The Carolina Panthers haven't been a franchise in the NFL long, as they prepare to enter their 26th year in the league in 2020. Nevertheless, the Panthers have still employed a few successful coaches in relatively brief time they have been established.
Entering the upcoming season, Carolina has accumulated a 195-204-1 record in its first 25 seasons. Besides coaches, the Panthers have had a plethora of talented players sport their black, silver and blue uniforms.
Earlier this offseason, Carolina hired Matt Rhule to become their next head coach. Seeing that the Panthers gave him a seven-year, $60 million contract, they expect him to have a long-lasting career with the organization.
Throughout the team's history, Carolina has had five different head coaches. That includes Perry Fewell, who coached the final four games for the Panthers in an interim capacity in the 2019 season following the firing of Ron Rivera.
There's no doubt that Carolina hopes that Rhule becomes one of the best head coaches they've had since their inception in the league. While it remains to be seen how Rhule fares in the NFL, here are the three best head coaches of all time for the Panthers.
3. Dom Capers
When the Houston Texans became an expansion franchise in 2002, Dom Capers was hired to be their first head coach. Capers would proceed to coach the Texans for their first four seasons in the NFL, compiling an abysmal 18-46 record.
However, before he became the first coach of the Texans, Capers was actually the first head coach of the Panthers, as well. Back in 1995, when Carolina became an NFL franchise, Capers was hired to be the team's first head coach.
Similar to his time in Houston, Capers lasted four seasons with the Panthers. On the other hand, unlike his stint with the Texans, Capers won a playoff game in Carolina and posted a 30-34 record in his four years with the franchise.
2. John Fox
Following the decision to fire Capers after the 1998 season, the Panthers elected to hire George Seifert as his replacement. Seifert would only last three seasons with the organization, posting a putrid 16-32 record that led to his demise in 2001.
After Seifert's short time with the team, Carolina hired John Fox in hopes he could turn the Panthers into a contender. Despite the odds being stacked against him, Fox turned Carolina into a playoff team in a relatively short time. Also, during his time with the Panthers, he posted a respectable 73-71 record.
In just his second season as head coach in 2003, Fox and the Panthers made their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. While he fell victim to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Fox will forever be remembered by fans in Carolina as the coach who helped bring them there.
1. Ron Rivera
Lastly, Carolina's most recent head coach — Ron Rivera — lands at No. 1 on the list of all-time best Panthers coaches. In his final year with the team in 2010, Fox only managed to notch a 2-14 record. As a result, he was fired by Carolina after nine seasons with the organization.
Therefore, when Rivera accepted the gig in 2011, he was inheriting a team that struggled to win games in the season prior. Nevertheless, after taking quarterback Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Panthers rose to relevance under Rivera.
In his first two seasons manning the ship, Rivera led Carolina to a 13-19 record. However, in his third season with the team, the Panthers would go 12-4 and make it to the NFC Divisional round.
Rivera's best season would come in 2015, when Carolina compiled a franchise-best 15-1 record in the regular season and made the Super Bowl. Similar to Fox, though, Rivera would be unable to secure the Panthers' first Super Bowl victory. Even with that in mind, Rivera is still the best coach Carolina has hired thus far.
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