The phone rang.

It was still early in the morning and Marcus Mills was lying in his bed in his dorm room. He answered the phone about 6 a.m. on a late August day.

When he answered the phone, the voice on the other end of the line was that of his father, Sam Mills, the linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers. After a few seconds, Mills was told by his father that he had been diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine.

Mills, a defensive back on the Penn State football team, said he didn't know how to react to what his father had just told him.

"I thought it was a bad dream," Mills said.

But it was worse. It was reality.

Mills didn't know what to say or do. So he instinctively called his mother, Melanie, to discuss the situation and the status of his father. Still lacking feeling and emotion, he phoned one of his best friends to tell him.

Then, before everything had completely settled in, Mills went to class. Like it was any other day.

"It wasn't until later that day that it really settled in," Mills said. "He's still in good physical condition."

The Panthers were about to feel the same shock. On Aug. 29, prior to its exhibition game with the Steelers, the team learned of Sam Mills' illness. He has been one of the inspirations for the Panthers, which have propelled themselves through a magical playoff run and into the Super Bowl Sunday night against New England.

It was the second devastating loss for a team that, only weeks earlier, had learned linebacker Mark Fields was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.

But this loss hurt and hurt a lot.

Mills, a hard-nosed linebacker for 12 seasons in the National Football League, had quickly become an icon in the city of Charlotte, where his family now resides, in both his playing days and as a coach. He had to battle just to get where he was, making it first with the New Orleans Saints, then with the Panthers, despite playing his college ball at Div. III Montclair State. He made the Pro Bowl five times and became the face of the Panthers' organization.

Outside Bank of America Stadium stands a bronze statue of Sam Mills. On it the inscription reads, "Sam Mills: Leader and Gentlemen."

So, how did it all this happen to big and massive linebacker and well-respected, knowledgeable coach?

It occurred rather quickly, without Sam Mills really knowing it was happening.

Sam Mills wasn't quite feeling himself for the few days prior to being diagnosed. The five-time Pro Bowl linebacker couldn't work out and felt like he was lacking energy.

He didn't feel sick. Nevertheless, he went to a doctor.

After a series of tests, he was diagnosed with cancer.

Not even a life-threatening illness could slow Sam Mills, though. He coaches throughout the week, while also receiving chemotherapy. His coaching schedule changes based on when he receives his treatments.

There is one thing that since hasn't changed. The long-time Saints linebacker was always a battler and a fighter in his playing career. However, this isn't the same type of battle that he was used to between the lines.

"When the games get tough, you say, 'That ain't tough,' " said Sam Mills last month in a press conference, which was his only contact with the media since his diagnosis. "There's some other things that are tougher than that."

While Sam Mills has been in a battle with the disease, Marcus has been forced to battle it, too. Marcus Mills said he received plenty of support throughout the season from his teammates and coaches. He added that his teammates were great.

"I spent a lot of time talking to my position coach, Tom Bradley," he said. "He recently lost someone in his family and we sat down and talked for a while. He gave me a lot of support."

Mills added his father's greatest attribute is being able to focus on a goal and then achieving it.

He has done exactly that.

Since being diagnosed, there hasn't been a game that Sam Mills wasn't on the sideline for.

"He's in good shape. It's hard to tell now," said Mills, who has played sparingly in a Nittany Lions' uniform in three seasons at Penn State. "That's what he does -- he's a coach. I don't see him stopping. A lot of things slow you down -- disability or death in the family -- he has to do and he's doing it. He is a coach."

It has been a magical run through the playoffs for Carolina. Throughout the season and playoff run the team has made t-shirts with the No. 51, for Mills, and No. 58, for Fields, on them, which every player wears under their jersey.

"Mark Fields is one of the fastest linebackers and my father was a popular player," Mills said. "It inspires them to do it now. They don't have all the time in life to wait around. It's a great reason to play."

In the Wild Card round, the Panthers defeated the Cowboys 29-10, before travelling to St. Louis where they knocked off the Rams in overtime, 29-23.

In the Conference Championship game, Carolina manhandled the Eagles, 14-3, which was a fun game for Mills.

"It was fun. No one was against my father, just the Panthers," Mills said. "I respect and enjoy that."

It has been a magical run so far.

Sunday night will determine whether the magic runs out on the team or lasts forever.

But, regardless of the outcome, Sam Mills is making it.