The Franklin Miners were originally established in 1958 as a member of the Eastern Football Conference; their head coach was eventual Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren.

In their first season in Paterson, the Miners won the ACFL championship against the Providence Steam Roller in front of 2,000 spectators at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall.

[4] A few months later the team announced its interest in joining the American Football League;[5] at the time, the New York metro area's existing AFL franchise, recently rechristened the Jets, was still on uncertain financial footing, but the Jets survived and the AFL ultimately rejected the Newark bid.

[8] Van Buren was promoted to vice president and replaced as head coach by Perry Moss, who led the Charleston Rockets to the 1965 COFL title.

The team, led by quarterback Don Jonas, appeared in the COFL championship game three consecutive seasons starting in 1966, winning two titles during that span.

In 1968, they repeated the feat by defeating the Ramblers 30–23, though they had to enter the game by winning a playoff with the Indianapolis Capitols (which Orlando won 28–14).

[12] The team was in major financial trouble at the time, fueled by massive overspending, and a new consortium took over the money-bleeding franchise in the offseason.

[8] The Panthers made headlines in 1970 with the signing of a holder named Patricia Palinkas, the first woman to play on a men's professional football team.