George Seifert

Lore & Background

Seifert was born and raised in San Francisco. He ushered at 49ers home games at Kezar Stadium while he attended San Francisco Polytechnic High School across the street. Seifert planned to attend the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo but a few days before being scheduled to attend classes in August 1958, he was offered a scholarship at the University of Utah. He played guard and linebacker for the Utes.

He served as graduate assistant at his alma mater for a year before being hired as head coach of Westminster College in Salt Lake City at age 25, where he led the Parsons to a 3–3 record. After working as an assistant at the University of Iowa, the University of Oregon, and Stanford University, Seifert was hired as head coach at Cornell University, then fired in November 1976 after going in two seasons. He then returned to Stanford in 1977, where he met Bill Walsh.

When Walsh moved to the 49ers in 1979, Seifert joined his coaching staff the following year as the team's defensive backs coach. Seifert was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1983. As a 49er assistant, Seifert defenses finished in the top ten in fewest points allowed in each of his six seasons in that capacity: fourth in 1983, first in 1984, second in 1985, third in 1986 and 1987, and eighth in 1988. His final two defenses, 1987 and 1988, finished first and third in fewest yards allowed, respectively.

Reader's Guide

Seifert was hired by the Carolina Panthers as head coach in 1999. He was also de facto general manager; the Panthers had not had a general manager since Bill Polian's departure in 1997. During his first training camp with the Panthers, he told his players that they should not act like wildebeests. He explained that wildebeests usually give up when caught by a lion.

'Don't be that wildebeest,' he said. 'Don't give up.' In his first season, Seifert led the Panthers to an 8–8 record, a four-game improvement from 1998. The most notable play of that year came when quarterback Steve Beuerlein scored a game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-five quarterback draw with five seconds left in the fourth quarter to defeat the Green Bay Packers.

The Panthers went into the final day of the regular season in contention for a playoff berth; however, their victory margin over the New Orleans Saints needed to be 18 points greater than the Packers' margin over the Arizona Cardinals in order to make the playoffs. While the Panthers routed the Saints 45–13, the Packers beat the Cardinals 49–24, leaving the Packers ahead on point differential and eliminating the Panthers. The Panthers were competitive for most of 2000 as well but needed to win their season finale against the Oakland Raiders to finish at .500.

Instead, the Raiders won in a 52–9 rout, still one of the most lopsided losses in Carolina history, and the Panthers finished with a 7–9 record.

Did You Know?

• Seifert was the first rookie head coach to win the Super Bowl since Don McCafferty in Super Bowl V.
• Seifert's 98 wins are still the most in San Francisco 49ers franchise history.