Charlotte, NC (My Sportsbook) - The Carolina Panthers named Ron Meeks defensive coordinator on Monday less than a week after he resigned from the Indianapolis Colts.

Meeks had been the Colts' defensive coordinator for the last seven seasons, and resigned following the retirement of head coach Tony Dungy. He came to Indianapolis in 2002 and immediately turned around what had been one of the league's worst defensive teams. That year the Colts jumped from 29th to eighth in total defense and moved from 31st to seventh in scoring defense.

"We are very pleased to add Ron to our coaching staff as defensive coordinator," said Panthers head coach John Fox. "He is an outstanding teacher, who has enjoyed great success as a coordinator in the league and brings a strong background of coaching championship defenses."

The 54-year-old helped engineer a Super Bowl Championship in 2006 and directed the league's top unit in scoring defense the following season while also ranking third in total yardage allowed. The Colts ranked seventh in points allowed and 11th in total yardage in 2008.

"This is a great opportunity," said Meeks. "I have followed the Panthers from my involvement in football and they have done a great job over the years. I expect to continue that success and will try to improve on what has been done."

Meeks joined Indianapolis after spending the 2001 season with St. Louis and 2000 with Washington. He was previously the secondary coach for Atlanta (1997-99) and Cincinnati (1992-96) and started his NFL coaching career as a defensive assistant with Dallas in 1991.