List of Carolina Panthers head coaches

Ron Rivera (left), the fourth and former head coach of the Carolina Panthers, signing autographs with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell

The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football club based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the southern division of the National Football Conference (NFC), one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL). Since the team began play in 1995, there have been ten (seven full-time and three interim) head coaches.[1] In the NFL, head coaches are responsible for managing the team and setting the game plan; play-calling duties are either made by the head coach or delegated by him to an assistant coach.[2]

The team's first head coach, Dom Capers, led the team for its first four seasons, recording a regular-season record of 30–34 (.469 winning percentage).[1] in 1996.[3] Capers was named coach of the year by Pro Football Weekly/PFWA in 1995 and 1996; he was also awarded coach of the year by several other organizations in 1996, including the Associated Press, the Maxwell Football Club, Sporting News, and United Press International.[4] After Capers' dismissal following the 1998 season, the team brought in George Seifert as their second head coach. Over Seifert's three seasons the team never made the playoffs and the team had a regular-season record of 16–32 (.333 winning percentage).[1] John Fox, the team's third coach, was the longest-tenured coach in team history. In his nine seasons as head coach the Panthers recorded a regular-season record of 73–71 (.507), the most wins for a head coach in team history, and a playoff record of 5–3. The team's fourth head coach, Ron Rivera, served nine seasons as head coach and had a record of 76–63–1 (.546) during his tenure, with a 3–4 record in the playoffs. Rivera has the highest winning percentage of any coach in team history. Rivera led the team to a record four playoff appearances, including three straight division titles.[1]

Capers led the team to a playoff appearance in the 1996 season, winning once at home before losing in the NFC Championship Game to the Green Bay Packers.[3] Fox led the team to three playoff appearances (2003, 2005, and 2008), winning the NFC Championship in 2003 before losing in Super Bowl XXXVIII to the New England Patriots and making the NFC Championship game in 2005 before losing to the Seattle Seahawks.[3] Rivera led the team to three straight playoff appearances from 2013 to 2015, culminating in a loss in Super Bowl 50. He returned the team to the playoffs in 2017, losing in the Wild Card round.

On January 25, 2024, the team agreed to terms with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales as the seventh full-time head coach in franchise history Thursday.

"Dave's background is rooted in success," Panthers owner David Tepper said. "He has an innovative mindset and positive energy that connects well with players and staff. We are impressed with his ability to bring out the best in players."

## Key

[edit]

# | Number of coaches[N 1]

|

Yrs | Years coached
First | First season coached
Last | Last season coached
GC | Games Coached
W | Wins
L | Loses
T | Ties
Win% | Win – Loss percentage
00*  | Spent entire NFL head coaching career with the Panthers

## Coaches

[edit]

Note: Statistics are correct as of end of the 2024 NFL season.
#  | Image  | Name  | Term[N 2] | Regular season  | Playoffs  | Accomplishments  | Ref.

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Yrs  | First  | Last  | GC  | W  | L  | T  | Win%  | GC  | W  | L
1  |  | Dom Capers | 4  | 1995 | 1998 | 64  | 30  | 34  | 0  | .469  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 1 NFC West Championship (1996)
1 Playoff Berth
1 AP NFL Coach of the Year (1996)
1 Earle "Greasy" Neale Award for Professional Coach of the Year (1996)
2 Pro Football Weekly/PFWA NFL Coach of the Year (1995, 1996)
1 Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1996)
1 UPI NFL Coach of the Year (1996) | [5]
2  |  | George Seifert | 3  | 1999 | 2001 | 48  | 16  | 32  | 0  | .333  | —  |  | [6]
3  |  | John Fox | 9  | 2002 | 2010 | 144  | 73  | 71  | 0  | .507  | 8  | 5  | 3  | 1 NFC Championship (2003)
2 NFC South Championships (2003, 2008)
3 Playoff Berths | [7]
4  |  | Ron Rivera | 9  | 2011 | 2019[N 3] | 140  | 76  | 63  | 1  | .546  | 7  | 3  | 4  | 1 NFC Championship (2015)
3 NFC South Championships (2013, 2014, 2015)
4 Playoff Berths
2 PFWA and AP NFL Coach of the Year (2013, 2015)[8] | [9]
5  |  | Perry Fewell | 1  | 2019[N 3] | 4  | 0  | 4  | 0  | .000  | —  |  | [10]
6  |  | Matt Rhule*  | 3  | 2020 | 2022[N 4] | 38  | 11  | 27  | 0  | .289  | —  |  | [11]
7  |  | Steve Wilks | 1  | 2022[N 4] | 12  | 6  | 6  | 0  | .500  | —  |  | [12]
8  |  | Frank Reich | 1  | 2023[N 5] | 11  | 1  | 10  | 0  | .091  | —  |  | [13]
9  |  | Chris Tabor*  | 1  | 6  | 1  | 5  | 0  | .167  | —  |  | [14]
10  |  | Dave Canales*  | 1  | 2024–present  | 17  | 5  | 12  | 0  | .294  | —  |  | [15]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ A running total of the number of coaches of the Panthers. Thus, any coach who has two or more terms as head coach is only counted once.
2. ^ Each year is linked to an article about that particular NFL season.
3. ^ a b On December 3, Rivera was fired after nearly nine seasons as head coach and due to new ownership wanting a change within the organization.
4. ^ a b After a 1–4 start from the team, the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule was replaced with defensive passing game coordinator Steve Wilks.
5. ^ Following the team's Week 12 loss to the Tennessee Titans, not only did the Panthers fail to improve upon their 7–10 record from 2022, but they also fired Reich and named Chris Tabor as interim head coach.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Head Coaches". Carolina Panthers. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
2. ^ Pompei, Dan (February 1, 2009). "NFL head coaches have decisions to make on play-calling duties". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
3. ^ a b c "Carolina Panthers Playoff History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
4. ^ "Honors". Carolina Panthers. November 11, 2013. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
5. ^ "Dom Capers Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
6. ^ "George Seifert Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
7. ^ "John Fox Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
8. ^ "Rivera Named PFWA Coach of the Year". Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
9. ^ "Ron Rivera Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
10. ^ "Perry Fewell Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
11. ^ "Matt Rhule Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
12. ^ "Steve Wilks Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
13. ^ "Frank Reich Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
14. ^ "Chris Tabor Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
15. ^ "Dave Canales Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 6, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Carolina Panthers at NFL.com

* v
* t
* e

Carolina Panthers

* Founded in 1995
* Based and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Team history
* Seasons
* Coaches
* All-time roster
* Expansion draft
* First-round draft picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Records
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Memorial Stadium
* Bank of America Stadium

Culture and lore|

* David Tepper
* Jerry Richardson
* Sir Purr
* Carolina Topcats
* Cardiac Cats
* Justine Lindsay
* "Sweet Caroline"

Rivalries|

* Atlanta Falcons
* New Orleans Saints
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hall of Honor|

* Jake Delhomme
* Jordan Gross
* Mike McCormack
* Sam Mills
* Muhsin Muhammad
* Julius Peppers
* PSL Owners
* Steve Smith Sr.
* Wesley Walls

Wild card berths (2)|

* 2005
* 2017

Division championships (6)|

* 1996
* 2003
* 2008
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015

Conference championships (2)|

* 2003
* 2015

Retired numbers|

* 51

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Anish Shroff
* Mick Mixon
* Eugene Robinson
* Bill Rosinski
* TV: WCCB
* Radio: WBT

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: South Division

* v
* t
* e

Carolina Panthers head coaches

* Dom Capers (1995–1998)
* George Seifert (1999–2001)
* John Fox (2002–2010)
* Ron Rivera (2011–2019)
* Perry Fewell # (2019)
* Matt Rhule (2020–2022)
* Steve Wilks # (2022)
* Frank Reich (2023)
* Chris Tabor # (2023)
* Dave Canales (2024–present)

# denotes interim head coach

* v
* t
* e

NFL head coaches

American Football Conference

| AFC East| AFC North| AFC South| AFC West

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* Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
* Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins)
* Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots)
* Aaron Glenn (New York Jets)

* John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
* Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals)
* Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
* Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)

* DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans)
* Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts)
* Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars)
* Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans)

* Sean Payton (Denver Broncos)
* Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
* Pete Carroll (Las Vegas Raiders)
* Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers)

National Football Conference

| NFC East| NFC North| NFC South| NFC West

|
|
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* Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys)
* Brian Daboll (New York Giants)
* Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles)
* Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders)

* Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears)
* Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions)
* Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
* Kevin O'Connell (Minnesota Vikings)

* Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons)
* Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers)
* Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints)
* Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

* Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals)
* Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams)
* Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)
* Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks)

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