Steve Wilks

Steve Wilks

Carolina Panthers
Position:	Assistant head coach & Defensive backs coach
Personal information
Born:	(1969-08-08) August 8, 1969
Career information
College:	Appalachian State
Career history
As a coach:
Johnson C. Smith (1995–1996) Defensive coordinator Savannah State (1997–1998) Defensive coordinator Savannah State (1999) Head coach Illinois State (2000) Defensive backs coach Appalachian State (2001) Defensive backs coach East Tennessee State (2002) Defensive coordinator Bowling Green (2003) Defensive backs coach Notre Dame (2004) Defensive backs coach Washington (2005) Secondary coach Chicago Bears (2006–2008) Defensive backs coach San Diego Chargers (2009–2011) Defensive backs coach Carolina Panthers (2012–2014) Defensive backs coach Carolina Panthers (2015–present) Assistant head coach & defensive backs coach
Head coaching record
Regular season:	NCAA: 5–6 (.455)

Steven Bernard Wilks (born August 8, 1969) is an American football coach who is the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL).

College career

Wilks played defensive back from 1987 to 1991 at Appalachian State.

Pro career

Wilks played one year in the AFL for the Charlotte Rage.

Coaching career

Wilks served as Head Football Coach at Savannah State College for one season (1999) and compiled a record of 5-6.

Wilks was hired by the Chicago Bears on February 16, 2006. The Bears announced on December 30, 2008, that they had fired Wilks.

Wilks was not unemployed for long, however. He was hired as defensive backs coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2009 when former Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera moved to the same position in San Diego.

When Rivera became head coach of the Panthers, he hired Wilks as secondary coach on January 15, 2012. He was promoted to assistant head coach in 2015. He was Pro Football Focus's second runner up to their Secondary Coach of the Year award.