Who knew Ted Nugent had such an influence over the Carolina Panthers?
Fans are well versed with the Nugent hit “Cat Scratch Fever.” Fewer are familiar with “The Great White Buffalo.”
Yet that song is the inspiration behind arguably the best nickname on the team, one that’s only recently come to light.
Andrew Norwell is “The White Buffalo”:
#whitebuffalo
A photo posted by Andrew Norwell (@a_norwell68) on
Because of Norwell's habit of screaming “BREAK!” in the huddle, quarterback Cam Newton in 2014 tried to nickname his left guard “All-Yell.” But it was too late.
A couple years earlier, Norwell and his Ohio State teammates were “getting bumpy in the weight room” when Nugent came on the radio. Former Jets’ linebacker Anthony Schlegel, who had returned to his alma mater as a strength and conditioning coach, looked at Norwell and saw a fit.
“You know college coaches, they're all rah rah,” Norwell recalls. “Somehow that call - the Great White Buffalo call was made. That's how it all started.”
And it hasn’t stopped:
Keep Pounding!! #BuffaloOut #keeppounding #whitebuffalo
A video posted by Andrew Norwell (@a_norwell68) on
Yes, that was Norwell pretending to block a buddy on a golf course before he let out “the call” earlier this summer. But what at first appears … odd … was actually a celebration.
That video was taken after Norwell birdied the opening par 4 at a course in Columbus. That was a big deal for a guy who just took up the game this offseason.
Seriously - this was his swing back in May at a charity event for tight end Greg Olsen's foundation:
.#hogmollies love the rain and mud! @gregolsen88 golf outing @Panthers #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/3sp0DQcaD5
— Kevin Donnalley (@kdonnalley) May 3, 2016
“I almost hit a house,” Norwell admits, “but I was using Greg clubs that day.”
It didn't help that Norwell wasn't even sure how to begin:
“I was holding the club like a baseball bat,” he says.
But after learning some basics, he got the bug.
“The gentleman's game,” Norwell says with a laugh.
“I got clubs of my own and took it serious this year. It was just something to do and be competitive.”
After one summer with the game, Norwell’s best round was a 105. He estimates he played about 15 times, including a round at Muirfield Village outside Columbus, site of the PGA’s annual Memorial Tournament.
“I almost birdied first hole,” he says, “but the greens were so fast I couldn't putt. So I ended up bogeying.”
Now back at his day job, Norwell won’t get another golf fix for at least six months. “The White Buffalo” is now left to roam the lush fields of Spartanburg.
“The clubs are put up,” he says, “and I'll start struggling again in the offseason.”