Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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The Panthers owner wants to see long-term success at the highest level, and that’s something only a handful of franchises can boast in this league.
One of those franchises is the Pittsburgh Steelers – the team Tepper grew up cheering for before becoming a minority owner.
And the Steelers’ greatness began when Chuck Noll took over in 1969.
“He built a program that has lasted through three coaches,” Tepper said of Noll. “That’s what I hope Matt Rhule can do for us here. He’s a program builder.”
Rhule’s first Temple team went 2-10. The Owls went 10-4 and 10-3 in his final two years.
Rhule’s first Baylor team went 1-11. The Bears went 11-3 this past season. It was an incredible turnaround that got everyone’s attention.
The Panthers did their research on Rhule. They knew all about his ability to create a winning culture. They knew he would be a top candidate before speaking to him.
But midway through the interview at his home in Waco, Tepper and others on the search committee all came to the same realization: He was the candidate.
“He’s impressive in player development and sports science – recovery techniques, intensity of training, integration with the strength program,” Tepper said. “He started talking about how he develops players and how he’s going to pick his staff and we all went from being in interview mode to recruiting mode. Everybody just knew. We switched without a word being said.”