CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have fired first-year head coach Frank Reich after the team fell to 1-10, losing to the Tennessee Titans 17-10 on Sunday.
Reich was Carolina's first-ever starting quarterback in their inaugural season in 1995, throwing the first touchdown pass in franchise history.
After Reich's playing days were through, he spent some time at the Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte and was, for a time, a pastor at a local church. But when the itch to coach had to be scratched, there was one obvious place for him to land first. His brother Joe Reich has been the head coach at Wingate for 22 seasons, and, in about 2005, Frank Reich joined him on staff as a volunteer.
Frank Reich's NFL career
After that season, Frank Reich caught on as an intern with the Indianapolis Colts. Reich was the offensive coordinator for the then-San Diego Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles before taking over the Colts' head coaching job in 2018. His time in Philadelphia ended with a Super Bowl win in 2017. The Panthers were his second team as an NFL head coach.
His firing in Carolina marks the second year in a row he was fired from the head coaching position as he was let go by the Colts midseason last year after four-plus seasons. He has a 41-35-1 record as a head coach. Reich took the Colts to the playoffs twice in four full seasons and finished below .500 just once.
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