text: George Seifert era: 1999–2001 After Dom Capers was let go following the 1998 season, retired coach George Seifert was hired as the second head coach in Panthers history. Seifert had won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, and had a reputation for winning with talented and experienced teams.
  1999 season
  The Panthers picked up several players in the 1999 NFL draft, including defensive end Mike Rucker. In Seifert's first season with the team, the Panthers finished with an 8–8 record, a four-game improvement from the previous season, and their first .500 record in franchise history. Following a 2–5 start, they finished 6–3 in their last 9 games, including a last-second victory over the Green Bay Packers where quarterback Steve Beuerlein ran in for the game-winning score, and a 45–13 home victory over the division rival New Orleans Saints in the final game of the season. However, the team missed out on a wildcard playoff berth through a complicated tiebreaker based on total points scored. The team also had to deal with issues outside of football. Wide receiver Rae Carruth, taken with the Panthers first pick of the 1997 Draft, was arrested in 1999 for conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend and was later convicted.