CHARLOTTE Paul Hornung Jersey , N.C. (AP) — A smiling David Tepper jogged down a small makeshift runway at a crowded gymnasium, crouching as he went to slap hands with wildly cheering elementary school children clad in blue Carolina Panthers T-shirts while music blared.

After finishing his short jog, the Panthers owner smiled back at the crowd and seemed to soak in the moment.

Tepper made his first charitable donation to the Carolinas on Tuesday through his foundation, giving away 12,000 new backpacks and school supplies to 17 elementary schools across the Charlotte, North Carolina, area including those students at Thomasboro Academy.

“It’s been great,” said a smiling Tepper of his first seven weeks as owner.

The self-made multi-billionaire hedge fund owner is 60, but still remembers his days growing up in Pittsburgh in a lower-income household. His mother worked as a teacher at an inner city school, and he got to see firsthand how difficult it was for her to provide school supplies for her students.

He also remembers walking to school with a brown bag because he didn’t have a backpack. In high school he would sometimes hitch rides to school.

When he purchased the Panthers for an NFL-record $2.2 billion from Jerry Richardson in July, Tepper said he immediately thought of supporting schoolchildren, calling them “our future.”

“I thought it was a great way to start off,” said Tepper, who is known for his philanthropy in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“Every kid needs supplies and there is a shortage of supplies. Teachers don’t have enough money for supplies — and you know the situation in North Carolina and in the Carolinas in general with schools. So whatever we can do to help that out, it’s great.”

Said Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis: “He comes in here with that same mindset we have (as players) with giving back to the community.”

Tepper is quickly becoming a popular figure in the Charlotte area.

Unlike Richardson Randy Gregory Jersey , who is more stoic and formal and kept out of the spotlight, Tepper exudes the feel of an ordinary guy, often dressing in khaki shorts, a golf shirt and a baseball hat.

Prior to the Panthers’ first preseason game, he tailgated with fans and knocked back a few beers.

“He’s easy to talk to, he’s approachable and he likes being around the guys,” Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly said.

When he bought the Panthers, Tepper vowed to change the culture and make it more of a family atmosphere where people are comfortable in the workplace regardless of race, gender or religion.

That came after allegations surfaced of sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace by Richardson while owner of the Panthers. He was later fined $2.7 million by the NFL when reports were substantiated following a six-month investigation. The reports ultimately prompted Richardson, the team’s founder, to put the franchise up for sale.

Tepper is already shaking it up, doing things his way.

The Panthers have worn two different uniform combinations in their first two preseason home games and there’s talk of possibly incorporating a black helmet into the mix — a look Richardson would never go for.

Tepper is also expected to put the Panthers logo at midfield for the team’s first regular-season home game; Richardson always made sure the NFL shield was at midfield for more than two decades to honor the league.

Tepper wants to build an indoor/outdoor practice football facility in South Carolina, just over the border.

The Panthers have never had an indoor practice facility under Richardson.

Tepper hasn’t talked much about plans for a new stadium, but it’s something he’ll have to consider at some point as Bank of America — completed in 1995 — is now one of the older stadiums in the league.

Last week, Tepper hired Tom Glick as the team’s new president Randy White Jersey , saying he will bring a “new perspective” to the organization — with an eye toward bringing a Major League Soccer team to the Carolinas.

Glick has spent the past six years working with developing the City Football Group (CFG), a multi-national soccer organization that includes six clubs including current English Premier League champion Manchester City FC. The Group also owns New York City FC of Major League Soccer.

As chief commercial officer of CFG, Glick has experience working with soccer expansion, as well as building new stadiums and training centers.

When asked if that experience helped Glick land the job, Tepper replied, “it didn’t hurt.”

Tepper deflected other questions about business, saying he wanted this day to be about the kids.

“The first thing I did when I came down here is I said we have to do something like this in Charlotte,” Tepper said. “We are thinking something across the two states in the future. … It’s great stuff.”

And, he promised, only the beginning of his charitable ways in the Carolinas.

Justin Reid might have a leg up on most rookies when he joins the Houston Texans after spending years learning about the NFL from his brother Eric, a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2013.

"We break down film together, I go and visit him at his house," Justin Reid said. "We watched games together. He would let me in on what the game plan was that week, how they're playing certain personnel."

The elder Reid is a safety who spent the last five seasons with the 49ers, but is currently a free agent. Justin Gale Sayers Jersey , a safety from Stanford, followed in his brother's footsteps when Houston took him with the 68th overall pick in the draft on Friday night.

General manager Brian Gaine said they valued the football pedigree in his family, but were more impressed by his other qualities.

"What I'll tell you about Justin is No. 1 (he has) the prototypical body type, height, weight, speed for the position," Gaine said. "No. 2 production, graded well in terms of production. No. 3 was the versatility, interchangeable ability to play strong safety, free safety, the ability to play the run, the ability to play the pass. We feel like he's a fully dimensional safety at the position."

Reid was Houston's first pick in this year's draft after the Texans traded away their first-round pick to Cleveland to get quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 12th overall pick last year. They previously sent their second-round pick in this draft to the Browns as part of the deal to get rid of Brock Osweiler.

The draft was Gaine's first as a general manager after taking over in January when Rick Smith took an indefinite leave of absence to be with his wife, who is fighting cancer. But Gaine has plenty of experience in scouting and player evaluations, having worked as assistant general manager for the Dolphins and in player personnel for the Texans and the Bills.

He talked about having to wait through two rounds before making his first pick with the Texans.

"Unique circumstance, 20 years of doing this Daryl Johnston Jersey , I've never had that experience before," he said. "But in a way after yesterday it allowed us to kind of reposition ourselves and think about what's already occurred and kind of measure the supply and demand at the positions with 32 players already gone."

Reid started 11 of 14 games last season, piling up 99 tackles, including 6 1/2 for losses with five interceptions and six pass breakups.

Houston addressed its need on the offensive line by taking Mississippi State tackle Martinas Rankin with the 80th pick. The 6-foot-4, 308-pound Rankin is a versatile player who has lined up at almost every position on the offensive line, but spent the most time at left tackle. He'll have a chance to play early, competing with Julie'n Davenport for the chance to protect Watson's blind side at left tackle.

"We see him as an offensive lineman and hopefully the best five play however that unravels here," Gaine said. "But naturally he was a starting left tackle in the SEC so my hope is he'd have the ability to do that, but we also believe that if he has to play guard, right side, left side, wherever we need him that this guy has the versatility to do that."

The Texans used their last pick Friday night to address another need when they chose Central Florida tight end Jordan Akins at No. 98. At 26, the 6-3, 249-pound Akins is much older than most NFL rookies after spending four years playing minor league baseball after being drafted by the Texas Rangers in the third round in 2010.

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