Dom Capers, currently a senior defensive assistant at age 75, reflected on his experiences coaching two NFL expansion teams during a joint practice between the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans outside NRG Stadium. Capers is the only coach in league history to have led two different expansion franchises from their inception.
“You know, I’ve always liked a challenge,” Capers said.
Capers began his head coaching career with the Panthers, where he quickly found success. In his first two seasons, he won 21 games and led the second-year franchise to an NFC Championship Game appearance. This achievement caught the attention of other teams, including the Houston Texans, who pursued him aggressively ahead of their inaugural season in 2002.
“That’s part of an expansion team you go through,” Capers said. “Whether it’s the equipment staff, the video staff, the facility maintenance, all those things that you go through putting things together. It takes a lot of people, OK, having to bring together and organize and define the roles and that type of thing.”
Following interest from teams like the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets after the 2000 season—both organizations with connections to Capers—the Texans moved quickly to secure him as their first head coach.
“I had interviewed with the Jets that year and, as we all know, timing is everything,” Capers said. “So when I came back from the Jets interview, Tom would call twice that day about coming up to Buffalo. But by the time I had set my luggage down from that trip, (then-Texans owner) Bob McNair called and said, ‘We’re going to name you the head coach of the Texans tomorrow,’ so I didn’t have a chance to really proceed with the Buffalo situation, right?”
Capers noted that unlike his time in Carolina—where he was hired just days after coaching in an AFC Championship Game—he was given more time in Houston to prepare for building a new franchise.
“I feel like a sprinter in the starting blocks,” Capers recalled saying at his introductory press conference in Charlotte. “I can’t wait to get started.”
However, not all aspects were identical between his tenures with both expansion teams. The Panthers benefited from favorable terms during their early years; they acquired several key players through both expansion drafts and unrestricted free agency—a process which was still new at that time. The Texans faced greater difficulty assembling talent as other teams became more protective of their players over time.
Despite these challenges in Houston compared to Carolina’s rapid ascent—including less success acquiring high-profile free agents—Capers still managed some early highlights such as defeating division rivals Dallas Cowboys in their first game.
“I thought we were heading in the right direction,” he said of those early years in Houston. “We beat the Pittsburgh Steelers the first year, that was an 11-win team, and we went from four to five to seven wins. And then the fourth year was kind of one of those disastrous years…where we had a ton of injuries and things just didn’t work out.”
Reflecting on difficult seasons with both franchises—each ending after four years—Capers emphasized perseverance amid adversity.
“You’re going to be working, competing against people, and you’re not going to be as talented as they are when you first start out,” Capers said about leading expansion teams. “So to me…sometimes you do your best coaching jobs when things are toughest…is keeping everybody tied together and fighting.”
He added: “Even our last year at Carolina (4-12 in 1998), we won our last two games…that gave me a sense of pride as guys hung together…through a difficult season.”
Capers also described how mentoring young coaches has become one of his greatest satisfactions later in his career.
“As long as I enjoy coming in…I enjoy coaching staff…players…I look forward to it,” Capers explained regarding why he continues coaching into his seventies. “…I love being around these young coaches. I love being able to help them along…because I was so blessed…to have had some really good mentors who helped me along…”
Looking back on more than half a century involved with football—and four decades spent coaching at various levels within professional football—Capers remains motivated by camaraderie and competition:
“As long as you have your health and you feel you can contribute … I’ve been part of a team since I was 6 years old playing Little League baseball … so as long as I enjoy it … I’ll continue … God willing.”
He concluded: “When it’s something that you love … there’s going be ups and downs … but when you love doing it … you’re going do it rest your life … that’s why I’m still doing it because I still have love for competition … game day.”
