John Fox (American football)

John Fox

Fox in June 2010
Chicago Bears
Personal information
Born:	(1955-02-08) February 8, 1955 Virginia Beach, Virginia
Career information
College:	San Diego State
Head coaching record
Regular season:	118–89–0 (.570)
Postseason:	8–7 (.533)
Record at Pro Football Reference

John Fox (born February 8, 1955) is an American football coach, who currently is the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He has also coached the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos.

A former defensive back, Fox is considered a defensive-minded coach, but has presided over a record setting offense while the head coach of the Denver Broncos, with quarterback Peyton Manning throwing for 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns, both records, in the 2013 NFL season, as the offense combined for 7,317 yards, also a record. At the conclusion of the 2011 season, the Broncos finished tied for 3rd in the NFL in sacks and 1st in rushing offense.

Playing career

John Fox played football at Castle Park High School in Chula Vista, California under local celebrated coaches Gil Warren and Reldon "Bing" Dawson, and Southwestern College (California) also in Chula Vista from 1974-1975, before going to San Diego State, where he played defensive back with future NFL player & head coach Herman Edwards. Fox received a bachelor’s degree in physical education and earned teaching credentials from San Diego State. He then proceeded to the NFL as a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that contract was over he retired from the NFL.

Early coaching career

In 1979 John Fox was a defensive backs coach at U.S. International University. Sid Gillman, past head coach of the San Diego Chargers, was the athletic director at the time. In 1980, Fox was the defensive backs coach for the Boise State University Broncos when they won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. 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 in 1985.

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 Carolina 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-second 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 31, 2010 Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced that he would 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 deal. He was chosen by the Broncos out of a list of 5 possible head coach candidates that included Broncos interim head coach and running backs coach Eric Studesville, Atlanta Falcons 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.

Fox is one of only two coaches, and the only one as a head coach, still working on the NFL sidelines that was once a member of former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll's coaching staff, the other being current Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach George Stewart. Tom Moore, currently an offensive consultant for the Arizona Cardinals, is still active in the league but works from home.

In week two of the 2012 season, Fox was fined $30,000 for chiding the replacement officials.

In week 17 of the 2012 season, Fox won his 100th career game as an NFL head coach, including the playoffs, beating the Kansas City Chiefs 38-3.

Due to a cardiac related issue, starting with week 10 of 2013, Fox was replaced by Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, as Fox underwent an aortic valve replacement. Fox, while playing golf in North Carolina near his offseason home in Charlotte during the Broncos bye week, reported feeling dizzy and was taken to the hospital for examination where doctors told him not to put off valve replacement surgery any longer; he had done so earlier in the year to continue coaching this season. On November 4, Fox temporarily relinquished his head coaching duties, named Jack Del Rio as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2013 season, underwent successful aortic valve replacement surgery, and is now recuperating.

He coached the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII in the 2013 season, where they played the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks in the New Jersey MetLife Stadium. He is one of only two head coaches to win both an NFC and an AFC championship game along with Dan Reeves. On Feb 2, 2014, Broncos lost to the Seahawks 43-8. At the end of this game, his Super Bowl win-lose statistic as head coach is 0-2.

In April 2012, Fox received a three-year contract extension worth between $5 million and $6 million per year, replacing his contract that expired at the end of the 2014 NFL season.

Fox is only the second head coach in the history of the NFL to win four straight division titles since joining a new team.

On January 12, 2015, the day after Denver lost in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Fox and the Broncos mutually agreed to part ways. Fox left the Broncos with the highest regular season win percentage in team history.

Chicago Bears

On January 16, 2015, it was reported that Fox had accepted a four-year deal to become head coach of the Chicago Bears.

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. Known to his friends as "Foxy," 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.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season					Post Season
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
CAR	2002	7	9	0	.438	4th in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR	2003	11	5	0	.688	1st in NFC South	3	1	.750	Lost to New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
CAR	2004	7	9	0	.438	3rd in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR	2005	11	5	0	.688	2nd in NFC South	2	1	.667	Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Championship Game.
CAR	2006	8	8	0	.500	2nd in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR	2007	7	9	0	.438	2nd in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR	2008	12	4	0	.750	1st in NFC South	0	1	.000	Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Divisional Game.
CAR	2009	8	8	0	.500	3rd in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR	2010	2	14	0	.125	4th in NFC South	-	-	-	-
CAR Total		73	71	0	.507		5	3	.625
DEN	2011	8	8	0	.500	1st in AFC West	1	1	.500	Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game.
DEN	2012	13	3	0	.812	1st in AFC West	0	1	.000	Lost to Baltimore Ravens in AFC Divisional Game.
DEN	2013	13	3	0	.813	1st in AFC West	2	1	.750	Lost to Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.
DEN	2014	12	4	0	.750	1st in AFC West	0	1	.000	Lost to Indianapolis Colts in AFC Divisional Game.
DEN Total		46	18	0	.719		3	4	.428
Total		119	89	0	.572		8	7	.533	-

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom John Fox has served:

• Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers (1989–1991)
• 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 (2003–2011)
• Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders (2012–2014)
• Mike McCoy, San Diego Chargers (2013–present)