2001 Carolina Panthers season

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.

2001 Carolina Panthers season
OwnerJerry Richardson
Head coachGeorge Seifert
Home fieldEricsson Stadium
Results
Record1–15
Division place5th NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersTE Wesley Walls
WR Steve Smith
P Todd Sauerbrun
The New England Patriots at Carolina in Week 17 on January 6, 2002

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 until the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars became the second team to replicate 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.

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 shockingly went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI over the 14–2 Rams. Coincidentally, the Panthers would face the Patriots 2 seasons later in Super Bowl XXXVIII, which saw the Panthers lose 32–29. Following their terrible season, head coach George Seifert was fired and replaced by New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox.

The 2001 Panthers became the seventh team to finish 1–15 after the 2000 Chargers, 1996 Jets, 1991 Colts, 1990 Patriots, 1989 Cowboys and the 1980 Saints. The 2007 Dolphins, 2009 Rams, 2016 Browns, and the 2020 Jaguars would eventually become the next 4 teams after the Panthers to finish with only one win as of 2020.

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

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 2001 NFL Draft
2001 Carolina Panthers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
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

[1]

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

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Jerry Simmons

[2]

Roster
2001 Carolina Panthers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


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
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
  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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