SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – A celebration of life event will be held Saturday at Wofford College for former Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.

The celebration of life, which is open to the public, will be held March 18 at 11 a.m. at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Wofford’s campus.

Richardson died March 1 at the age of 86.

He attended Wofford College where he played football on a partial scholarship. Following his college career, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts.

After two seasons in the NFL, he returned to Spartanburg and opened his first Hardee’s restaurant.

On October 26, 1993, Richardson was awarded the NFL’s 29th franchise. He brought the team to the Carolinas in 1995.

Richardson’s life was not without controversy. In 2017, he sold the team after allegations of sexist and racist misconduct in the workplace. The team was purchased by the current owner, David Tepper, in May 2018.

In February 2021, Richardson made a $150 million gift to Wofford, pushing his personal contributions to the school to over a quarter of a billion dollars.

The service will also be live streamed on Wofford College’s YouTube page.

(This story has been corrected to remove a paragraph regarding the name of Wofford’s football stadium.)