2001 Carolina Panthers season

2001 Carolina Panthers season
2001 Carolina Panthers season
Owner	Jerry Richardson
Head coach	George Seifert
Home field	Ericsson Stadium
Results
Record	1–15
Division place	5th NFC West
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	TE Wesley Walls; WR Steve Smith; P Todd Sauerbrun
	← 2000; Panthers seasons; 2002 →;

The New England Patriots at Carolina in Week 17 on January 6, 2002

The 2001 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League and the 3rd and final under head coach George Seifert. They tried to improve upon their 7–9 record in 2000, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history; however, the season was a wreck. Not only were the Panthers unable to improve over their previous season, but they deteriorated even further, dropping to 1–15.

The Panthers defeated the Minnesota Vikings in their opening game of the season, and then became the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose fifteen consecutive games afterwards. The Panthers were the only team to have won their opener and lose the remainder of the season. The 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars became the second team to accomplish this feat.

The Panthers consequently beat the record for most consecutive losses during a single NFL season that had been shared by the 1976 Buccaneers, 1980 Saints, 1981 Colts and 1990 Patriots. This record has since been broken by two winless teams: the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns. The 2001 Panthers also became the seventh team to finish 1–15 .

By the end of the season, the Panthers had become so incapacitated that only about 16,000 fans showed up to see them play in their finale against the New England Patriots, who eventually went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI. Coincidentally, the Panthers would face the Patriots two seasons later in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Following their terrible season, head coach George Seifert was fired and replaced by New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox.

Despite having the worst record in the league, the Panthers did not earn a number-one overall draft pick in the 2002 NFL Draft due to the debut season of the expansion Houston Texans.

In 2015, the Panthers went 15–1, becoming the first team in NFL history to have both a 1–15 season and a 15–1 season. With the NFL going to a 17-game format in the 2021 season, they are also the only team to accomplish this.

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
2001 Carolina Panthers draft
1	11	Dan Morgan *	Linebacker	Miami (FL)
2	44	Kris Jenkins *	Defensive tackle	Maryland
3	74	Steve Smith *	Wide receiver	Utah
4	106	Chris Weinke	Quarterback	Florida State
5	143	Jarrod Cooper	Defensive back	Kansas State
6	175	Dee Brown	Running back	Syracuse
7	211	Louis Williams	Center	Louisiana State
7	227	Mike Roberg	Tight end	Idaho
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

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Undrafted free agents[]

2001 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player	Position	College
Nick Goings	Running back	Pittsburgh
Nathan Hodel	Long snapper	Illinois

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**2001 Carolina Panthers staff**

	Front office Owner/Founder – Jerry Richardson President – Mark Richardson Director of Football Operations – Marty Hurney Director of Player Personnel – Jack Bushofsky Head coaches Head Coach – George Seifert Offensive coaches Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator – Richard Williamson Quarterbacks – Turk Schonert Running Backs – Wide Receivers – Mike McCoy Tight Ends – Don Breaux Offensive Line – Paul Boudreau Offensive Assistant – Greg Roman			Defensive coaches Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator – John Marshall Defensive Line – Jacob Burney Linebackers – Sam Mills Defensive Backs (Secondary) – Defensive Assistant – Alvin Reynolds Special teams coaches Special Teams – Scott O'Brien Assistant Special Teams Coordinator/Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Darrin Simmons Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Jerry Simmons

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Roster[]

**2001 Carolina Panthers final roster**

	Quarterbacks 9 Matt Lytle 16 Chris Weinke 5 Jim Harbaugh Running backs 36 Nick Goings 44 Chris Hetherington FB 45 Brad Hoover FB 34 Richard Huntley Wide receivers 82 Isaac Byrd 88 Karl Hankton 81 Donald Hayes 83 Patrick Jeffers 87 Muhsin Muhammad 89 Steve Smith 15 Jim Turner Tight ends 80 Luther Broughton 84 Casey Crawford 86 Kris Mangum		Offensive linemen 78 Jeno James G 76 Leander Jordan G 60 Jeff Mitchell C 63 Jamar Nesbit G/C 75 Todd Steussie T 70 Chris Terry T 73 Melvin Tuten T 62 T. J. Washington T 66 Louis Williams C Defensive linemen 99 Brentson Buckner DT 94 Sean Gilbert DE 77 Kris Jenkins DT 91 Cedric Killings DT 71 Al Lucas DT 93 Mike Rucker DE 50 Chris Slade DE 96 Jay Williams DE 92 Gillis Wilson DE		Linebackers 59 Darren Hambrick OLB 54 Nate Hemsley OLB 52 Kory Minor OLB 55 Dan Morgan OLB 57 Lester Towns MLB 95 Dean Wells MLB Defensive backs 46 Rashard Anderson CB 40 Jarrod Cooper S 33 Doug Evans CB 27 Deon Grant S 28 Deveron Harper CB 37 Jimmy Hitchcock CB 23 Reggie Howard CB 30 Mike Minter S 39 Damien Richardson S Special teams 4 John Kasay K 56 Jason Kyle LS 10 Todd Sauerbrun P		Reserve lists 21 Tim Biakabutuka RB (IR) 22 Dee Brown RB (IR) 64 Larry Chester DT (IR) 2 Dameyune Craig QB (IR) 65 Kevin Donnalley G (IR) 98 John Milem DE (IR) 53 Hannibal Navies LB (IR) 97 Jason Peter DE (IR) 85 Wesley Walls TE (IR) Practice squad 12 Anthony Bright WR 74 Derrick Fletcher G 24 Morgan Kane RB Rookies in italics , 3 practice squad

Schedule[]

Regular season[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 9	at Minnesota Vikings	W 24–13	1–0	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Recap
2	September 23	at Atlanta Falcons	L 16–24	1–1	Georgia Dome	Recap
3	September 30	Green Bay Packers	L 7–28	1–2	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
4	October 7	at San Francisco 49ers	L 14–24	1–3	3Com Park	Recap
5	October 14	New Orleans Saints	L 25–27	1–4	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
6	October 21	at Washington Redskins	L 14–17 (OT)	1–5	FedExField	Recap
7	October 28	New York Jets	L 12–13	1–6	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
8	November 4	at Miami Dolphins	L 6–23	1–7	Pro Player Stadium	Recap
9	November 11	at St. Louis Rams	L 14–48	1–8	Dome at America's Center	Recap
10	November 18	San Francisco 49ers	L 22–25 (OT)	1–9	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
11	November 25	Atlanta Falcons	L 7–10	1–10	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
12	December 2	at New Orleans Saints	L 23–27	1–11	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
13	December 9	at Buffalo Bills	L 24–25	1–12	Ralph Wilson Stadium	Recap
14	Bye
15	December 23	St. Louis Rams	L 32–38	1–13	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
16	December 30	Arizona Cardinals	L 7–30	1–14	Ericsson Stadium	Recap
17	January 6	New England Patriots	L 6–38	1–15	Ericsson Stadium	Recap

Standings[]

NFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾ St. Louis Rams	14	2	0	.875	503	273	W6
⁽⁵⁾ San Francisco 49ers	12	4	0	.750	409	282	W1
New Orleans Saints	7	9	0	.438	333	409	L4
Atlanta Falcons	7	9	0	.438	291	377	L2
Carolina Panthers	1	15	0	.063	253	410	L15

References[]

^ "2001 Carolina Panthers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
^ "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.

[1] "2001 Carolina Panthers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.

[2] "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.

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v t Carolina Panthers
Founded in 1995 Based and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina
Franchise	Franchise Team history Seasons Coaches Players Expansion draft First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Records and statistics Broadcasters
Stadiums	Memorial Stadium Bank of America Stadium
Culture and lore	David Tepper Jerry Richardson Sir Purr Carolina Topcats Cardiac Cats "Sweet Caroline"
Rivalries	Atlanta Falcons Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Hall of Honor	Jake Delhomme Jordan Gross Mike McCormack Sam Mills PSL Owners Steve Smith Sr. Wesley Walls
Wild card berths (2)	2005 2017
Division championships (6)	1996 2003 2008 2013 2014 2015
Conference championships (2)	2003 2015
Retired numbers	51
Media	Broadcasters Mick Mixon Eugene Robinson Bill Rosinski TV: WCCB Radio Network: WBT
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division

v t Carolina Panthers seasons
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance