National Football League

Where Are They Now: Panthers mainstay Mike Minter has found a calling in coaching

Published Nov. 15, 2016 1:49 p.m. ET

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THEN: Mike Minter spent 10 seasons in the NFL, all as a safety with the Carolina Panthers. Prior to being drafted in 1997, Minter won two national titles at the University of Nebraska, and in 2003 he led Carolina to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. When he retired in 2007, Minter did so as the Panthers’ all-time leader in starts, tackles, fumble recoveries and pick-sixes.

NOW: Not long after retiring, Minter got into coaching, and after three years at the high school level and two as a college assistant, Minter was hired as the head coach at Campbell (N.C.) University in November 2012. Now in his fourth season, Minter holds an overall record of 16-25 with the Camels, which returned to the field in 2008 after 58 years without a program.

ON PLAYING HIS ENTIRE CAREER WITH ONE TEAM: “It was a goal of mine when I came in the NFL — because at the time people just didn’t do it, because they’d get later on in their career and they would have to go somewhere else and finish out their career. But I wanted to be a guy that drafted by one team and played there the whole time. Now, that’s a tough task. Coaches change, situations change, you have money involved. But to be able to do that, I thought, would be a big accomplishment and I was able to pull it off.”

Minter's Panthers fell just short in the Super Bowl.

ON SUPER BOWL XXXVIII: “The whole season was kind of a magical season. We were a bunch of guys that really believed in what Coach [John] Fox was preaching, and we really believed in each other. When you came to play us you knew you were going to get a game. We weren’t going to lay down for anybody, and that mentality carried throughout the season … and once we got into the Super Bowl. At that point, we didn’t think anybody could beat us. 

“And I’m sure that New England felt the same way because they were a very similar football team. Even though they had already won a Super Bowl, they weren’t the Patriots that you know today. So it was two competitive, team-oriented football teams that went at it, and that’s why the game played out the way it played out. It really came down to who had the football last, and unfortunately they were the ones who did. That’s why people, I think, look at that game and say it’s one of the best Super Bowls ever played.”

Minter (right) visited with Thomas Davis and the current Panthers during camp.

ON STRUGGLING AFTER A SUPER BOWL LOSS: “Everybody thinks about the physical toll — it’s a long season, you’ll have to take it easy in minicamp and summer and training camp to get your body back — but nobody talks about the emotional strain that comes with losing a Super Bowl. And that’s really what happened (when Carolina started 1-7 in 2004), plus guys started breaking down. But normally you’ll see that teams like that start coming back in the second half of the season and that’s what we did. 

“Once we kind of got our footing back we started winning games. We gave ourselves a chance, and it was a learning experience for me as a player to really understand what it takes to go to the Super Bowl and then get ready for that next year after you’ve lost. That’s why, when I look at the Buffalo Bills and what they did in the ‘90s — those guys should all get a special award because I don’t know how you lose three Super Bowls and come right back and go to another one. That’s just unbelievable mental fortitude.”

Minter played at Nebraska and still keeps a close eye on his alma mater.

ON NEBRASKA’S 7-0 START: “They are playing solid football for 60 minutes and finding ways to win the game, which is critical when you start talking about [playing] Wisconsin or Ohio State, because when they get in tough games they know how to win them. But I think our belief and our confidence right now is pretty high. Tommy [Armstrong] is playing great, putting the ball where he needs to, and I think coach is doing a great job of getting these guys to believe and getting these guys prepared. So I’m looking forward to the next two weeks. And if we can win those, we’re talking about being in the playoffs, so I like where we’re at right now.”

ON GETTING INTO COACHING: “It wasn’t something on my radar screen. As a kid I always knew I understood the game and was a coach on the football field, but it wasn’t something intrigued me because that’s what a lot of players do, and I wanted to be different. But I went into business, and that didn’t do it for me. I tried it and had some successful moments, but it didn’t grab my soul because I wasn’t unlocking the greatness in people. So I got into high school coaching to help one of my partners, who was an athletic director at a private school in Charlotte, and after three state championships, I was like, ‘Oh, I like this.’ I felt home. But college life is where you really become who you’re going to become, so I knew I needed to get into the college game. I gave myself five years to become a head coach at a Division I school, then I did it in three, and now here we are.”

You can follow Sam Gardner on Twitter or email him at samgardnerfox@gmail.com.

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