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TheCarolina Panthers are a professionalAmerican football club based inCharlotte, North Carolina. They play in thesouthern division of theNational Football Conference (NFC), one of the two conferences of theNational 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 byPro Football Weekly/PFWA in 1995 and 1996; he was also awarded coach of the year by several other organizations in 1996, including theAssociated Press, theMaxwell Football Club,Sporting News, andUnited Press International.[4] After Capers' dismissal following the 1998 season, the team brought inGeorge 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 theNFC Championship Game to theGreen Bay Packers.[3] Fox led the team to three playoff appearances (2003, 2005, and 2008), winning the NFC Championship in 2003 before losing inSuper Bowl XXXVIII to theNew England Patriots and making the NFC Championship game in 2005 before losing to theSeattle Seahawks.[3] Rivera led the team to three straight playoff appearances from 2013 to 2015, culminating in a loss inSuper 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."
| # | 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 |
| * | Spent entire NFL head coaching career with the Panthers |
| # | Image | Name | Term[N 2] | Regular season | Playoffs | Accomplishments | Ref. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1NFC West Championship (1996) 1Playoff Berth 1AP NFL Coach of the Year (1996) 1Earle "Greasy" Neale Award for Professional Coach of the Year (1996) 2Pro Football Weekly/PFWA NFL Coach of the Year (1995, 1996) 1Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1996) 1UPI 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 | 1NFC Championship (2003) 2NFC South Championships (2003,2008) 3Playoff Berths | [7] |
| 4 | .jpg) | Ron Rivera | 9 | 2011 | 2019[N 3] | 140 | 76 | 63 | 1 | .546 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1NFC Championship (2015) 3NFC South Championships (2013,2014,2015) 4Playoff Berths 2 PFWA andAP 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 | .png) | Steve Wilks | 1 | 2022[N 4] | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | — | [12] | ||||
| 8 | .png) | Frank Reich | 1 | 2023[N 5] | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | — | [13] | ||||
| 9 | _(cropped).jpg) | Chris Tabor* | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | .167 | — | [14] | |||||
| 10 | Dave Canales* | 1 | 2024–present | 17 | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | — | [15] | |||||