Is Dave Canales hispanic? Exploring more about Panthers HC's ethnicity

Dave Canales, a former offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will now embark on a new journey as the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Not only is Canales the 10th coach in Carolina history, but he is also the only Hispanic coach currently in the NFL, and only the fifth in the history of the league, following Ron Rivera, Brian Flores, Tom Flores, and Tom Fears.

Dave Canales, who is Mexican-American, is the second Latino head coach in Panthers history, following Rivera.

Miguel and Lupe, Canales' paternal grandparents, immigrated to the US from Mexico in the 1990s. A church that his grandfather started was first a Spanish-speaking congregation. The church currently has over 3,000 members and conducts services in both Spanish and English.

Canales was the sole offensive coordinator of Latin American or Hispanic descent during the 2023–2024 NFL season. Earlier in the season, the new head coach of the Panthers stated,

"As I look, I take a lot of pride in this as a Mexican-American.”

Dave Canales' NFL track record

For the Carolina Panthers, who haven't qualified for the postseason since 2017, Dave Canales' appointment represents a dramatic change in club leadership and strategic focus.

Furthermore, the course of the next NFL season and beyond for the team may be influenced by his hiring.

Canales spent more than ten years in a variety of capacities with the Seattle Seahawks before serving as an offensive coordinator for just one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dave Canales joined Pete Carroll's coaching staff as soon as he became the head coach of Seattle in 2010. The 42-year-old began working with wide receivers, a position he would keep for the next eight years and during which the squad was a Super Bowl champion.

Canales took on a new position in the 2018 season as the quarterbacks coach. Russell Wilson had two of his most successful seasons under his leadership, with quarterback ratings of 110.9 and 106.3 during that time.

Canales then served as a passing game coordinator after just two seasons as a quarterbacks coach.

He returned to coaching quarterbacks in 2022, and he went on to be instrumental in assisting Geno Smith grow into one of the league's most unlikely breakthrough passers.

Canales joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their offensive coordinator following the 2022 season. There, he demonstrated once more his aptitude for working with quarterbacks, including those who have had difficulty in the past.

With Canales, Baker Mayfield had a breakout season despite having mostly struggled, following a bright beginning to his professional career.

With 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, he completed 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 yards. Although they eventually fell to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round, the Bucs won the NFC South and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in an NFC Wild Card game.

After an unremarkable rookie season in 2023, the Panthers will now be hoping that Dave Canales can repeat his success with quarterbacks in 2024 with Bryce Young.

Young, the top overall pick in the previous draft, started 16 games but only completed 59.8% of his throws for 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. The Panthers finished with a 2-15 record, which was the worst in the league.