John Fox (football coach)

John Fox (born February 8, 1955) is an American Football coach who is currently head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League.

Playing career
John Fox played football at Castle Park High School under local celebrated coaches Gil Warren and Reldon "Bing" Dawson and Southwestern College (California) in Chula Vista from 1974-1975 before going to San Diego State, where he played defensive back with NFL player & head coach Herman Edwards. Fox received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and earned teaching credentials from San Diego State.

Early Coaching Career
In 1983, John Fox was a member of Mike Gottfried's University of Kansas staff, as the secondary coach. Fox followed Mike Gottfried to the University of Pittsburgh when Gottfried became Head Coach at Pitt in 1986. Fox was first the Defensive Backs coach and then was promoted to Defensive Coordinator by Gottfried. While at Pitt, Fox made some contacts with Pittsburgh Steeler coaches and when Gottfried was let go by Pitt, Fox got his first NFL coaching gig with the Steelers.

USFL
Fox began his first professional football coaching stint in the short-lived United States Football League with the Los Angeles Express.

NFL
He entered the NFL in 1989 as the secondary coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, later also holding this job with the San Diego Chargers. Fox was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Raiders and later that of the New York Giants during Super Bowl XXXV, which they lost.

Carolina Panthers
In 2002 Fox was signed as the third head coach of the Panthers, whose previous coach George Seifert had led the team to a disastrous 1-15 record in 2001. Fox's first regular season game was a 10-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens which ended the Panthers' 15-game losing streak dating to the previous season. Fox and the Panthers posted a 7-9 record for the 2002 season (his first with the team), demonstrating a drastic improvement over the previous season.

In the 2003 season Fox led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32-29 to the New England Patriots on a last-minute field goal by Adam Vinatieri. In taking the Panthers to the Super Bowl, Fox joined Vince Lombardi as the only coaches to inherit a team that had won only one game in the season immediately prior to their hiring, and then took that team to the NFL Championship game. Fox also took the Carolina Panthers to the NFC Championship game in the 2005 season, but they were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2006 season was disappointing for Fox and the Panthers, as a team that had Super Bowl aspirations finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.

The 2007 season saw the team finish with a record of 7-9, before finishing with a 12-4 record in the 2008 season, again heading to the playoffs in which they were routed by the Arizona Cardinals.

The 2009 season was disappointing to Fox and the Panthers much like 2006. The Panthers finished the season 8-8 and in third place in the NFC South division, missing the playoffs again.

The 2010 season saw the Panthers finish last in the league, at 2-14.

On December 31st, 2010 Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced he will not be renewing Fox's contract at the conclusion of the 2010 season.

Denver Broncos
On January 13, 2011, Fox was selected to be the 14th head coach of the Denver Broncos. He was signed to a 4 year $14 million dollar deal. He was chosen by the Broncos out of a list of 5 possible head coach candidates that included Broncos interim head coach and former running backs coach Eric Studesville, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Houston Texans offensive coordinator Rick Dennison and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. Fox was chosen based on his previous head coaching experience plus his 20+ years as an NFL coach.

Personal life
John Fox was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia and raised in San Diego, California after moving there at age 15. His father Ron was a US Navy SEAL. Fox is married to Robin Fox. They have three sons: Matthew, Mark and Cody, and a daughter, Halle. Fox is an active community leader in the Carolinas. He and his wife Robin co-chair the annual Angels & Stars Gala benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. he made the super bowl in 2003

Coaching tree
NFL head coaches under whom John Fox has served:
 * Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers (1969–1991)
 * Bobby Ross, San Diego Chargers (1992–1993)
 * Art Shell, Oakland Raiders (1994)
 * Mike White, Oakland Raiders (1995)
 * Rich Brooks, St. Louis Rams (1996)
 * Jim Fassel, New York Giants (1997–2001)

Assistant coaches under John Fox who became NFL head coaches:
 * Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars (2003–current)