Frank Reich has been named Stanford's interim head football coach as announced Monday by Stanford Football General Manager Andrew Luck.

The 36th head coach in program history, Reich will serve as interim head coach for the 2025 campaign. Reich will be introduced at a press conference on Tuesday.

“I could not be more excited for our coaches, staff and players to have Frank as our head football coach for the 2025 season,” said Luck, who was named to his newly created post on Nov. 30, 2024. “I have experienced firsthand the incredible impact Frank has demonstrated as a leader and have full confidence he is the perfect steward for this season of Stanford Football. Frank is a teacher, a winner, and a coach of the highest caliber. Frank’s values align seamlessly with our vision for this program and I firmly believe in his ability to maximize the on-field potential of our student-athletes while serving as a role model in all aspects of their personal growth.”

Reich is one of the sport’s most well-respected offensive minds thanks to over 30 years in professional football, combining a 14-year playing career as an NFL quarterback with 18 seasons in various coaching roles. Reich was a member of six Super Bowl teams overall, four as a player with the Buffalo Bills (1991-94), and twice as a coach.

Highly regarded in NFL circles with a knack for building lasting relationships, Reich’s six-year head coaching tenure included five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2018-22) before his final stop at the helm of the Carolina Panthers (2023). Reich’s NFL resume also includes four years as an offensive coordinator, including two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (2016-17), the second of which resulted in the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl LII (2018).

Reich’s first season as Indianapolis head coach in 2018 coincided with the final season of Luck’s playing career. Despite a 1-5 start, Reich guided the Colts to a 10-6 overall record and an appearance in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs during a season that was highlighted by Luck earning Pro Bowl honors while being named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

“I am thrilled to be working with Andrew again to help take an important step in establishing his vision for the Stanford Football program,” said Reich. “Andrew is an elite leader and competitor, and those traits, along with his genuine passion for this university, resonated in every way and inspired me to accept this role. The unique responsibility to mentor the best student-athletes in the world, to be the absolute best in what they aspire to do, is an opportunity I will fully embrace.”

Reich’s coaching career also includes two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers (2014-15), following stints as quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, and offensive coaching staff assistant with Indianapolis and Arizona. A coaching staff member of two Super Bowl winning franchises, Reich also served as an offensive staff assistant when Indianapolis won Super Bowl XLI (2007).

Selected in the third round (57th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, Reich’s NFL career spanned 14 seasons and four organizations, with his last four years split between the Carolina Panthers (1995), New York Jets (1996), and Detroit Lions (1997-98). Reich threw for 40 touchdowns and passed for 6,075 yards, making 20 starts over a 118-game career.

A native of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Reich spent his first nine seasons in Buffalo, mostly serving in a backup role to Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. Reich’s trademark dependability and willingness to stay ready were among his most notable strengths as a player, resulting in one of the most memorable moments in NFL playoff history. In a wild card round game on Jan. 3, 1993, host Buffalo overcame a 35-3 third-quarter deficit to defeat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime to set a record for the largest comeback in NFL history at the time. Starting in place of Kelly, who sustained an injury one week earlier, Reich engineered the historic comeback and completed 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.

Prior to authoring what still stands as the largest comeback in NFL postseason history, Reich was also responsible for the then-largest comeback in NCAA history. Reich, who played collegiately at Maryland from 1980-84 and spent his first three seasons backing up Boomer Esiason, rallied the Terrapins from a 31-0 halftime deficit to a 42-40 victory over the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes at the Miami Orange Bowl on Nov. 10, 1984. Reich finished 108-for-169 and threw for 1,446 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior in 1984, with his six touchdowns against the Hurricanes remaining the school’s single-game record.

Reich was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The team’s starting quarterback over his final two seasons, Reich participated in the 1980 edition of the Big 33 Football Classic, an annual all-star game comprising the top high-school players in Pennsylvania.

Reich’s father, Frank Sr., played collegiately at Penn State and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 14th round of the 1956 NFL Draft.

Reich, 63, and his wife, Linda, have three daughters, Lia, Aviry, and Hannah, and four grandchildren.

The hiring is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.