2002 Carolina Panthers season

The 2002 season was the Carolina Panthers' eighth in the National Football League and their first under head coach John Fox. They tried to improve upon their 1–15 record in 2001, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.

2002 Carolina Panthers season
OwnerJerry Richardson
General managerMarty Hurney
Head coachJohn Fox
Home fieldEricsson Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place4th NFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersDT Kris Jenkins
P Todd Sauerbrun
AP All-ProsDT Kris Jenkins (1st team)
P Todd Sauerbrun (1st team)

After moving from the NFC West to the more geographically accurate NFC South, they improved by six games to finish 7–9, but were still five games behind the division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and failed to make the playoffs. As of the 2021 season, their week 12, 41–0 loss against the Atlanta Falcons is the last time the Panthers have been shutout in any game.

Offseason
SigningsDepartures
DE Shane Burton (Jets)WR Donald Hayes (Patriots)
CB Terry Cousin (Dolphins)FB Chris Hetherington (Rams)
LB Mark Fields (Rams)DE Jay Williams (Dolphins)

NFL Draft
Main article: 2002 NFL Draft

The 2002 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 15 and April 16, 2002. The Panthers selected nine players in seven rounds. Despite having the worst record in the league the previous season, the Panthers picked 2nd overall due to the Houston Texans picking first overall in their inaugural draft, as is tradition with expansion teams.

NFL Draft
Main article: 2002 NFL Draft
2002 Carolina Panthers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 2 Julius Peppers *  DE North Carolina
2 34 DeShaun Foster  RB UCLA
3 73 Will Witherspoon  LB Georgia
4 100 Dante Wesley  CB Arkansas-Pine Bluff
5 137 Randy Fasani  QB Stanford
5 145 Kyle Johnson  FB Syracuse
6 174 Keith Heinrich  TE Sam Houston State
7 213 Pete Campion  G North Dakota State
7 258 Brad Franklin  CB Louisiana-Lafayette
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff
2002 Carolina Panthers staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Assistant head coach/special teams – Scott O'Brien
  • Assistant special teams coordinator/assistant strength and conditioning – Darrin Simmons

Strength and conditioning

[1]

Roster
2002 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
 53 active, 14 inactive, 5 practice squad


Regular season

Schedule

Under the NFL’s new scheduling formula put in place for this season, the Panthers would play two games each season against their NFC South division rivals. A schedule rotation would see them play the NFC North in full in 2002 and every three seasons subsequently, and the AFC North in 2002 and every four seasons subsequently. As the Panthers had the worst record in the NFL in 2001, they would also play the Arizona Cardinals, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the reconstituted NFC West, and the Dallas Cowboys, who had the worst 2001 record amongst teams in the NFC East.

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 8 Baltimore Ravens W 10–7 1–0 Ericsson Stadium 70,386
2 September 15 Detroit Lions W 31–7 2–0 Ericsson Stadium 71,951
3 September 22 at Minnesota Vikings W 21–14 3–0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 63,945
4 September 29 at Green Bay Packers L 14–17 3–1 Lambeau Field 63,329
5 October 6 Arizona Cardinals L 13–16 3–2 Ericsson Stadium 72,286
6 October 13 at Dallas Cowboys L 13–14 3–3 Texas Stadium 61,773
7 October 20 at Atlanta Falcons L 0–30 3–4 Georgia Dome 68,056
8 October 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 9–12 3–5 Ericsson Stadium 72,892
9 Bye
10 November 10 New Orleans Saints L 24–34 3–6 Ericsson Stadium 72,566
11 November 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 10–23 3–7 Raymond James Stadium 65,527
12 November 24 Atlanta Falcons L 0–41 3–8 Ericsson Stadium 72,533
13 December 1 at Cleveland Browns W 13–6 4–8 Cleveland Browns Stadium 72,718
14 December 8 Cincinnati Bengals W 52–31 5–8 Ericsson Stadium 66,799
15 December 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–30 5–9 Heinz Field 58,586
16 December 22 Chicago Bears W 24–14 6–9 Ericsson Stadium 72,602
17 December 29 at New Orleans Saints W 10–6 7–9 Louisiana Superdome 66,946
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Week 2: vs. Detroit Lions
Week 2: Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 707
Panthers 0 10 14731

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 0 71421
Vikings 0 7 0714

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: September 22, 2002
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 63,945
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar (86)
  • TV: FOX
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
Week 4: Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 0 0714
Packers 3 7 0717

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

Week 16: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 16: Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 7 0 0714
Panthers 0 21 0324

at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

Standings
NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 346 196 W1
(6) Atlanta Falcons 9 6 1 .594 4–2 7–5 402 314 L1
New Orleans Saints 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 432 388 L3
Carolina Panthers 7 9 0 .438 1–5 4–8 258 302 W2

References
  1. "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
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