the city of Charlotte. What landed Kemp on this list was more than his quality special teams play; it was his dedication to the city of Charlotte even after his NFL career was over. Rasmussen left enough of an impact on the field to occasionally be recognized on the street, and his impact off the field has literally saved lives.
