After starring for three seasons in the USFL and spending nine elite years in New Orleans as the engine of the "Dome Patrol," Sam Mills signed with the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995. Though he arrived at 36, the middle linebacker immediately established himself as the tactical brain, emotional compass, and undeniable leader of the budding franchise.

Standing 5 feet 9 inches and weighing 229 pounds, Mills was often labeled as "too short" for the NFL. However, he overcame any physical doubts through exceptional instincts, leverage, and tackling skills. Known as "Field Mouse," Mills had an impressive football IQ, often predicting opposing plays before the snap, using his low center of gravity to shed interior guards, and accurately reading running lanes to make powerful tackles.

Mills made an immediate impact in Carolina's 1995 inaugural season, playing all 16 games, recording 110 tackles, intercepting five passes, and returning a memorable 36-yard interception for a touchdown against his former Saints team.

His crowning on-field campaign came in 1996. Anchoring a defense that shocked the football world by leading a second-year expansion team to the NFC Championship Game, Mills recorded 122 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. His dominance earned him his fifth career Pro Bowl selection and his lone Consensus First-Team All-Pro honor at age 37.

After retiring following the 1997 season, Mills became the first inductee into the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor in 1998, and his No. 51 jersey was officially retired by the team. 

He quickly moved into coaching as the team's linebackers coach. In August 2003, Mills received a diagnosis of terminal intestinal cancer and was told he had only months to live. Despite this, he refused to step back, coaching through painful treatments. Before Carolina's 2003 playoff game against Dallas, Mills gave an emotional speech encouraging the team to "Keep Pounding"—a rallying cry that inspired their journey to Super Bowl XXXVIII and became the franchise’s official motto. Mills was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.