Dave Likins becomes the new Head Coach of Panthers Wrocław!

Dave Likins has been named the new head coach of Panthers Wrocław for the 2026 season!

American coach Dave Likins is returning to Wrocław to take over as the team’s Head Coach for the 2026 season! Likins is a coach with over 45 years of experience, including seven EuroBowl trophies and as many as ten German Championship titles. He knows our organization very well — in 2022–2023 he served as the defensive coordinator of Panthers Wrocław in the European League of Football. He spent the last year with the New Yorker Lions in the German Football League. After two seasons, Likins returns — this time to take on the most important role in the coaching staff, replacing his fellow American, Craig Kuligowski.

What was your first thought or feeling when the offer to return to Panthers Wrocław came up — this time as head coach? What ultimately helped you make the decision?
My first thoughts about this offer were happiness and excitement! I worked here for two years, and I feel this organization is one of the best in Europe. The final decision comes down to people. Jacek and Dawid Tarczyński and their company provide exceptional support for the entire organization. Karolina Janas was a huge help to me in 2022–2023. Her expanded role can make everything run even smoother. The defensive players are some of my favorite athletes I’ve ever coached. The support staff — consisting of professional physiotherapists, team managers, and office personnel — is excellent. No team in Europe has ever treated me better than Panthers Wrocław did in 2022 and 2023.

For years you were responsible for defensive units. What challenges do you expect when transitioning from managing one unit to overseeing the entire program? Additionally, how do you plan to maintain balance between offense and defense within the Panthers team?
Managing the entire team — that’s what it’s all about. After years of preferring not to be a head coach, now I very clearly want to be one and lead the team in my own style, with my own vision for offense, defense, and special teams. Our offense will be coached by experienced professionals. Troy Tomlin and I have worked together for so many years that we know what the other is thinking. Both Troy and Jakub Samel have been head coaches, and they, along with another coach, will oversee the offense. What we do on offense will be based on the strengths and weaknesses of our players — it will be varied and entertaining.

What will be your overarching coaching philosophy as head coach? What team culture do you want to introduce or reinforce within the Panthers? What will be most important in building the team’s mentality in the upcoming season?
When coaching American football in Europe, the most important things for me are the development and involvement of local players. They are the foundation. We want to bring in foreign players who will integrate with the local athletes and be not only great players but also great teammates.

In your opinion, what are the three most important areas Panthers Wrocław must address first to achieve success in the upcoming season?
First, recruiting. We want to have the best Polish players at their positions. We must hire outstanding imports who will also be outstanding teammates. Second and third, we need to rebuild our offensive line and our secondary. These are positions where you need your best positional coaches. Troy will coach the offensive line, and I am thrilled that the organization has brought back Bryant Foster to coach our defensive backs. Both of these highly competent coaches will be with us through the winter, working with their players on position-specific drills.

What specific lessons from your previous time with Panthers (as defensive coordinator) will you apply now to lead the team to even better results?
Those two years were very different from each other. In those seasons, it became clear that Polish players wanted discipline, wanted to work hard, and expected — and deserved — to be treated as adults. I realized that our Polish players were fully capable of making game-winning plays in tough situations.

What are your realistic yet ambitious goals for yourself and the team for the upcoming season in the context of European competition?
I have said before that Panthers are one of the best organizations in Europe. Our task is to make Panthers the best organization in Europe. Once everything settles, the league looks to be very demanding, and we cannot expect easy games. Even so, we managed to turn a team that hadn’t made the playoffs for four years into a champion in our first season back in Braunschweig. In Wrocław in 2023, with a couple more first downs or a couple more stops, we could have beaten Vienna twice and won our division. We plan for success, and we plan to win championships. That’s exactly what we were hired to do.

What will your relationship with the players look like? As a head coach who previously focused on defense, will it be more challenging to gain the trust of the offensive unit?
Relationships with players and with other staff members are what make coaching such a beautiful profession. I believe I can be demanding of the players I coach while also making sure they know I care about them as people. I had some very emotional moments with our players here in 2023.

What is your plan for dominating opponents in the league? Is there any particular aspect of the game you intend to make Panthers’ trademark in the 2026 season?
Our plan is to field in 2026 a well-trained, disciplined, and aggressive team of men who play for one another.

Dave Likins joins Bryant Foster, who will be responsible for the secondary in the 2026 season. But this is not the end of announcements! Tomorrow we will reveal another name joining the Panthers Wrocław coaching staff.