The Panthers reached a milestone in 2007 that head coach John Fox would prefer not to repeat when they became the first team in a decade to win at least one game with four different starting quarterbacks. However, carving out seven wins in such a season only reinforced Fox's reputation as one of the top head coaches in the National Football League.

Those wins also raised his six-year total to 56 victories, which ranks the Panthers ninth in the League for games won since Fox became head coach in 2002. It is quite an accomplishment considering he inherited a Carolina team coming off a one-win season. In that time, Fox has directed Carolina to two playoff appearances, two NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. The Panthers 56-47 overall record under Fox easily makes him the winningest coach in franchise history.

For much of his tenure, Fox has had the benefit of having Jake Delhomme as his starting quarterback. But in the last 18 regular season games, Delhomme has only started four contests, and the 2007 campaign reflected Fox's ability to adapt as venerable Vinny Testaverde led the team with six starts while undrafted rookie Matt Moore made three. It was a season of contrasts, but once again Fox was able to keep his team together to win three of its last five games.

Fox has made a habit of being at his best in most dire situations or when the stakes are the highest. Carolina's 5-2 playoff record under Fox is one of the best winning percentages in the NFL. In compiling that mark, he has put his name alongside some of the game's coaching hierarchy with the following achievements:

• The Panthers four consecutive playoff road victories under Fox tied the NFL record held by the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry. • With four postseason road victories, Fox trails only Landry (seven) and Joe Gibbs (five). • In guiding the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2003, Fox joined Vince Lombardi and Bill Parcells as the only coaches in NFL history to inherit a one-win team and guide it to the playoffs two years later.

Those accomplishments only begin to tell Fox's story. The 41 wins in his first four years more than doubled the Panthers total in the previous four seasons (20).

His impact was immediate. In his first season, Carolina improved its record by six games, from 1-15 in 2001 to 7-9 in 2002. The six-game improvement was the best in the NFL that season and the best jump for a rookie head coach since the League instituted the 16-game schedule in 1978.

That success laid the foundation for his second season as the Panthers, a consensus last-place preseason selection, stunned the experts by winning the NFC South before advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII with playoff wins versus Dallas, at St. Louis and at Philadelphia. The victory over the Rams ended a 14-game St. Louis home winning streak in the fifth-longest overtime game in League history.

The 2004 season saw Fox again at his best in adverse situation as injuries derailed a promising season, and the Panthers were mired in last place midway through the season at 1-7. Faced with a depleted roster and the greatest challenge of his short head-coaching career, Fox responded by leading Carolina to six wins in the final eight weeks and narrowly missing a second consecutive playoff berth.

The strong finish set up another playoff run by Carolina in 2005 as the Panthers recorded an 11-5 regular season mark to make the NFC postseason as a Wild Card. Once again, Fox was at his best when his team had to win the final week on the road at Atlanta following a heart-breaking loss at home versus Dallas and responded with a 44-11 victory. Then came road playoff wins against the New York Giants and Chicago Bears before a loss in the NFC Championship at Seattle.

In 2006, the Panthers lost three starters in the regular season opener but managed an 8-8 record to post back-to-back non-losing seasons for the first time in team history.

His success is no surprise to those who know him best, particularly Panthers General Manager Marty Hurney, who worked with Fox at San Diego in the 1990's.

"He has it," Hurney said. "He has great people skills. He listens to everybody and he has defensive expertise. And he has a tremendous presence. When he walks down the hall, he affects everybody."

It was those intangibles, combined with a thorough knowledge of the game that led the Panthers to Fox in 2002. And the fruits of Fox's labor are evident on every level.

Five defensive players have gone to the Pro Bowl since his arrival, highlighted by defensive end Julius Peppers' three consecutive selections from 2004-2006. Defensive tackle Kris Jenkins played in two NFL all-star games, while linebacker Mark Fields, linebacker Dan Morgan and defensive end Mike Rucker each represented the NFC squad once under Fox's tutelage. On offense, wide receiver Steve Smith has appeared in two Pro Bowls under Fox with Delhomme and guard Mike Wahle making one appearance each.

Changing the mindset was equally important and possibly more challenging as improving personnel. After going 3-16 in games decided by three points or less from 1999-2002, the Panthers tied an NFL record with seven victories by three points or less in 2003. Seven times they drove for the game-winning score in overtime or with less than two minutes remaining in regulation during the regular season.

The Panthers opened Fox's first season with a 10-7 victory over Baltimore, ending the long losing streak and setting the tone for a season that would include several milestones:

• The six-game improvement was the largest in the NFL in 2002, and only two previous rookie head coaches, Jim Haslett in 2000 and Bobby Ross in 1992, had a more significant impact on their team's record since the NFL implemented a 16-game schedule in 1978. • Carolina's defense became the only unit since the NFL merger in 1970 to improve to second in the League in overall defense after placing last the previous season. • The Panthers ranked in the top five of 10 different defensive categories, leading the NFL in rushing yards per attempt and sacks per pass play, ranking second in third down efficiency and standing third in first downs allowed per game. • The 52 sacks recorded by Carolina in 2002 more than doubled the total of the previous season and are the second most in team history.

Only two starters, Smith and fullback Brad Hoover, remain from the team Fox inherited. The 2007 roster contained 12 rookies, including Moore and linebacker Jon Beason, runner-up in the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting.

Fox's ability to adjust and move forward was never more evident than in the 2004 season when the Panthers became just the third team since 1990 to finish with seven wins after starting 1-7 and the sixth team since 1974 to follow up a 1-7 start with seven victories.

In the face of losing Smith, Jenkins and running back Stephen Davis, Fox fell back on a couple of his favorite euphemisms: "Everybody starts out a nobody," and "If we didn't think you were good, you wouldn't be here."

The words proved prophetic as former undrafted running back Nick Goings responded with five 100-yard games, rookie wide receiver Colbert caught 47 passes and Travelle Wharton, another rookie, stepped in as a starter on the offensive line.

In Fox's rookie season as head coach, the Panthers started 3-0 but lost eight consecutive games amid suspensions, injuries and assorted setbacks. Though on the ropes, Carolina never buckled and rallied to win four of its final five games.

After an 8-2 start in 2003, the Panthers slipped into a three-game losing streak. However, Fox again steadied the ship, and Carolina regrouped to win its final three games and the NFC South division.

The team's first playoff appearance since 1996 resulted in some of the most memorable moments in team history. Hosting an NFC Wild Card game against Dallas, the Panthers won convincingly 29-10, accumulating 380 yards against the NFL's top ranked defense while not committing a turnover or a penalty. A week later, the Panthers played the fifth-longest game in League history, topping St. Louis, 29-23, in the second overtime to stop the Rams 14-game home winning streak. The following week, Carolina won its first NFC Championship by defeating Philadelphia, 14-3, on the road.

Fox culminated a 20-year odyssey when he was named head coach of the Carolina Panthers on January 26, 2002. Regarded as one of the top defensive coaches in the NFL, Fox proved to be the right choice at the right time for the franchise. Production, work ethic, enthusiasm and high energy were ingredients he brought to Carolina.

It is fitting that Fox achieved his opportunity the old fashioned way, beginning as a graduate assistant in 1978 and making 12 stops in 17 years before being named defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in 1997. Seizing that opportunity, he annually produced highly regarded units for the Giants, known for their all-out play as well as their production.

His style and philosophy are as grounded as his career path to Carolina. It is a combination that caught the Panthers attention. For in Fox, the son of a Navy SEAL, they found a man whose passion for the game is matched by the zeal of his players on the field.

If Fox coaches with a passion, it could be that he has something to prove after so many stops. Boise, Idaho. Ames, Iowa. Lawrence, Kansas. They were all on his résumé before reaching the NFL as a secondary coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1989. Even then he stayed on the move - San Diego from 1992-1993, Oakland from 1994-1995, and St. Louis in 1996 - before reaching the Giants as defensive coordinator.

At New York, the accolades began to build, reaching a crescendo in New York's shutout of high-powered Minnesota in the 2001 NFC Championship. The Vikings entered the game averaging more than 25 points while passing for nearly 260 yards per game. Against Fox's defense, the totals were zero points and 60 yards through the air. It was a performance that had been building in the regular season. In that season, New York allowed only 62 first downs rushing, well below the NFL average of 98. Three opponents gained less than 200 total yards.

However, it was the consistency that characterized his units. During five years as defensive coordinator, New York produced 153 takeaways, the seventh-highest total in the NFC. The Giants also had a plus 25 turnover differential that ranked third in the conference and fourth in the League over the period. Pass pressure was another trademark of Fox's units. Under his tutelage, New York recorded 230 sacks, ranking third in the NFL. In 2001, Michael Strahan set a League record with 22.5 sacks.

Similar to Carolina, Fox's impact was immediate upon his arrival in New York. In 1997, Fox orchestrated a defense that led the NFL and set a club record with 44 takeaways and ranked first in the League with 27 interceptions. That edition of the Giants defense finished tied for third in the League in sacks with 54, the fourth-best total in team history. The defense was second in the NFC against the run at 90.7 yards per game and held opponents to 20 or fewer points in 12-of-16 games, including 10 or less in six of those contests. As a result, Fox was honored as Pro Football Weekly's Assistant Coach of the Year.

However, his success as a coordinator did not begin with the Giants. Before serving as a consultant to the Rams in 1996, he engineered the Raiders defense to a 10th place finish in total defense in 1994 and 11th in 1995. Before joining Oakland, Fox was the secondary coach under Bobby Ross at San Diego in 1992 and 1993. Fox started his NFL coaching career with Pittsburgh as a defensive back coach from 1989-1991, overseeing the NFL's top-rated pass defense in 1990.

Fox moved to the Steelers from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 1986-1988. In each of his three seasons, the Panthers pass defense was statistically ranked among the top 10 in the nation.

Prior to his three-year stay at Pittsburgh, Fox made eight moves in as many seasons as he worked his way through the coaching ranks, including a foray into professional football with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL in 1985. Starting as a graduate assistant at his alma mater of San Diego State in 1978, Fox became an assistant at United States International University a year later and made a succession of moves to Boise State in 1980, Long Beach State in 1981, Utah in 1982, Kansas in 1983 and Iowa State in 1984.

Playing and Personal A native of Virginia Beach, VA, Fox grew up in the San Diego area after moving at age 15. He attended Castle Park HS in Chula Vista and played football at Southwestern Junior College in Chula Vista (1974-75) before going to San Diego State, where he played defensive back for the Aztecs. He graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned a secondary education teaching credential in 1977.

Fox and his wife, Robin, have three sons: Matthew, Mark and Cody, and a daughter, Halle. Along with his football accomplishments, Fox has been a community leader in the Carolinas. He and Robin co-chair the annual Angels & Stars Gala benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and are frequent participants in community charity fund raisers.