Dallas / Fort Worth Panthers

Police & Fire Football

Team History

In 1994, Officer W. Rex Layton of the Fort Worth Police Department founded a police football team called the Fort Worth Panthers. With the backing of then Chief of Police Thomas R. Windham and the Fort Worth Police Association, the Panthers were formed with the intention of offering police officers the chance to play full contact football while connecting law enforcement officers with the Fort Worth community and raising money for local charities.

In the beginning, the Panthers faced local Semi-Pro football teams in charity games and then, in 1995, played the newly formed Houston Police Department Gunners football team in the First Annual ?Battle of Texas?.

In 1998, the Panthers joined the newly formed National Public Safety Football League, which is a national league of teams that are made up of police officers, firefighters, and other designated public safety professionals from across the United States .

In 2000, the team was reorganized as the Dallas / Fort Worth Panthers Police & Fire Football Team and was opened up to participation by all police officers, firefighters, detention officers, emergency medical personnel, and select full time military personnel in the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex.

Today, the two time NPSFL Division II Champion D/FW Panthers continue to compete every Spring against NPSFL teams from Texas and across the United States . As a ?not for profit? organization registered in Texas, the Panthers continue to raise money for various designated charities every year and are part of the charities supported by the NPSFL, which is also a ?not for profit? organization registered in New York. The main goal of the NPSFL, the D/FW Panthers, and all of the participating teams is to promote a positive image to the public by raising funds for charity organizations through spirited athletic competition.