2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Craven, who had conserved the wear on his tires, had his crew chief Scott Miller read him his lap times and learnt he was faster than Busch; Craven slowed in turn four to avoid rear tire burnout. With a three-second lead it appeared that Busch would win comfortably, but his spotter informed him over the radio that Craven was drawing nearer. On the 283rd lap, Gordon drifted up the track, and hit a wall. Kenny Wallace hit Gordon's car, prompting the latter to enter pit road and retire from the event.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
With ten laps to go, Busch's power steering failed, numbing his arms, reducing his stamina, and making his car more difficult to handle. Blaney, in third, drafted Craven on lap 289. Craven caught Busch on the 291st lap; He steered left to attempt to pass before turn one a lap later, but Busch performed a blocking maneuver popularized by Dale Earnhardt in that corner, a move Blaney anticipated. Busch held the lead on the backstretch, as Craven's car got loose because he could not remove his hands from the steering wheel.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Craven followed Busch in turns three and four, and went to the inside of him at the beginning of lap 292. The two made contact into turn one; Craven slowed as Busch steered to the inside in turn two, after he was put towards a wall. Busch used his car's front bumper in a bump and run maneuver on Craven to regain the lead.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Busch opened up an advantage of about four-tenths of a second as he and Craven began the final lap. Craven followed Busch through the first and second corner as part of a plan to challenge Busch at the exit of the final turn. Busch had no plan on how to win the race since Craven was faster than him on the outside through turns three and four and Busch had to fight to regain control of his car.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Between turns three and four, Busch spun his tires lightly, and could not steer to block Craven on the inside heading into the frontstretch. Craven drew alongside Busch at the exit of turn four; both drivers got loose without slowing, and clattered into each other several times in the final 300 yd (270 m), with smoke emitting from their tires.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race
Craven earned his second career win, beating Busch by 0.002 seconds (about 4 in (0.33 ft)), then the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history since the introduction of electronic scoring in the 1993 season. Blaney placed third, his best career finish. Martin, Waltrip, Earnhardt, Sadler, Kenseth, Elliott, and Stewart completed the top ten. There were seven yellow flag cautions, and fifteen lead changes among eleven drivers during the race. Earnhardt's 91 laps led was the most of any driver. Craven led once for a single lap. The race took 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 16 seconds to complete; Craven's average speed was 126.214 mph (203.122 km/h).


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
After crossing the finish line, Craven corrected his car, and on the way back to pit road, asked his crew who had won the race. Leaving turn two, with half a dozen crew members all drowning each other out on the radio, he glanced to his left to read the scoring pylon informing drivers and spectators of the finishing positions, and learnt he had succeeded. He ventured to victory lane, to celebrate his victory in front of a crowd of 55,000 spectators; the win earned him $172,150. Busch, known as "a fiery competitor", went to shake Craven's hand in an act of sportsmanship.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Craven commented on the win, "It's the most fun I've ever had in my life. This is exactly what you dream of. It will probably never happen again, but it's the perfect way to win a race at the perfect track. I have always wanted to win a race here". Busch was complimentary of the finish, "I can't wait to go see him. That was the coolest finish I've ever seen, and I'm glad I got to be a part of it. This is something where we'll slap high-fives and drink a couple beers to later on."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Blaney spoke of the potential significance over his third-place result, "It's huge. I felt like I could race with these guys, it's just tough to get everything put together. I feel like we've got a team that's running well. Everything is flowing pretty good. We're not changing much with these cars. They're fast off the truck and Bootie [Barker, Blaney's crew chief] has the whole team energized and doing a great job."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
After the race, Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus were ordered to report to meet Cup Series director John Darby in an office in NASCAR's hauler to explain the collision with Marlin early on. Marlin said a slower car required him to reduce his pace, and did not believe either he or Johnson were responsible for causing the accident, "It was just racing. I've never seen so many people racing this hard so early, like there were just 10 laps left, especially at a place like this where you need to be patient."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Johnson later admitted he was responsible for causing the accident, saying, "We just had a conversation with John Darby and looked at some videos. We discussed it (and) we all agreed that it was just a racing incident. I just lost some traction off of Turn 4 and ran out of race track and pinched the No. 40 (Marlin) into the wall and crashed him and myself. It was just a racing mistake on my part."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Earnhardt, who finished sixth and led more laps than any other driver, said an error with the installation of a lug nut prevented him from challenging for the victory, "This [Darlington] has really been an Achilles heel for us in the past. I feel real confident about this run today. I'm pretty happy. This is a tough track and it's hard to like. You know what I mean? It's like you can't live with it and you can't live without it, I'll tell you that."


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
After his eighth-place finish, Kenseth spoke of his relief the collision with McMurray on lap six had not damaged his car's toe-in, "Eighth was great for us today - even if we weren't as beat up as we are. As bad as we ran the last couple times here, finishing eighth is really good." Gordon admitted he was fault for the collision on lap 273 that led to a reduction of his car's performance, and Sadler said he had committed "a stupid driving mistake" by following and heavily pressuring the former, and making the same driver error simultaneously.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Media reaction to the race was positive. Robin Miller of ESPN called the final two laps a sample of "what auto racing is all about. Two guys gassing, gouging and grinding to the checkered flag – damn the consequences" and the duel of Craven and Busch reminded him of a battle between Rick Mears and Gordon Johncock for the win in the last ten laps of the 1982 Indianapolis 500.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
Writing for the Daily Press, Al Pearce spoke of "a marvelous stock car race", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Rick Minter declared "the racing gods smiled on the old track" after Darlington Raceway was under threat of removal from the NASCAR Cup Series, and David Poole of The Charlotte Observer stated it was "electrifying" and the conclusion was "the kind of finish people will be talking about for years." In December 2009, the event was voted "the top NASCAR race of the decade" by the media.


2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, Race, Post-race
The race result kept Kenseth with 703 points in the lead of the Drivers' Championship, ahead of Stewart in second. Waltrip remained in third. Earnhardt gained six positions to progress to fourth, and Craven's victory elevated him from sixteenth to fifth. Busch advanced to sixth, and Blaney took over seventh. Johnson, Nemechek and Sadler rounded out the top ten. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford maintained the lead with 36 points; Chevrolet, Pontiac, and Dodge followed with 31, 24 and 19 respective points with 31 races remaining in the season.


2003 Carolina Panthers season
The 2003 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League and the 2nd under head coach John Fox. They improved on their 7–9 record from 2002, and made it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history.


2003 Carolina Panthers season
The season would be a huge success. The Panthers would go a surprising 11–5 to earn the #3 seed in the NFC Playoffs. They would defeat the Dallas Cowboys 29–10 in the Wild Card playoffs. The next week in St. Louis, the game would go to double overtime and on the first play of the second overtime, Steve Smith caught a pass by Jake Delhomme and took it 69 yards into the endzone to put an end to the game.


2003 Carolina Panthers season
In the Conference Championship game, the Panthers traveled to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to play the Eagles who were in their 3rd straight conference championship game, but had yet to win one. The Panthers would continue the story with a 14–3 victory, which was dominated by Ricky Manning’s three interceptions that kept the Eagles at bay.


2003 Carolina Panthers season
The Panthers, for the first time in franchise history, advanced to the Super Bowl, but lost 32–29 to the New England Patriots on a last-second field goal by kicker Adam Vinatieri. In both of the Panthers' Super Bowl losses (the other being in Super Bowl 50 12 years later), star quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning won their 2nd Super Bowl ring.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Wild Card playoff
The Cowboys' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt. The Panthers outgained the Cowboys in total yards 380–204 and held the ball for 34:23. Dallas Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an interception, while being sacked 3 times. Meanwhile, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme threw for 273 yards and a touchdown to Steve Smith, who had five receptions for 135 yards and added 22 return yards on special teams. Stephen Davis ran for 104 yards and another touchdown, while Muhsin Muhammad caught four passes for 103 yards. John Kasay kicked five field goals for Carolina.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Wild Card playoff
On the Panther third play of the game, Delhomme completed a 70-yard pass to Smith on the Cowboys 1-yard line, setting up Kasay's first field goal. Later in the first quarter, Toby Gowin's 31-yard punt gave the Panthers the ball at the Cowboys 41-yard line, and they scored another field goal to take a 6–0 lead. On the Cowboys ensuing drive, Carter completed a 28-yard pass to Joey Galloway and Troy Hambrick ran for 16 yards, giving Dallas a first down at the Panthers 20-yard line. But two plays later, fullback Richie Anderson fumbled the ball and Carolina safety Mike Minter recovered it.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Wild Card playoff
Later in the second quarter, Gowin once again gave the Panthers great field position with a 17-yard punt to the Carolina 49-yard line, and this time they managed to get the ball into the end zone with a 23-yard touchdown run by Davis, giving them a 13–0 lead. Carter managed to respond on the Cowboys ensuing drive, completing an 18-yard pass to Galloway, a 21-yard pass to Terry Glenn, and a 12-yard pass to Anderson. Billy Cundiff finished the drive with a 37-yard field goal to cut the score to 13–3 with 1:03 left in the second quarter. But after the ensuing kickoff, Delhomme's 57-yard completion to Muhammad set up Kasay's third field goal on the last play of the half.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Wild Card playoff
The Panthers continued to dominate the game in the second half. Smith returned a Gowin punt 7 yards to the Panthers 37-yard line. Then after a 24-yard reception by Muhammad, he caught a 7-yard pass and capped the drive with a 32-yard touchdown catch. Later on, he returned a punt to his own 40-yard line, setting up a 38-yard drive that ended with Kasay's fourth field goal, increasing the Panthers lead to 26–3.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Wild Card playoff
Dallas receiver Michael Bates returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Panthers 47-yard line, sparking a desperate rally. Carter then completed six consecutive passes and finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 26–10. Dallas' defense managed to force a punt on Carolina's next drive, but two plays later, Panthers lineman Julius Peppers intercepted a screen pass from Carter and returned it 34 yards to the Cowboys 11-yard. Four plays later, Kasay kicked his 5th field goal with 3:04 left in the game to close out the scoring.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
In their first trip to St. Louis since their disastrous final season in the NFC West, the Panthers stunned the favored Rams in double-overtime, the fifth longest game in NFL history, in a thrilling finish to a game that featured big swings in momentum. St. Louis built up a 6–0 lead early in the second quarter, but wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad's touchdown on a fumble recovery gave Carolina a 7–6 advantage. Kickers John Kasay and Jeff Wilkins spent the rest of the second and the third quarter trading field goals. But in the fourth quarter, Brad Hoover's 7-yard rushing touchdown gave the Panthers a 23–12 lead.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
However, St. Louis rallied back. After Kasay missed a 54-yard field goal attempt with 6:26 left in regulation, the Rams drove 57 yards in 15 plays and scored with Marshall Faulk's 1-yard touchdown run. Marc Bulger's subsequent 2-point conversion pass to Dane Looker cut the score to 23–20 with 2:39 to go. Then Wilkins recovered his own onside kick, setting up a 43-yard drive that ended with his 33-yard field goal. The field goal would cause some controversy, as the Rams held the ball inside the Carolina 20-yard line with less than a minute remaining, and one time out.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
But Rams coach Mike Martz elected to play for the tie, allowing the clock to run down and kicked the tying field goal, rather than let his quick-scoring offense try for the winning touchdown. Wilkins' 5th field goal of the game as time expired in the 4th Quarter tied the score at 23 and sent it into overtime.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime period. The Panthers would march down to the Rams 22-yard line on their first drive in Overtime, and Carolina kicker John Kasay in fact made a 40-yard field goal that would have won the game. But the Panthers were flagged for a delay of game, and Kasay's attempt from 45 yards was wide right. On the Rams ensuing possession, Wilkins would attempt a 53-yard field goal, but it fell short.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
The Rams held the ball late in the first overtime, and were driving into Carolina territory, however an initial completion from Bulger to Torry Holt was intercepted by Carolina cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr when he wrenched the ball away from Holt. On the first play of the second overtime period, Jake Delhomme threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith to win the game. It marked the first double-overtime game and longest NFL game since 1987.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Divisional playoff
Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme completed 16 of 26 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown, with 1 interception. Smith caught 6 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Bulger threw for 332 yards, but was intercepted three times. Rams receiver Isaac Bruce caught 7 passes for 116 yards


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Championship
Carolina's defense shut down the Eagles offense, only allowing a field goal and holding Donovan McNabb to just 10 of 22 completions for 100 yards. Rookie cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. intercepted McNabb 3 times, while the Panthers defense recorded a total of five sacks. McNabb also sustained a lower-rib injury early in the game but stayed in until the second half. Although Carolina's offense only scored 14 points, it was more than enough for the team to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl with a 14–3 win. For the Eagles, it was the third straight NFC Championship Game loss.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Championship
After a scoreless first quarter, the Panthers mounted the only long scoring drive of the game, advancing the ball 79 yards and scoring with Jake Delhomme's 24-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. The Eagles responded by driving 44 yards and scoring with a 41-yard field goal from David Akers. Philadelphia then forced a punt and drove to their own 44-yard line, but McNabb was intercepted by Manning and the score remained 7–3 at halftime.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Championship
The Eagles took the second half kickoff and drove to the Panthers 18-yard line before Manning ended the drive with his second interception. Then after a punt, Manning recorded his third interception and returned it 13 yards to the Eagles 37-yard line. Four plays later, DeShaun Foster's 1-yard touchdown run increased Carolina's lead to 14–3.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, NFC Championship
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles had one last chance to come back, driving 74 yards in 11 plays to the Panthers 11-yard line. But linebacker Dan Morgan picked off a pass from backup quarterback Koy Detmer in the end zone with 5:16 left in regulation. The next time Philadelphia got the ball back, they turned the ball over on downs and Carolina ran out the clock to win the game.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Most of the first half was a defensive struggle, with neither team able to score until late in the second quarter, despite several early scoring opportunities for New England. After Carolina was forced to punt on their opening drive, Patriots receiver Troy Brown gave his team great field position with a 28-yard return to the Panthers 47-yard line. The Patriots subsequently marched to the 9-yard line, but Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Adam Vinatieri missed a 31-yard field goal attempt.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Patriots forced Carolina to punt after 3 plays and again got the ball with great field position, receiving Todd Sauerbrun's 40-yard punt at the Panthers 49-yard line. New England then drove to the 31-yard line, but on third down, linebacker Will Witherspoon tackled Brown for a 10-yard loss on an end-around play, pushing the Patriots out of field goal range. Later on, New England drove 57 yards to the Panthers 18-yard line with 6 minutes left in the second period, but once again they failed to score as Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Panthers defender Shane Burton.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Meanwhile, the Carolina offense was stymied by the New England defense, with quarterback Jake Delhomme completing just one out of his first nine passes, sacked three times, and fumbling once. That fumble occurred 3 plays after Vinatieri's second missed field goal; Delhomme lost the ball while being sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel, and Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour recovered the ball at the Panthers 20-yard line. Two plays later, New England faced a third down and 7, but quarterback Tom Brady scrambled 12 yards to the 5-yard line for a first down. Then wide receiver Deion Branch caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady on the next play.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Branch's touchdown came after 26:55 had elapsed in the game, setting the record for the longest amount of time a Super Bowl remained scoreless. The play also suddenly set off a scoring explosion from both teams for the remainder of the first half.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Panthers stormed down the field on their ensuing possession, driving 95 yards in 8 plays, and tying the game on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Steve Smith with just 1:07 left in the half.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Patriots immediately countered with a 6-play, 78-yard scoring drive of their own. Starting from their own 22-yard line, Brady completed a 12-yard pass to wide receiver David Givens. Then after throwing an incompletion, Brady completed a long pass to Branch, who caught it at the Panthers 24-yard line in stride before being tackled at the 14-yard line for a 52-yard gain. Three plays later, Givens caught a 5-yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14–7 lead with only 18 seconds left in the half.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Patriots decided to squib kick the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return, but their plan backfired as Carolina tight end Kris Mangum picked up the ball at his own 35-yard line and returned it 12 yards to the 47. Panthers running back Stephen Davis then ran for 21 yards on the next play to set up kicker John Kasay's 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half, cutting Carolina's deficit to 14–10.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The third quarter was scoreless as each team exchanged punts twice. But with 3:57 left in the period, the Patriots put together a 71-yard, 8-play scoring drive, featuring tight end Daniel Graham's 33-yard reception to advance to the Carolina 9-yard line. Running back Antowain Smith then capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run on the second play on the final period to increase their lead, 21–10. This was the start of another scoring explosion, one that became one of the biggest explosions in Super Bowl history, with both teams scoring a combined 37 points in the last 15 minutes, the most ever in a single quarter of a Super Bowl.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Delhomme started out Carolina's ensuing drive with a 13-yard completion to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad. After committing a false start penalty on the next play, Delhomme completed a pair of passes to Smith for gains of 18 and 22 yards. Running back DeShaun Foster then scored on a 33-yard touchdown run, cutting the Panthers' deficit to 21–16 after Delhomme's 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Patriots responded on their ensuing possession by driving all the way to Carolina's 9-yard line, but the drive ended when Panthers defensive back Reggie Howard intercepted a third down pass from Brady in the end zone. Then on 3rd down from his own 15-yard line, Delhomme threw for the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history, an 85-yard touchdown completion to Muhammad. Carolina's 2-point conversion attempt failed again, but they took their first lead of the game, 22–21, with 6:53 remaining.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
However, New England retook the lead on their next drive, advancing 68 yards with the aid of a pair of completions from Brady to Givens for gains of 18 and 25 yards. Once again the Patriots were faced with third down and goal, but this time they scored with Brady's 1-yard pass to Vrabel, who had lined up in an eligible tight end position. Then on a two-point conversion attempt, running back Kevin Faulk took a direct snap and ran into the end zone to make the score 29–22. Despite amassing over 1,000 combined yards, Kevin Faulk's two-point conversion constituted the only points he scored all season.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The Panthers countered on their next possession. Foster started the drive with a 9-yard run and a 7-yard reception. After that, Delhomme completed a 19-yard pass to Muhammad, followed by a 31-yard completion to receiver Ricky Proehl. Ironically, Proehl, who caught the fourth quarter game-tying touchdown pass against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI 2 years earlier for the St. Louis Rams, finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown reception. Kasay's ensuing extra point tied the game, 29–29, with 1:08 to play in regulation and it appeared that the game would be the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
However, Kasay kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving New England the ball on their own 40-yard line. Brady calmly led the Patriots offense down the field with a 13-yard pass to Brown on second down. An offensive pass interference penalty on Brown pushed New England back to their own 43-yard line, but another 13-yard reception to Brown and a 4-yard pass to Graham brought up a critical 3rd down and 3 from the Carolina 40-yard line. The Panthers defense could not prevent the Patriots from gaining the first down, as Brady completed a clutch 17-yard pass to Branch.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
On the next play, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal to give New England the lead, 32–29, with four seconds left in the game. Carolina failed on their last chance, as Rod Smart went nowhere on the resulting kickoff, and the Patriots had won their second Super Bowl in three years. This was the fourth Super Bowl to be decided on a field goal in the final seconds. Super Bowl V was won on a last second kick by Jim O'Brien, Super Bowl XXV as Scott Norwood missed his field goal chance, and Super Bowl XXXVI as Adam Vinatieri made his.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Postseason, Super Bowl XXXVIII
It was the Panthers' only Super Bowl appearance until Super Bowl 50.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats
The Cardiac Cats were the 2003 Carolina Panthers, who were known for close games often decided in the final minutes or the final play of the game. After finishing the season 11–5, the Panthers captured their first division title since 1996. They advanced to Super Bowl XXXVIII, but lost to the Patriots 32–29 after a last second field goal.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats
The "Cardiac Cats" played in five road overtime games during the season, winning four of them (an NFL record). This included a double overtime victory over the Rams in the Divisional playoffs (the fifth-longest game in NFL history). The team also tied an NFL record by winning seven games by 3 points or fewer, and led the NFL in comeback wins during the season.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Background
Following a league worst 1–15 finish in 2001, in which the Panthers lost an NFL record fifteen consecutive games (six of which by 3 points or less), Panthers head coach George Seifert was fired and replaced by former New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox. In 2002, Fox helped transform the Panthers defense from the second worst to the second best, and the team improved six games to finish the season 7–9. Following the season, Fox sought to improve the Panthers offense, drafting players such Jordan Gross at offensive tackle. In addition, quarterback Jake Delhomme, running back Stephen Davis, and wide receiver Ricky Proehl were signed to the Panthers in the off-season.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, September 7 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
In the first game of the regular season, the Panthers hosted fellow 1995 expansion team Jacksonville, but fell behind 17–0 in the third quarter. At this point, starting quarterback Rodney Peete was replaced by ex-New Orleans Saint Jake Delhomme. Delhomme opened up with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad. After a John Kasay field goal, the Panthers blocked a Jaguars punt for a safety. Delhomme then hit Steve Smith with a 24-yard touchdown pass, with a failed two-point conversion.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, September 7 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars then exploded on a 65-yard Mark Brunell touchdown pass to Jermaine Lewis, but their two-point try was stopped as well. The Jags' 5-point lead wouldn't hold as Delhomme found Ricky Proehl with sixteen seconds remaining, giving the Panthers a 24–23 victory, and winning Delhomme a starting job at quarterback.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, September 14 at  Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In a battle of field goals, the Panthers clawed to a 9–3 lead, but the defending Super Bowl champions raced down field in the final minutes and Keenan McCardell caught a six-yard touchdown on the final play of regulation. The PAT would win the game for the Bucs, but the kick was blocked, and in the ensuing overtime the Panthers made the Bucs pay with John Kasay's fourth field goal of the game, and a 12–9 victory for the Panthers. A week later, their week 3 game was postponed due to Hurricane Isabel.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, October 12 at Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis was a week removed from the Colts' historic 38–35 comeback win in Tampa Bay and raced to a 13–3 halftime lead, but Delhomme erased the gap on two third-quarter drives, highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, October 12 at Indianapolis Colts
The Panthers clawed to a 20–13 lead but Peyton Manning drove the Colts down field in the final minutes; Reggie Wayne caught a 25-yard score with 44 seconds left in regulation, but in overtime the Panthers won the toss and never let the ball go as John Kasay finished it off after nearly six minutes of overtime with a 47-yard field goal, giving the Panthers a 23–20 overtime win.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, October 26 at New Orleans Saints
On the tenth anniversary of the official awarding of the Panthers franchise to Jerry Richardson, former Saint Delhomme led the Panthers to the Superdome. The Panthers rushed for 223 yards led by Stephen Davis' 178 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints, led by Deuce McAllister's 101 rushing yards, erased Panthers leads of 10–0, 17–13, and 20–17 to force overtime. New Orleans won the coin toss, but Julius Peppers forced a Deuce McAllister fumble on the Carolina 37. The Panthers drove down field and booted yet another Kasay field goal; this ended a 23–20 contest as the Panthers became the first team to ever win three straight overtime road games.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, November 9 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina broke out to a 20–7 lead through three quarters, but the Buccaneers rallied in the fourth quarter for 17 points. Tampa Bay took a 24–20 lead with 2:45 to go. The Buccaneer defense, however, failed to keep Carolina at bay, and Jake Delhomme swiftly led the Panthers to a come from behind, game-winning touchdown with 1:11 left.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, December 7 at  Atlanta Falcons
After racing to an 8–2 record, the Panthers hit a wall with consecutive losses to Dallas and Philadelphia, falling to 8–4. At the Georgia Dome, the Panthers faced the 2–10 Falcons as Michael Vick made his return following injury. Vick exploded to 141 rushing yards to go with 179 passing yards, offsetting Delhomme's 153 passing yards and Stephen Davis' 81 rushing yards. Delhomme was picked off once and the Panthers could not finish it off in regulation as Vick's one-yard touchdown halfway through the fourth helped lead to overtime. After several punts the Panthers had the ball deep in their own territory, but Delhomme was picked off by Kevin Mathis at his 32 and Mathis ran in the winning touchdown, a 20–14 Falcons overtime win – the Panthers only overtime loss of the season.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, December 14 at Arizona Cardinals
Now 8–5, and coming off three consecutive losses, the Panthers traveled to Arizona to face the three-win Cardinals. Quarterback Josh McCown was picked off by Mike Minter, who ran the ball back for a 35-yard Panthers touchdown. But the Cards put up a fight as McCown led a drive ending in his 16-yard touchdown run; then Emmitt Smith scored only his second touchdown of the year, putting Arizona up 14–7 at the half. John Kasay's field goal in the third quarter preceded another "Cardiac Cat" finish as Delhomme found DeShaun Foster for a 31-yard touchdown. Neil Rackers tied the game at 17 for the Cards on a 44-yard field goal just before the two-minute warning, then Delhomme clawed the Panthers in range for a 49-yard Kasay field goal with four seconds in regulation and a 20–17 slump-ending Panthers win.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, January 10, 2004 at  St. Louis Rams, Divisional Playoffs
Coming off a 29–10 victory over Dallas in the Wild Card playoffs, the Panthers faced St. Louis in the divisional round. After Carolina jumped out to a 23–12 lead, St. Louis rallied back by scoring 11 points in the last 6 minutes to send the game into overtime. During the first possession of the first overtime period, the Panthers marched down to the Rams 22-yard line and kicker John Kasay made a 40-yard field goal that would have won the game, but the play was called back after a delay of game penalty.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, January 10, 2004 at  St. Louis Rams, Divisional Playoffs
Kasay subsequently missed the 45-yard attempt wide right, and on the Rams ensuing possession, kicker Jeff Wilkins would attempt a 53-yard field goal. Unlike Kasay's, it was straight on, but it fell just inches short of the goalpost. On the first play of the second overtime period, and after Ricky Manning Jr. intercepted a Marc Bulger pass, Panthers QB Jake Delhomme threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith to give the Panthers a 29–23 win in the fifth-longest game in NFL history. This handed the Rams their first home loss in 14 games, and helped pave the way for Carolina's appearance in Super Bowl XXXVIII.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, February 1, 2004 vs. New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVIII
At Super Bowl XXXVIII, neither team was able to put up points in the first quarter, and the game remained scoreless until near the end of the first half. However, 24 points were scored in the last 5 minutes of the first half, and the score going into halftime was 14–10 New England. The third quarter was also scoreless and it wasn't until late in the game that things heated up once again.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, February 1, 2004 vs. New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVIII
The teams traded leads numerous times in the highest-scoring fourth quarter in Super Bowl history, including setting a record when Jake Delhomme hit Muhsin Muhammad for an 85-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. That pass made the score 22–21, Carolina and went down in the record books as the longest offensive play in Super Bowl history.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, February 1, 2004 vs. New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVIII
After New England responded with a touchdown of their own and a 2-point conversion to make it 29–22, Carolina would storm right back to tie the game with a touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl with 1:08 left in regulation, opening the possibility to the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. However, John Kasay's kickoff went out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball on their own 40-yard line.


2003 Carolina Panthers season, Cardiac Cats, Notable games, February 1, 2004 vs. New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVIII
Adam Vinatieri, who had won Super Bowl XXXVI two years earlier on a last-second field goal, repeated his heroics, connecting on a 41-yarder with four seconds left, even though he had already missed two field goals in the game. This gave the Patriots their second Super Bowl win in three years.


2003 Casablanca bombings
The 2003 Casablanca bombings were a series of suicide bombings on May 16, 2003, in Casablanca, Morocco. The attacks were the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's history. Forty-five people were killed in the attacks (33 victims and 12 suicide bombers). The suicide bombers came from the shanty towns of Sidi Moumen, a poor suburb of Casablanca. That same year, Adil Charkaoui, a Casablanca-based resident who was issued a Security Certificate in Montreal, Canada, was charged with supporting terrorism, and rumours allege he may have played a financial role in the bombings.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Bombings
The 14 bombers, most of whom were between 20 and 23 years old, bombed four places on the night of May 16, 2003. In the deadliest attack, bombers wearing explosives knifed a guard at the "Casa de España" restaurant, a Spanish-owned eatery in the city. They blew themselves up inside the building, killing 20 people, many of them Muslims dining and playing bingo.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Bombings
The five-star Hotel Farah was bombed next, killing a guard and a porter. Another bomber killed three passersby as he attempted to bomb a Jewish cemetery. He was 150 yards (140 m) away from the cemetery and likely lost, so he blew up by a fountain. Two additional bombers attacked a Jewish community center, but killed no one because the building was closed and empty. It would have been packed the next day.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Bombings
Another bomber attacked a Jewish-owned Italian restaurant, and another blew up near the Belgian consulate which is located meters away from the restaurant, killing two police officers.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Bombings
In all, 33 civilians and 2 police officers were killed, along with 12 bombers. Two bombers were arrested before they could carry out attacks. More than 100 people were injured; 97 of them were Muslims. Eight of the dead were Europeans and the rest were Moroccan.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
A large demonstration was organized through the streets of Casablanca. Tens of thousands marched, carrying banners such as "Say No to Terrorism". They shouted "Down with Hate" and "United against Terrorism".


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
Mohammed VI, the King of Morocco, toured the bombing sites and was cheered by crowds of people. Moroccan authorities said  in May 2004 that they had arrested 2,000 people in connection with the attacks, and began to put them on trial.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
World leaders condemned the attacks, coming four days after the Riyadh compound bombings. In response to that attack and the Casablanca attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security raised the terror threat level to Orange.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
Salafia Jihadia, an offshoot of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group and believed to have al-Qaeda links, is suspected of sending out the bombers. On March 19, 2004, Belgian police arrested a suspect wanted by the Moroccan government in connection with the bombings. In December 2004, a man named Hasan al-Haski, charged in the 2004 Madrid bombings, was questioned over his links to the Casablanca bombings and was suspected to have helped plan them.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was believed to have ordered the bombings. He was killed in an airstrike on June 7, 2006.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
A number of Muslims were subsequently convicted of bombings. In April 2008 nine of the prisoners tunneled their way out of prison. Abderrahim Mahtade, who represents a prisoners’ advocacy group, said the fugitives had escaped from the Kenitra prison, north of Rabat, after dawn prayers. He said one of the nine had been sentenced to death, six to life imprisonment and two to 20 years.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
Saad bin Laden was suspected of direct involvement in the bombings. However, he was under house arrest in Iran at the time and did not escape until 2008. He was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in 2009.


2003 Casablanca bombings, Response
Hassan al-Kattani, having been convicted of inspiring the attacks in 2003, was pardoned in 2011 after several hunger strikes and criticisms from human rights groups who alleged that Kattani was innocent. Omar al-Haddouchi was also jailed for inspiring the bombings and pardoned in 2011.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election
The 2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Cortes of the autonomous community of Castile and León. All 82 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Cortes of Castile and León were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Castile and León, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Junta. Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Castile and León and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
All members of the Cortes of Castile and León were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, depending on the district magnitude. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora. Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of three seats, being allocated one additional member per each 45,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 22,500.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Cortes of Castile and León expired four years after the date of their previous election. Elections to the Cortes were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Cortes on Sunday, 25 May 2003.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Junta had the prerogative to dissolve the Cortes of Castile and León and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution.


2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election, Overview, Election date
In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected procurators merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election
The 2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Cortes of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. All 47 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election
The election was won again by the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which obtained its best historical result and the largest overall majority ever in the region, with nearly 58% of the share and over 3/5 of the seats. It became, at the time, the largest vote share obtained by any party in a regional election in Spain; a record which would be exceeded by the PP results in Murcia in 2007 and 2011. The opposition People's Party (PP), despite naming former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez' son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, as its presidential candidate, continued its decline in the region and obtained its worst election result since 1987, with only 18 seats.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election
As a result, José Bono was elected for his sixth and last term in office, which he would not complete. He would resign in 2004 after being appointed Minister of Defence in José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's Cabinet, as a result of the PSOE winning the 2004 general election. Bono would be succeeded as regional premier by his deputy since 1999, José María Barreda.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Castilian-Manchegan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Junta of Communities. Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Castilla–La Mancha and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 47 members of the Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, depending on the district magnitude. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 10 for Albacete, 11 for Ciudad Real, 8 for Cuenca, 7 for Guadalajara and 11 for Toledo.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha expired four years after the date of their previous election. Elections to the Cortes were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Cortes on Sunday, 25 May 2003.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Election date
The President of the Junta of Communities had the prerogative to dissolve the Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Overview, Election date
Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the candidate from the party with the highest number of seats was to be deemed automatically elected.


2003 Castilian-Manchegan regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 24 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Castilla–La Mancha.


2003 Castle Point Borough Council election
The 2003 Castle Point Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Castle Point Borough Council in Essex, England. The whole council was up for election after boundary changes increased the number of seats by 2. The Conservative party gained overall control of the council from the Labour party.


2003 Castle Point Borough Council election, Election result
The Conservatives took control of the council after gaining 22 seats to have 39 of the 41 councillors. Meanwhile, Labour was reduced to only 2 councillors after losing 19 seats. Overall turnout at the election was 26.8%, down from 32% at the 1999 election.


2003 Castle Point Borough Council election, Election result
Among the Labour councillors to be defeated were the leader of the council Dave Wells and the mayor Charles Smith.


2003 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix
The 2003 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix was the sixth round of the 2003 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 13–15 June 2003 at the Circuit de Catalunya located in Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain.


2003 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix, Championship standings after the race (motoGP)
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round six has concluded.


2003 Catalan regional election
The 2003 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday, 16 November 2003, to elect the 7th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.


2003 Catalan regional election
This election marked a change for all Catalan political parties due to Catalan president Jordi Pujol's decision not to seek a seventh term in office and to retire from active politics. The election results were a great disappointment for Pasqual Maragall's Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), which again saw Convergence and Union (CiU) winning a plurality of seats despite them winning the most votes by a margin of just 0.3%. Opinion polls earlier in the year had predicted a much larger victory for Maragall, but his lead over CiU had begun to narrow as the election grew nearer. Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) was perceived as the true victor of the election, doubling its 1999 figures and scoring its best result in its recent history up to that point, both in terms of seats (23 of 135) and votes (16.4%), up from 11 seats and 8.7%.


2003 Catalan regional election
As Pujol's successor Artur Mas did not win a majority large enough to renew his party pact with the People's Party (PP), which had kept Pujol in power since 1995, an alliance between the PSC, ERC and ICV–EUiA resulted in a Catalan "tripartite" government. Thus, despite losing 10 seats and 150,000 votes compared to the 1999 election, Maragall became the first centre-left president of the Government of Catalonia, ending with 23 uninterrupted years of CiU rule.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of Catalonia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the regional Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
Transitory Provision Fourth of the Statute established a specific electoral procedure for elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, of application for as long as a specific law regulating the procedures for regional elections was not approved, to be supplemented by the provisions within the Organic Law of General Electoral Regime. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Catalonia and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats: 85 for Barcelona, 17 for Girona, 15 for Lleida and 18 for Tarragona.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The regional president was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 17 October 1999, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 17 October 2003. The election was required to be called no later than 2 October 2003, with it taking place on the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 1 December 2003.


2003 Catalan regional election, Overview, Election date
The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous one under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.


2003 Catalan regional election, Background
In the 1999 election, and as a result of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC)'s growth, the Catalan nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU) had lost the vote share in a regional election for the first time ever, but clung on to retain the largest amount of seats due to the disproportionate allocation of seats in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona compared to Barcelona. Through to the support of the People's Party (PP), Jordi Pujol had been able to be re-elected to a sixth term in office with a slim majority of 68 to the 67 seats commanded by the left-from-centre opposition.


2003 Catalan regional election, Background
Despite Pujol's personal approval ratings remaining high until the end of his term, speculation on his possible retirement (which he confirmed on 1 April 2001), internal disputes between Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) over the future of the alliance—which resulted in CiU being turned into a full-fledged party federation in order to ensure its continuity in the post-Pujol era—and a desire for change after 23 years in power had resulted in CiU trailing the PSC in opinion polls for the entire legislature, with a lead that was nearly into the double digits by mid-to-late 2002.


2003 Catalan regional election, Background
From mid-2003, however, the Socialist lead had begun to narrow to the point that chances for a possible reenactment of the 1999 tight race remained high. The retirement of Pujol as CiU candidate paved the way for Artur Mas, the then chief minister (Catalan: Conseller en cap), to replace him as the culmination of a long successory process.


2003 Catalan regional election, Background
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) had been in an almost continuous growth since the 1988 election, becoming a political force able to pierce through the dominant two-party system in Catalonia. Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and United and Alternative Left (EUiA) had run separately in the previous election, but ahead of the 2003 election joined within the ICV–EA coalition.


2003 Catalan regional election, Parliamentary composition
The Parliament of Catalonia was officially dissolved on 23 September 2003, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia. The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.


2003 Catalan regional election, Parties and candidates
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.


2003 Catalan regional election, Parties and candidates
Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:


2003 Catalan regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.


2003 Categoría Primera A season
The 2003 Categoría Primera A season was the 55th season of Colombia's top-flight football league. The season started on 2 February and concluded on 21 December 2003. Independiente Medellín were the defending champions, having won the 2002 Finalización tournament.


2003 Categoría Primera A season, Torneo Apertura
The Torneo Apertura (officially the 2003 Copa Mustang I for sponsorship reasons) was the first tournament of the season. The tournament began on February 2 and ended on June 8.


2003 Categoría Primera A season, Torneo Apertura, Semifinals
The second phase of the tournament consisted of two groups of four teams each. This was played by the best eight teams from the first phase of the tournament. The winners of each group qualified for the Finals.


2003 Categoría Primera A season, Torneo Finalización
The Torneo Finalización (officially the 2003 Copa Mustang II for sponsorship reasons) was the second tournament of the season. The tournament began on July 13 and ended on December 21.


2003 Categoría Primera A season, Aggregate table
An aggregate table including all games that a team played during the year was used to determine berths to both the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana. The best-placed non-champion qualified for the 2004 Copa Libertadores along with both champions of the season, while the second and third best-placed non-champions qualified for the 2004 Copa Sudamericana.


2003 Categoría Primera A season, Relegation
Rules for classification: 1st average; 2nd wins; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored; 5th away goals scored.


2003 Central African Republic coup d'état
A coup d'état occurred in March 2003 in the Central African Republic when the forces of General François Bozizé marched on Bangui, the country's capital, while President Ange-Félix Patassé was at a regional conference in Niger. While he was away, Bozizé led 1,000 fighters to the capital city of Bangui and captured the international airport and the presidential palace. Government troops, many of whom had not been paid in months, put up little resistance. The 370 CEMAC peacekeepers abandoned their posts rather than fight. A curfew was imposed afterwards by Bozizé and the constitution was suspended. President Patassé, meanwhile, fled the country to nearby Cameroon when rebels shot at his plane. Militants from Chad were spotted among the rebel fighters, but the President of Chad, Idriss Déby, denied providing any military support to Bozizé. At least fifteen people were killed.


2003 Central African Republic coup d'état
France deployed a number of troops to the country for the first time in four years in order to protect foreign nationals. After the coup, Bozizé created a new division in the Central African Armed Forces, made up of "patriots" who took part in the coup with him, called the Republican Guard. They committed numerous crimes against civilians in the capital.


2003 Central American Championships in Athletics
The 15th Central American Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Cementos Progreso in Guatemala City, Guatemala, between June 20-21, 2003.


2003 Central American Championships in Athletics
A total of 41 events were contested, 21 by men and 20 by women.


2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics were held at the Estadio Nacional in San José, Costa Rica, between September 4–6, 2003. Organized by the Central American Isthmus Athletic Confederation (CADICA), it was the 16th edition of the Junior (U-20) and the 11th edition of the Youth (U-18) competition. A total of 83 events were contested, 43 by boys and 40 by girls. The championship was held jointly with the IX Central American U-14 and U-12 Age Group Championship (Campeonato Centroamericano Infantil). Overall winner on points was  Costa Rica.


2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the CACAC and on the AthletismoCR webpage.


2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics, Medal table (unofficial)
The medal table published include the U-14 and U-12 categories of the AgeGroup Championship. The medal table below shows an unofficial medal count for the Juniorand Youth categories only.


2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics, Team trophies
The placing table for team trophy awarded to the 1st place overall team (boys and girls, including the U-14 and U-12 categories of the Age Group Championship) was published.


2003 Central American Junior and Youth Championships in Athletics, Participation
A total number of 503 athletes (including U-14 and U-12) was reported toparticipate in the event. An unofficial count resultsin 301 athletes participating in the Junior and Youth categories. The numbersin brackets refer to (published total no. of athletes/unofficial count of U-20and U-18).


2003 Central American and Caribbean Age Group Championships in Athletics
The 10th Central American and Caribbean Age Group Championships in Athletics (Spanish: Campeonato Centroamericano y del Caribe Infantil de Pruebas Combinadas), were hosted by the Puerto Rican Athletics Federation (FAPUR), and were held at the Turabo University track in Caguas, Puerto Rico, on July 18–19, 2003.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Age Group Championships in Athletics, Participation
The competition results are published. The participation of 74 athletes (40 boys and 34 girls) from 12 countries was reported.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
The 2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in athletics were held in St George's, Grenada, between 4–6 July 2003. It was the first time that the country had hosted the competition.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics – Results
These are the official results of the 2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics which took place on July 4–6, 2003 in St. George's, Grenada.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships
The 2003 Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships took place on March 16, 2003. The races were held at the Club de Golf Acapulco in Acapulco, México.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships
Complete results, and results for junior and youth competitions, were published.


2003 Central American and Caribbean Cross Country Championships, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 79 athletes from 8 countries participated.


2003 Central Asian Games
The 2003 Central Asian Games also known as the 5th Central Asian Games were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 2003.


2003 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The 2003 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Mike DeBord, the Chippewas compiled a 3–9 record (1–7 against MAC opponents), finished in last place in the MAC's West Division, and were outscored by their opponents, 428 to 277. The team played its home games in Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, with attendance of 83,512 in six home games.


2003 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The team's statistical leaders included Derrick Vickers with 1,345 passing yards, Jerry Seymour with 1,117 rushing yards, and Justin Harper with 441 receiving yards. Defensive back James King was selected at the end of the 2003 season as the team's most valuable player.


2003 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
On December 17, 2003, Mike DeBord resigned as the Chippewas' head football coach. He compiled a 12-34 record in four years in the position.


2003 Central and Western District Council election
The 2003 Central and Western District Council election was held on 23 November 2003 to elect all 15 elected members to the 19-member District Council. The pro-democracy camp won a majority of the seats where The Frontier/Civic Act-up legislator Cyd Ho Sau-lan defeated the incumbent Ip Kwok-him of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, who was also a legislator, in Kwun Lung. The majority of the pro-democrats was balanced by 4 appointed members selected by the Chief Executive.


2003 Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver
The 2003 Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver was the fifteenth round of the 2003 CART World Series season, held on August 31, 2003 on the streets of Denver, Colorado.


2003 Centrobasket
This page shows the results of the Men's Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship, also known as the 2003 Centrobasket, which was held in the city of Culiacán, Mexico from June 17 to June 22, 2003.


2003 Centrobasket, Final ranking
1. Puerto Rico2. Dominican Republic3. Mexico4. Virgin Islands5. Bahamas6. Guatemala7. Antigua and Barbuda8. Costa Rica


2003 Centrobasket Women
This page shows the results of the 2003 Centro Basket Championship for Women, which was held in the city of Leon, Mexico from July 2 to July 6, 2003.


2003 Centrobasket Women, Final ranking
1. Cuba2. Dominican Republic3. Puerto Rico4. Mexico5. Virgin Islands6. Costa Rica7. Guatemala


2003 Ceuta Assembly election
The 2003 Ceuta Assembly election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 3rd Assembly of the Autonomous City of Ceuta. All 25 seats in the Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Ceuta Assembly election, Electoral system
The Assembly of Ceuta was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the autonomous city of Ceuta. Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered and residing in the municipality of Ceuta and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty.


2003 Ceuta Assembly election, Electoral system
The 25 members of the Assembly of Ceuta were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution.


2003 Ceuta Assembly election, Electoral system
The Mayor-President was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of members, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In case of a tie, a toss-up would determine the appointee.


2003 Ceuta Assembly election, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in Ceuta. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Challenge Bell
The 2003 Challenge Bell was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Club Avantage Multi-Sports in Quebec City in Canada that was part of Tier III of the 2003 WTA Tour. It was the 11th edition of the Challenge Bell, and was held from October 27 through November 2, 2003. Maria Sharapova won the singles title.


2003 Challenge Bell, Champions, Doubles
Li Ting /  Sun Tiantian def. Els Callens /  Meilen Tu, 6–3, 6–3


2003 Challenge Bell – Doubles
Samantha Reeves and Jessica Steck were the defending champions, but Steck decided not to participate this year. Reeves partnered with Nana Miyagi, but lost in the semifinals to Els Callens and Meilen Tu.


2003 Challenge Bell – Doubles
Li Ting and Sun Tiantian won the title, defeating Callens and Tu 6–3, 6–3 in the final.


2003 Challenge Bell – Singles
Elena Bovina was the defending champion, but decided not to participate this year.


2003 Challenge Bell – Singles
Maria Sharapova won the title, defeating Milagros Sequera 6–2, retired in the final.


2003 Challenge Cup
The 2003 Challenge Cup was sponsored by Powergen and was held during the 2002–03 season. The final was held on Saturday 26 April 2003, at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, UK. The game was won by Bradford Bulls who defeated Leeds Rhinos.


2003 Challenge Cup, Final, Bradford Bulls team
Robbie Paul, Tevita Vaikona, Scott Naylor, Shontayne Hape, Lesley Vainikolo, Leon Pryce, Paul Deacon, Joe Vagana, James Lowes, Daniel Gartner, Lee Radford, Jamie Peacock, Mike Forshaw


2003 Challenge Cup, Final, Bradford Bulls team
Subs: Karl Pratt, Lee Gilmour, Rob Parker, Paul Anderson Coach: Brian Noble


2003 Challenge Cup, Final, Leeds Rhinos team
Gary Connolly, Mark Calderwood, Chris McKenna, Keith Senior, Francis Cummins, Kevin Sinfield, Andrew Dunemann, Ryan Bailey, Matt Diskin, Barrie McDermott, Chev Walker, Matt Adamson, David Furner


2003 Challenge Cup, Final, Leeds Rhinos team
Subs: Rob Burrow, Willie Poching, Danny Ward, Wayne McDonald Coach: Daryl Powell


2003 Challenge Cup, Final, Man of the Match
The Lance Todd Trophy was awarded to Gary Connolly (Leeds).


2003 Challenge Cup, Television coverage
BBC Sport had live rights to the tournament in the United Kingdom from the fourth round onwards.


2003 Challenge Cup, Television coverage
The matches shown live on the BBC were: Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 20–18 Castleford Tigers and Warrington Wolves 12-38 Bradford Bulls (R4); Leeds Rhinos 21–12 London Broncos and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 12–22 Widnes Vikings (R5); Widnes Vikings 28–38 Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhinos 41–18 Hull (QF); Leeds Rhinos 33–26 St Helens and Wigan Warriors 22–36 Bradford Bulls (SF); and Bradford Bulls 22–20 Leeds Rhinos (Final).


2003 Challenge Tour
The 2003 Challenge Tour was the 18th season of the Challenge Tour, the official development golf tour run by the PGA European Tour.


2003 Challenge Tour
The Challenge Tour Rankings were won by Sweden's Johan Edfors.


2003 Challenge Tour, Tournament schedule
The table below shows the 2003 Challenge Tour schedule. The numbers in brackets after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Challenge Tour including that event. It is rare for someone to accumulate many wins on the Challenge Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the European Tour.


2003 Challenge Tour, Rankings
The top 15 on the Challenge Tour Rankings gained membership of the European Tour for the 2004 season.


2003 Champ Car Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio
The 2003 Champ Car Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio was the thirteenth round of the 2003 CART World Series season, held on August 10, 2003 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. It was the last of 22 Champ Car events to take place at the track which was a fixture in the CART calendar for most of its history.


2003 Champion Hurdle
The 2003 Champion Hurdle was a horse race held at Cheltenham Racecourse on Tuesday 11 March 2003. It was the 73rd running of the Champion Hurdle.


2003 Champion Hurdle
The race was won by Terry Warner's Rooster Booster, a nine-year-old gelding trained in Somerset by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Richard Johnson. His victory was the first in the race for his owner, trainer and jockey.


2003 Champion Hurdle
Rooster Booster started at odds of 9/2 and won by eleven lengths from Westender, with the favourite Rhinestone Cowboy in third. Hors La Loi III who refused to race and was left at the start, was the only previous winner of the race to line up for the race: other runners included Intersky Falcon, Landing Light and Like-A-Butterfly. Fourteen of the seventeen runners completed the course.


2003 Champions Tour
The 2003 Champions Tour was the 24th season for the golf tour now known as PGA Tour Champions. The tour, officially founded in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, adopted the "Champions Tour" name starting with this season, and used that name through its 2015 season.


2003 Champions Tour
The 2003 season consisted of 31 official money events with purses totaling $53,600,000. For the first time, the Senior British Open was recognized as a Champions Tour major, bringing the list of senior majors to its current total of five. Craig Stadler won the most tournaments, three. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.


2003 Champions Tour, Tournament results
The following table shows all the official money events for the 2003 season. "Date" is the ending date of the tournament. The numbers in parentheses after the winners' names are the number of wins they had on the tour up to and including that event. Senior majors are shown in bold.


2003 Charlotte Sting season
The 2003 WNBA season was the seventh season for the Charlotte Sting. The team qualified for the playoffs for the 6th and last time in franchise history, losing the opening round in a sweep to the Connecticut Sun.


2003 Charlotte mayoral election
The Charlotte mayoral election of 2003 was held on 4 November 2003 to elect a Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. It was won by Republican incumbent Pat McCrory, who won a fifth consecutive term by defeating Democratic nominee Craig Madans in the general election.


2003 Chatham Cup
The 2003 Chatham Cup was the 76th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.


2003 Chatham Cup
Up to the last 16 of the competition, the cup was run in three regions (northern, central, and southern), with an open draw from the quarter-finals on. In all, 131 teams took part in the competition. The competition consisted of a preliminary round and five rounds proper before quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final. Golden goal extra time was played in ties which finished level at full time.


2003 Chatham Cup, The 2003 final
Derek Rugg became the first referee since G. Jackson in the 1920s and 1930s to control three Chatham Cup finals, having previously refereed the 2000 and 2002 finals. In the final University-Mount Wellington subdued Melville United, running out 3-1 winners.


2003 Chatham Cup, The 2003 final
The Jack Batty Memorial Cup is awarded to the player adjudged to have made to most positive impact in the Chatham Cup final. The winner of the 2003 Jack Batty Memorial Cup was Kara Waetford of University-Mount Wellington.


2003 Chattanooga Mocs football team
The 2003 Chattanooga Mocs football team represented the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Mocs were led by first-year head coach Rodney Allison and played their home games at Finley Stadium. They finished the season 3–9 overall and 3–5 in SoCon play to tie for sixth place.


2003 Chelmsford Borough Council election
The 2003 Chelmsford Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Chelmsford Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2003 Chelmsford Borough Council election
There were boundary changes across the council area resulting in new wards being created. The number of seats on the council was increased from 56 to 57 seats.


2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
The 2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 29 August 2002 and 30 August 2003. The competition was won by Gloucestershire who beat Worcestershire by 7 wickets at Lord's.


2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, Format
The eighteen first-class counties were joined in the tournament by 20 Minor Counties (Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland, Devon, Dorset, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Wales Minor Counties and Wiltshire), as well as Huntingdonshire. The cricket boards of Durham, Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire also took part, as did the national teams of Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland.


2003 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, Format
The tournament was a knockout with four rounds before the quarter-final and semi-final stages. The first and second rounds, which did not involve the first-class counties, were played in August and September 2002. The winners of the semi-finals went on to the final at Lord's which was held on 30 August 2003.


2003 Cheltenham Gold Cup
The 2003 Cheltenham Gold Cup was a horse race which took place at Cheltenham on Thursday 13 March 2003. It was the 75th running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and it was won by the pre-race favourite Best Mate. The winner was ridden by Jim Culloty and trained by Henrietta Knight.


2003 Cheltenham Gold Cup
Best Mate became the first horse to win consecutive runnings of the Gold Cup since L'Escargot in 1970 and 1971.


2003 Cheltenham Gold Cup, Full result
* The distances between the horses are shown in lengths or shorter. nk = neck; PU = pulled-up.† Trainers are based in Great Britain unless indicated.


2003 Cherwell District Council election
The 2003 Cherwell District Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Cherwell District Council in Oxfordshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2003 Cherwell District Council election
Before the election the Conservatives were expected to lose seats after a recent large council tax rise. The results saw the Conservatives keep a majority but suffer a net loss of 3 seats after losing 2 seats each to Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Labour winners included John Hanna who won by 44 votes after losing in the 2002 election by 8 votes. However the Conservatives did gain a seat in Banbury Grimsbury & Castle from Labour for the first in over 20 years. Meanwhile, the National Front stood a candidate for the first time to Cherwell Council and said that they would stand in all of the Bicester wards in the next election in 2004.


2003 Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly election
Legislative Assembly elections were held in Chhattisgarh in November 2003, electing the 90 members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. The results of the election were announced in early December. Incumbent Chief Minister Ajit Jogi lost the election, while Bharatiya Janata Party won the elections. Raman Singh was sworn-in as chief minister.


2003 Chicago Bears season
The 2003 Chicago Bears season was the franchise's 84th season in the National Football League. The team improved to a 7–9 record over its 4–12 record from 2002 under head coach Dick Jauron. The team was once again in a quarterbacking carousel with quarterbacks Kordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, and rookie Rex Grossman. In the end, head coach Dick Jauron was fired after the conclusion of the season.


2003 Chicago Bears season, Stadium changes and new mascot
During this season, the team returns to their original home, Soldier Field, after a year of renovations and rebuilding during the previous season; in which the home games were temporary held at Memorial Stadium in the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign. the first 2 pre-season games were held at Memorial Stadium before the reopening was on August 9 against the Indianapolis Colts and on August 16, against the Denver Broncos. The first home game held at the newly renovated Soldier Field was their primetime game against Green Bay Packers on September 29, 2003, televised on ABC's Monday Night Football.


2003 Chicago Bears season, Stadium changes and new mascot
Also introducing this season is the team's brand new mascot Staley Da Bear. Staley was introduced during the team's home game on September 29, 2003 against the Green Bay Packers. Prior to the start of this season, Don Wachter says that will no longer wear the team's unofficial mascot "Bearman", but they will continued to appear in the team's 2004 and 2005 seasons. Staley was officially selected as a mascot for the 2004 Pro Bowl.


2003 Chicago Bears season, Broadcasting changes
Beginning this season, the television broadcasts of the Bears preseason games were moved back to NBC Owned-and-operated station WMAQ-TV as part of a five-year broadcast partnership with the station and the team, these marked the return of the Bears preseason games on the station for the first time since the 1993 season and the return of the NFL games on the station for the first time since the 1997 season after the NBC network lost the rights of the American Football Conference to CBS (locally thru WBBM-TV) beginning with the 1998 season; ending its 9-year relationship with the team and WBBM-TV.


2003 Chicago Bears season, Broadcasting changes
the Pre-game show Bears Gameday Live and the Post-game show Bears Gamenight were also premiered on the station at the start of the regular season. Telemundo Owned-and-operated station WSNS-TV provided the spanish language broadcasts of the preseason games following the purchase of the station and the network by NBC. WBBM-AM regained their radio rights for the third season.


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q1 – SF – 7:51 – Jeff Chandler 22 yd FG (SF 3–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q1 – SF – 3:23 – 12 yd TD pass from Jeff Garcia to Garrison Hearst (Chandler kick) (SF 10–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 12:05 – 3 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Desmond Clark (Paul Edinger kick) (SF 10–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q2 – SF – 6:01 – Jeff Garcia 3 yd TD run (Chandler kick) (SF 17–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q2 – SF – 3:18 – 16 yd TD pass from Jeff Garcia to Tai Streets (kick failed) (SF 23–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q2 – SF – 0:44 – Ahmed Plummer 68 yd interception return TD (Chandler kick) (SF 30–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q2 – SF – 0:00 – Jeff Chandler 29 yd FG (SF 33–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q3 – SF – 7:29 – Jeff Chandler 28 yd FG (SF 36–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q3 – SF – 2:37 – Jeff Chandler 24 yd FG (SF 39–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q4 – SF – 14:05 – Jeff Chandler 26 yd FG (SF 42–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers, Scoring summary
Q4 – SF – 12:16 – Garrison Hearst 1 yd TD run (Chandler kick) (SF 49–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q1 – MIN – 13:57 – Moe Williams 1 yd TD run (Aaron Elling kick) (MIN 7–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 10:35 – Paul Edinger 42 yd FG (MIN 7–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q2 – MIN – 11:18 – Aaron Elling 23 yd FG (MIN 10–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q2 – MIN – 1:55 – 3 yd TD pass from Daunte Culpepper to Jim Kleinsasser (Elling kick) (MIN 17–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 0:39 – 14 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to David Terrell (Edinger kick) (MIN 17–10)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 4:43 – Paul Edinger 43 yd FG (MIN 17–13)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings, Scoring summary
Q4 – MIN – 2:56 – 11 yd TD pass from Daunte Culpepper to Jim Kleinsasser (Elling kick) (MIN 24–13)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q1 – GB – 11:55 – Ahman Green 60 yd TD run (Ryan Longwell kick) (GB 7–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q1 – GB – 2:32 – Ryan Longwell 34 yd FG (GB 10–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q1 – GB – 0:19 – Ahman Green 6 yd TD run (Longwell kick) (GB 17–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 9:07 – Paul Edinger 31 yd FG (GB 17–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q2 – GB – 3:51 – 14 yd TD pass from Brett Favre to William Henderson (Longwell kick) (GB 24–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 0:48 – Paul Edinger 38 yd FG (GB 24–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 0:02 – Paul Edinger 41 yd FG (GB 24–9)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 12:36 – Anthony Thomas 67 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (GB 24–16)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q4 – GB – 8:51 – 9 yd TD pass from Brett Favre to Javon Walker (Longwell kick) (GB 31–16)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q4 – GB – 4:21 – 1 yd TD pass from Brett Favre to Bubba Franks (Longwell kick) (GB 38–16)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs Green Bay Packers, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 1:28 – Kordell Stewart 1 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (GB 38–23)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q1 – OAK – 6:10 – Zack Crockett 1 yd TD run (kick failed) (OAK 6–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 11:05 – Paul Edinger 35 yd FG (OAK 6–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q2 – OAK – 7:35 – Sebastian Janikowski 36 yd FG (OAK 9–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q2 – OAK – 6:19 – Sebastian Janikowski 39 yd FG (OAK 12–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q2 – OAK – 1:51 – Sebastian Janikowski 32 yd FG (OAK 15–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q2 – OAK – 0:00 – Sebastian Janikowski 33 yd FG (OAK 18–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 5:37 – Paul Edinger 50 yd FG (OAK 18–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 14:53 – 14 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Marty Booker (Edinger kick) (OAK 18–13)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 6:58 – Stanley Pritchett 8 yd TD run (Kordell Stewart 2 pt conversion run) (CHI 21–18)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q4 – OAK – 3:30 – Sebastian Janikowski 49 yd FG (21–21)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 5: vs Oakland Raiders, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 0:00 – Paul Edinger 48 yd FG (CHI 24–21)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q1 – NO – 7:53 – John Carney 50 yd FG (NO 3-0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 7:35 – Paul Edinger 28 yd FG (3–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q2 – NO – 0:00 – John Carney 30 yd FG (NO 6-3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q3 – NO – 12:01 – 9 yd TD pass from Aaron Brooks to Ernie Conwell (Carney kick) (NO 13-3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 13:18 – Paul Edinger 31 yd FG (NO 13-6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q4 – NO – 7:18 – 6 yd TD pass from Aaron Brooks to Joe Horn (Carney kick) (NO 20-6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 6: at New Orleans Saints, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 2:10 – 4 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Dez White (Edinger kick) (NO 20-13)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 3:08 – Paul Edinger 50 yd FG (CHI 3–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q2 – SEA – 12:41 – Shaun Alexander 1 yd TD run (Josh Brown kick) (SEA 7–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q2 – SEA – 8:47 – 25 yd TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Bobby Engram (Brown kick) (SEA 14–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 1:49 – Paul Edinger 35 yd FG (SEA 14–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q3 – SEA – 5:37 – Josh Brown 45 yd FG (SEA 17–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 13:28 – Paul Edinger 40 yd FG (SEA 17–9)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 4:12 – Stanley Pritchett 1 yd TD run (Chris Chandler 2 pt conversion run) (17–17)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks, Scoring summary
Q4 – SEA – 0:58 – Shaun Alexander 25 yd TD run (Brown kick) (SEA 24–17)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 7:22 – 22 yd TD pass from Chris Chandler to Justin Gage (Paul Edinger kick) (CHI 7–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 0:00 – Paul Edinger 37 yd FG (CHI 10–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 14:46 – Jerry Azumah 89 yd kickoff return TD (Edinger kick) (CHI 17–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 5:23 – Brock Forsey 8 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (CHI 24–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q3 – DET – 5:10 – Reggie Swinton 96 yd kickoff return TD (2 pt conversion pass from Joey Harrington to Az-Zahir Hakim) (CHI 24–8)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q4 – DET – 0:53 – 3 yd TD pass from Joey Harrington to Mikhael Ricks (2 pt conversion pass from Joey Harrington to Scotty Anderson) (CHI 24–16)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers, Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 8:33 – Paul Edinger 38 yd FG (CHI 3–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 9:27 – Anthony Thomas 1 yd TD run (Edinger kick) CHI 10–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 4:27 – Paul Edinger 22 yd FG (CHI 13–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers, Scoring summary
Q4 – SD – 9:13 – LaDainian Tomlinson 3 yd TD run (Steve Christie kick) (CHI 13–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 0:21 – Anthony Thomas 1 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (CHI 20–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q1 – DET – 1:53 – Jason Hanson 24 yd FG (DET 3–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 11:28 – Paul Edinger 43 yd FG (3–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q2 – DET – 2:40 – Jason Hanson 25 yd FG (DET 6–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q3 – CHI – 7:52 – 12 yd TD pass from Chris Chandler to Desmond Clark (Edinger kick) (CHI 10–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q3 – DET – 2:49 – Jason Hanson 30 yd FG (CHI 10–9)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Detroit Lions, Scoring summary
Q4 – DET – 0:39 – Jason Hanson 48 yd FG (DET 12–10)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q1 – STL – 1:14 – Jeff Wilkins 41 yd FG (STL 3–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 10:25 – R. W. McQuarters 60 yd punt return TD (Paul Edinger kick (CHI 7–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 3:04 – Anthony Thomas 1 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (CHI 14–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q3 – STL – 3:48 – 4 yd TD pass from Marc Bulger to Torry Holt (Wilkins kick) (CHI 14–10)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q4 – STL – 12:46 – 4 yd TD pass from Marc Bulger to Brandon Manumaleuna (Wilkins kick) (STL 17–14)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q4 – STL – 7:21 – Jeff Wilkins 44 yd FG (STL 20–14)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 5:58 – 11 yd TD pass from Chris Chandler to Dez White (Edinger kick) (CHI 21–20)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 11: vs St. Louis Rams, Scoring summary
Q4 – STL – 0:38 – Jeff Wilkins 31 yd FG (STL 23–21)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q1 – DEN – 3:59 – 1 yd TD pass from Jake Plummer to Rod Smith (Jason Elam kick) (DEN 7–0)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 1:31 – Paul Edinger 33 yd FG (DEN 7–3)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 1:57 – Paul Edinger 23 yd FG (DEN 7–6)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q2 – CHI – 0:03 – Paul Edinger 54 yd FG (CHI 9–7)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q3 – DEN – 11:41 – Jason Elam 25 yd FG (DEN 10–9)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 12:45 – Kordell Stewart 1 yd TD run (Edinger kick) (CHI 16–10)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 12: at Denver Broncos, Scoring summary
Q4 – CHI – 8:46 – Paul Edinger 47 yd FG (CHI 19–10)


2003 Chicago Bears season, Game summaries, Week 13: vs Arizona Cardinals, Scoring summary
Q1 – CHI – 8:50 – 2 yd TD pass from Kordell Stewart to Marty Booker (Paul Edinger kick) (CHI 7–0)