By David Rogers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While the sentimental favorite as the next Carolina Panthers head coach might well have been Steve Wilks (after leading the team to a near-berth in the NFL playoffs upon taking the reins during a chaotic mid-season), the Frank Reich hire makes a lot of sense — and on a couple of different levels.
First, Reich is an offensive minded head coach who knows the team needs stability at the quarterback position. He said as much during the Jan. 31 press conference introducing him to Charlotte and the Carolinas. He promised a strong partnership with general manager Scott Fitterer and owner David Tepper in “creating a blueprint and a plan, then executing it” as they look toward the long-term needs at the QB and other positions.
Second, Reich brings a connection with Carolina’s franchise past. In 1995, Reich was introduced as Carolina’s first quarterback, after some 10 years with the Buffalo Bills. He threw the franchise’s first touchdown pass, to tight end Pete Metzelaars, who also had joined the new franchise after playing in Buffalo. In 2023, Reich was introduced as the franchise’s sixth head coach.
Underlining the significance of Reich’s signing as the new Panthers mentor, Metzelaars was on hand at the introductory press conference, sitting in the front row alongside other players from the 1995 team. Several current team members were also on hand and Reich said he looked forward to meeting with each member of the current roster, one on one.
“For us as a family,” Reich told the large crowd gathered for the occasion in the Bank of America “Red Zone” lounge area, “this place has always been special. To think that we are here now and having the opportunity to be the head coach of the Panthers, it is a tremendous privilege, honor, responsibility… I am just excited to get to work.”
Reich brought chuckles to the crowd when asked to recall that first year with the franchise in 1995, telling about the camaraderie developed among the guys — without sharing details — when they had to take bus trips from Charlotte to where they played home games at Clemson University because the construction of Bank of America Stadium had not yet been completed.
In five seasons as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Reich compiled a 40-33-1 record.
“Relationships have to be right and (owner) Mr. Tepper has a commitment to excellence,” said Reich, in speaking with the media.
Reich grew up in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, playing football (QB), baseball and basketball. He was accepted at the University of Maryland on a football scholarship. As a quarterback, he always seemed to find a role as a backup, first to Boomer Esiason for three years at Maryland, then to Stan Gelbaugh after Reich suffered a shoulder separation the fourth week of the 1984 season, against Wake Forest. But against Miami that year, Reich came off the bench to lead the Terrapins to a thrilling, 42-40 win after the Bernie Kosar-led Hurricanes took a 31-0 lead into halftime.
Selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft, Reich quickly found himself in another backup role, this time behind future Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly. Reich nonetheless had several key performances when Kelly was out with an injury, perhaps none more thrilling than the 1993 “wild card” playoff game when the Bills faced the then Houston Oilers. He helped rally the Bills from a 32-point deficit en route to a 41-38 overtime win.
After beginning the Panthers’ inaugural 1995 season as the starting QB, Reich ceded the job to the QB the Panthers had drafted as their expected franchise quarterback, Kerry Collins, who the team had selected fifth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. After being relegated once again to a backup role, Reich moved on to the New York Jets in 1996, then to the Detroit Lions in 1997. He retired after the 1998 season.
In an NFL Network piece in 2014, “Caught in the Draft: 1985,” Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian described Reich as “… the greatest backup quarterback in NFL history.”
History has documented that the best coaches are not always a game’s once star players, but more often its backups, who try harder and learn more about the intricacies of competition in the process. The Carolina Panthers and owner David Tepper may just have found their guy in Frank Reich.
