5 shortest NFL head coaching tenures feat. Frank Reich at Panthers, Lou Holtz at Jets, and more

Frank Reich's NFL tenure in Carolina came to an end rather quickly. The 61-year-old former Indianapolis Colts coach was let go by the Panthers on Monday after just 11 games in charge. Chris Tabor, the special teams coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, will serve as the acting head coach.

Reich's firing by David Tepper has placed him among the coaches with the five shortest tenures in NFL history.

Shortest head coaching tenures in NFL history

Here are the top five:

#1 Bill Belichick - New York Jets (1 day, 2000)

Many may be shocked to learn that the man frequently associated with excellence is the first name on the list of coaches with the shortest tenures. However, as it happens, the story of Bill Belichick's time as the New York Jets coach is incredibly hilarious.

Following the 1999 season, Bill Parcells announced his resignation as coach of the Jets, and it was agreed that Belichick would advance from defensive coordinator to head coach. However, Belichick swiftly reversed course and startled the club by declaring his resignation as head coach during his inaugural press conference.

Right after his episode with the Jets, Belichick was hired as the coach of the New England Patriots. He has stayed in that role for over 20 years, winning six Super Bowls.

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#2 George Allen - Los Angeles Rams (2 preseason games, 1978)

"I'm shocked. Utterly surprised," George Allen said after being fired as coach of the Los Angeles Rams in 1978 after leading the team through two lackluster preseason games.

After that startling dismissal, Allen's second stint with the Rams came to an end. Ray Malavasi, the defensive coordinator, took over and guided the Rams to a 12-4 record.

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#3 Pete McCulley - San Francisco 49ers (9 games, 1978)

Pete McCulley was dismissed by the San Francisco 49ers following a 1–8 start to the 1978 campaign.

Edward De-Bartolo Jr., the owner of San Francisco at the time, said:

"We felt a change had to be made, and right now, not at the end of the season," following the Niners' 38–20 defeat to the Washington Redskins.

That result meant that they had only won once in nine games. Fred O'Connor, one of McCulley's assistants, took over from him.

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#4 Frank Reich - Carolina Panthers (11 games, 2023)

After selecting quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, the Carolina Panthers were prepared to embark on a rebuilding project.

However, coach Frank Reich — who the organization hired just three months before picking Young — has been fired, so it appears that the rebuild could take a different turn.

With six games left in the 2023 season and Reich's 1-10 record — the poorest in the NFL—the Panthers dismissed him on Monday. The Indianapolis Colts had fired Frank Reich in November 2022 following a dismal 3–5–1 start to the season.

That makes him the only coach in NFL history to be fired in back-to-back seasons, according to Field Yates on X (formerly called Twitter).

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#5 Bobby Petrino (Atlanta Falcons), Lou Holtz (New York Jets) and Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars) - 13 games

Despite his accomplishments as the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Lou Holtz is always hailed as a National Championship winner. However, he has an unwanted reputation from his stint as an NFL coach.

In Holtz's only season with the group, the Jets were 3-10 and had the weakest defense in the league. Before the season's last game, which the team lost, Holtz tendered his resignation. After leaving the Jets, Holtz went on to become a Hall of Fame coach in college football.

Bobby Petrino, who resigned from the Atlanta Falcons after 13 games in 2007, and Urban Meyer, who was fired as coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 after going 2-11, are two other head coaches who only lasted 13 games in the league.