The Carolina Panthers have been looking for someone to fix their longstanding offensive woes. So, why not look to the guy who put up the very first points in franchise history?
As announced by the team on Thursday, the Panthers are set to hire Frank Reich as their new head coach. The 61-year-old had emerged as a serious candidate this week, having earned a second interview with owner David Tepper and the team’s search committee along with Steve Wilks and Kellen Moore.
Reich’s professional playing career began in 1985, as a third-round selection by the Buffalo Bills out of the University of Maryland. After a decade up north, he’d move on to the Panthers for their inaugural 1995 campaign—becoming the first quarterback to ever take a regular-season snap for the organization.
He transitioned to the sidelines in 2006, as a coaching intern for the Indianapolis Colts. Reich picked up six years of experience in that first stint—also serving as an offensive coaching staff assistant, quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach.
His next two stops landed him with the Arizona Cardinals as a wide receivers coach in 2012 then as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers between 2013 and 2015. He went on to take the offensive coordinator position for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and 2017, a run that included the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
The Colts then came calling back, hiring Reich as their head coach in 2018. He’d go 40-33-1 with a pair of playoff appearances before being fired nine weeks into the 2022 season.
