 Fox in 2010 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-02-08)February 8, 1955 (age 70) Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chula Vista (CA) Castle Park |
| College | Southwestern (CA) San Diego State |
| NFL draft | 1978: undrafted |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 133–123 (.520) |
| Postseason | 8–7 (.533) |
| Career | 141–130 (.520) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
John Fox (born February 8, 1955) is an Americanfootball coach and former player who most recently served as a senior defensive assistant for theDetroit Lions of theNational Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of theCarolina Panthers (2002–2010),Denver Broncos (2011–2014) andChicago Bears (2015–2017) of theNational Football League (NFL). He coached the Panthers toSuper Bowl XXXVIII and the Broncos toSuper Bowl XLVIII.
Fox attendedCastle Park High School inChula Vista, California,[1][2] where he played football under local celebrated coaches Gil Warren and Reldon "Bing" Dawson.[3] He played two years atSouthwestern College also in Chula Vista from 1974 to 1975 beforewalking on atSan Diego State, where he played defensive back[4] with future NFL player and head coachHerman Edwards. Fox received a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned teaching credentials from San Diego State.[5] He then proceeded to the NFL as a free agent and signed a two-year contract with theTampa Bay Buccaneers. After that contract was over he retired from the NFL.
Fox was defensive backs coach atU.S. International University.[6]Sid Gillman, past head coach of theSan Diego Chargers, was the athletic director at the time. In 1980, Fox was the defensive backs coach for theBoise State University Broncos when they won theNCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. In 1983, Fox was a member ofMike Gottfried'sUniversity of Kansas staff, as the secondary coach. Fox followed Gottfried to the University of Pittsburgh when Gottfried became head coach at Pitt in 1986. Fox was first the Defensive Backs coach and then was promoted to Defensive Coordinator by Gottfried. While at Pitt, Fox made some contacts with Pittsburgh Steeler coaches and when Gottfried was let go by Pitt, Fox got his first NFL coaching gig with the Steelers.
Fox began his first professional football coaching stint in the short-livedUnited States Football League with theLos Angeles Express in 1985.[7]
He entered the NFL in 1989 as the secondary coach of thePittsburgh Steelers,[8] later also holding this job with theSan Diego Chargers.[9] Fox was the defensive coordinator for theLos Angeles Raiders[10] and later that of theNew York Giants duringSuper Bowl XXXV, which they lost.[11]
On January 25, 2002, Fox was signed as the third head coach of theCarolina Panthers, whose previous coachGeorge Seifert had led the team to a disastrous 1–15 record in 2001, including 15 consecutive losses to end the season.[12] Fox's first regular season game was a 10–7 victory over theBaltimore Ravens which ended the Panthers' 15-game losing streak dating to the previous season. Fox and the Panthers posted a 7–9 record for the 2002 season (his first with the team),[13] demonstrating a drastic improvement over the previous season.
In the 2003 season Fox led the Panthers toSuper Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to theNew England Patriots on a last-second field goal byAdam Vinatieri.[14] Fox joinedVince Lombardi as the only other coach to inherit a team that had won only one game in the season prior, and then take that team to an NFL Championship game. Fox also took the Carolina Panthers to the NFC Championship game in the 2005 season, but they were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks.[15]
The 2006 season was disappointing for Fox and the Panthers, as a team that had Super Bowl aspirations finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.[16]
The 2007 season saw the team finish with a record of 7–9,[17] before finishing with a 12–4 record in the 2008 season. It was tied for the best record in franchise history and earned them a #2 seed with a Divisional Round game at home. They were then upset by the #4 seedArizona Cardinals, who went on the Super Bowl weeks later.[18]
The 2009 season was disappointing to Fox and the Panthers much like 2006. The Panthers finished the season 8-8 and in third place in theNFC South division, missing the playoffs again.[19]
The 2010 season saw the Panthers finish last in the league, at 2–14.[20] As of this time, Fox was one of only two coaches, and the only one as a head coach, still working on the NFL sidelines that was once a member of formerPittsburgh Steelers head coachChuck Noll's coaching staff, the other beingMinnesota Vikings wide receivers coachGeorge Stewart.[21]Tom Moore, currently an offensive consultant for theTampa Bay Buccaneers, is still active in the league but works from home.
On December 31, 2010, Carolina Panthers ownerJerry Richardson announced that he would not be renewing Fox's contract at the conclusion of the 2010 season.[22]
On January 13, 2011, Fox was selected to be the 14th head coach of theDenver Broncos. He was signed to a 4-year $14 million deal.[23] He was chosen by the Broncos out of a list of five possible head coach candidates that included Broncos interim head coach andrunning backs coachEric Studesville,Atlanta Falconsoffensive coordinatorDirk Koetter,Houston Texans offensive coordinatorRick Dennison andNew York Giantsdefensive coordinatorPerry Fewell. Fox was chosen based on his previous head coaching experience plus his 20+ years as an NFL coach.[24] At the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Broncos finished tied for 3rd in the NFL in sacks and 1st in rushing offense, again with Fox.[25]
In April 2012, Fox received a three-year contract extension worth between $5 million and $6 million per year, replacing his contract that expired at the end of the2014 NFL season.[26]
In week two of the 2012 season, Fox was fined $30,000 for chiding the replacement officials.[27] The Broncos would go on to win their last 11 games after a 2–3 start. In week 17 of the 2012 season, Fox won his 100th career game as an NFL head coach, including the playoffs, beating theKansas City Chiefs 38–3. However, the Broncos were upset in the divisional playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, in double-overtime.[28]
Owing to a cardiac-related issue, starting with week 10 of 2013, Fox was replaced by Broncos defensive coordinatorJack Del Rio as Fox underwent anaortic valve replacement.[29] Fox, while playing golf in North Carolina near his offseason home in Charlotte during the Broncos bye week, reported feeling dizzy and was taken for examination to the hospital, where doctors told him not to put off valve replacement surgery any longer; he had done so earlier in the year to continue coaching this season.[30] On November 4, Fox temporarily relinquished his head coaching duties, and Del Rio was named interim head coach for the remainder of the 2013 season regular season. Fox then underwent successful aortic valve replacement surgery.[31]
In the2013 NFL season, quarterbackPeyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both records, and the offense combined for 7,317 yards, also a record.[32] Fox coached the Broncos toSuper Bowl XLVIII, where they played theNFC championSeattle Seahawks. He is one of four head coaches to win both an NFC and an AFC championship game along withBill Parcells,Dan Reeves, andAndy Reid, and one of seven coaches to reach the Super Bowl with multiple teams.[33] On February 2, 2014, the Broncos lost to the Seahawks 43–8.[34]
Fox coached the Broncos to another strong season in 2014; the Broncos finished the regular season 12–4. They earned the AFC's number 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye. HostingPeyton Manning's former team, the Indianapolis Colts at home in the Divisional Round, the Broncos were upset 24–13 and were eliminated from the playoffs.[35]
On January 12, 2015, the day after Denver lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Fox and the Broncos mutually agreed to part ways.[36] Fox left the Broncos with the highest regular season win percentage in team history. However, general managerJohn Elway felt the Broncos hadn't shown enough fight at critical times in the playoffs.[37]
Fox is only the second head coach in NFL history to win four straight division titles since joining a new team; He is also the only head coach in Broncos history to have never missed the playoffs in their tenure.
On January 16, 2015, Fox accepted a four-year deal to become head coach of theChicago Bears.[38] Fox led the Bears to a 6–10 record in his first season, only the second time in his career where he had double-digit losses. In the third game of the season, a 26–0 road loss against theSeattle Seahawks, the Bears punted on all of its ten possessions, the only time a team has punted on all of its possessions at least since 1980.[39]
Fox finished his second season with the Bears with a 3–13 record, tied for the worst record for the Bears since the NFL changed to a 16-game season, as well as the first consecutive losing season in Fox's head coaching career.[40]
After a 1–3 start in 2017, Fox benched quarterbackMike Glennon in favor of rookieMitchell Trubisky in Week 5.[41] With Trubisky, the Bears finished the season 5–11, and Fox was fired at the season's end on January 1, 2018. His overall record with the Bears was 14–34, the second-lowest win percentage in franchise history, as the team failed to record a winning streak longer than two games and finished last in the NFC North in all three seasons.[42]
On March 27, 2022, it was announced that Fox was hired by theIndianapolis Colts to be their senior defensive assistant under head coachFrank Reich. This was Fox's first coaching position after a 5-year hiatus and his first as an assistant coach in 21 years.[43]
On February 28, 2023, it was announced that Fox was hired by theDetroit Lions to be their senior defensive assistant.[44] In February 2024, it was announced that he would not return to the Lions for the 2024 season.[45]
On March 20, 2018,ESPN announced that Fox would be hired to work as a studio analyst forNFL Live.[46]
Fox was born inVirginia Beach, Virginia, and raised inSan Diego, California, after moving there at age 15. His step-father, Ron, was aUS Navy SEAL. Fox and his wife, Robin, have four children.[47] Known to his friends as "Foxy", he is an active community leader inthe Carolinas. He and his wife co-chair the annual Angels & Stars Gala, which benefitsSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[48]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CAR | 2002 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4th in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR | 2003 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 1st in NFC South | 3 | 1 | .750 | Lost toNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XXXVIII |
| CAR | 2004 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3rd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR | 2005 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in NFC South | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toSeattle Seahawks inNFC Championship Game |
| CAR | 2006 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR | 2007 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2nd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR | 2008 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toArizona Cardinals inNFC Divisional Game |
| CAR | 2009 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR | 2010 | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 4th in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| CAR total | 73 | 71 | 0 | .507 | 5 | 3 | .625 | |||
| DEN | 2011 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 1st in AFC West | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC Divisional Game |
| DEN | 2012 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in AFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toBaltimore Ravens inAFC Divisional Game |
| DEN | 2013 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in AFC West | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toSeattle Seahawks inSuper Bowl XLVIII |
| DEN | 2014 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC West | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toIndianapolis Colts inAFC Divisional Game |
| DEN total | 46 | 18 | 0 | .719 | 3 | 4 | .428 | |||
| CHI | 2015 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC North | - | - | - | - |
| CHI | 2016 | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 4th in NFC North | - | - | - | - |
| CHI | 2017 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 4th in NFC North | - | - | - | - |
| CHI total | 14 | 34 | 0 | .292 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| Total[49] | 133 | 123 | 0 | .520 | 8 | 7 | .533 | |||
Media related toJohn Fox at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
