CHARLOTTE — Dave Canales can still remember the first time he played football, when he fell in love with the sport.
He was 11 years old, growing up in Southern California, and joined a local flag football team. That shaped the rest of his life.
"This is how I started, flag football," said Canales, walking out to meet guests on the field at Bank of America Stadium earlier this week. "I played soccer until I was 11. When I was 11 I played flag football for the first time. I'm from Los Angeles, California, and I fell in love with football."
Canales was able to share that story this week with a local Charlotte flag football team. He brought more than just a story and some motivation to the young team also named the Panthers. In celebration of Latino Heritage Month, the Carolina Panthers and YMCA of Greater Charlotte partnered to provide scholarships for Latino flag football players for the Fall 2025 flag football season.
And while the team was on the field at Bank of America Stadium this week, soaking in a unique experience, Canales and Sir Purr surprised the team of young players with new cleats, gloves, and tickets to the Panthers next home game against the Miami Dolphins on October 5.
Canales is one of only five Hispanic head coaches in the history of the NFL, and the only such current head coach.
"It started off with a dream from my grandparents," shared Canales last fall in a documentary that told the story of his family. "I'm really proud of my heritage, I'm really proud to represent Latino's everywhere."
To honor that, in addition to partnering with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte for the cleat giveaway, Canales and the Panthers are celebrating Latino Heritage Month throughout Charlotte. Latino Heritage Month lasts from September 15 through October 15.
Café con Canales is an initiative that has teamed up with local Latino Café owners for a web series to pay tribute to his heritage and love of coffee. In each episode of Café Con Canales, Coach Canales invites local Latino Café owners to Bank of America Stadium for a conversation about coffee, culture and the Charlotte Latino community. New episodes featuring Sumaq Coffee, Caffeto Specialty Coffee and Manolo's Bakery will drop every Tuesday and Thursday beginning on September 25.
Junior Gomez, a local Latino artist and muralist, will design gameday giveaway posters for the Panthers vs. Dolphins game. Also during that game, Carolina Panthers fans will get to enjoy several elements that celebrate Latino heritage. Highlights include: Specialty Latino food offerings, the National Anthem performed in Spanish, and invocation delivered in Spanish.
Finally, The Carolina Panthers selected Fernando Zelaya of Olympic High School and Leticia Ortiz of Palisades High School, both senior tackle and flag football players, to be representatives for the NFL Latino Youth Honors Program. Every year, each NFL team nominates two exemplary student-athletes to be considered for college grant funding and a trip to Super Bowl LX to participate in a variety of special events. Last year, Carolina Panthers nominee Lucas Carranza, a senior football player at Olympic High School, was named a finalist for the NFL Latino Youth Honors.
Stay up to date with all of the Carolina Panthers and Dave Canales' initiatives celebrating Latino Heritage Month at this page.
