CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — While everyone hopes to hit the ground running in a new job, first years have been tough for Panthers head coaches.
Most seasons were forgettable. Some were very bad, and one was so awful, the coach didn’t even make it to the end of the year.
On Thursday, the Panthers announced their hiring of head coach Dave Canales.
The first man tasked with leading the Carolina franchise was Dom Capers in 1995. All things considered, he didn’t do all that bad, guiding an expansion team to a 7-9 record. Particularly impressive was that after an 0-5 start, Capers guided the Panthers to a 7-4 record the rest of the way.
After four years with Capers, came the great Super Bowl winning coach George Seifert in 1999. Even after 20-plus of existence, his first season with the Panthers is still the best for a first-year Carolina coach, as the team went 8-8. The highpoint was a 33-31 win over the two-time NFC champion Packers. Carolina would then close out the year by winning three of its last four.
Despite the .500 record, Carolina missed out on making the playoffs that season. Interestingly enough, it’s something they’ve never done under a first year head coach. It didn’t happen with John Fox or Ron Rivera, two of the most successful coaches in team history. Fox was just 7-9 his first year with the team in 2002 – through a vast improvement from the 1-15 mark the year before. Rivera in 2011 went 6-10.
In 2020, Matt Rhule had his chance to coach the Panthers. He went just 5-11.
But just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, here comes Frank Reich in 2023. He lasted just 11 games, going 1-10 before getting fired.
The good news for Canales is that the bar is low. The bad news is that history is not on his side.