Legendary Alabama football coach Paul W. "Bear" Bryant is carried off the field after the Crimson Tide vanquished arch-rival Auburn.
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The identity of a college football program is shaped by its head coach. We associate the pass-happy Fun ‘n’ Gun offense with Steve Spurrier and the Gators, the swagger of “The U” with Jimmy Johnson, and a hard-nosed rushing attack, particularly the option, with Tom Osborne and his Huskers. The success of Florida State, for example, is attributed to Bobby Bowden, who made the once forgettable program into a national power. Given their impacts, it’s no wonder high profile athletic departments are shelling out five or six million dollars per season for the services of guys such as Nick Saban and Mack Brown. Every athletic director wants to hire the next legendary coach, and if they’re lucky, they’ll find someone who’ll achieve just a fraction of the success of the coaches listed below. Here are 10 who have cemented their places in college football lore.
- Bear Bryant: Nick Saban may have a 43-11 record and a national championship in just four seasons at Alabama, but he has a long way to go before he comes close to earning the same kind of admiration and adoration from Tide fans as The Bear. Almost 30 years after Bryant’s death, his presence is felt during every game in Bryant-Denny Stadium, as numerous fans don his patented houndstooth hat to keep his memory alive. During his quarter of a century in Tuscaloosa, he compiled a 232-46-9 record, including 19-6 and 16-7-2 records against hated rivals Auburn and Tennessee, six national championships and 13 SEC championships. He coached notable players such as Joe Namath, Ken Stabler, John Hannah and Ozzie Newsome. Bryant, a football lifer, died just four weeks after his final game as Bama’s head coach, almost confirming his prediction that he’d “probably croak in a week” after retirement.
- Knute Rockne: Knute Rockne tragically died at the age of 43 in a plane crash, so his coaching resume isn’t as extensive as, say, Bear Bryant’s, Joe Paterno’s or Bobby Bowden’s. But he certainly made the most of his 13 years leading the Irish, going 105-12-5 and winning five national championships. His success, early use of the forward pass and knack for public relations and marketing — valued skills in modern head coaches — helped shape Notre Dame into the nation’s most beloved football program.
- Robert Neyland: General Robert Neyland, a graduate of West Point, served as an officer in the Corps of Engineers during World War I, an aide to Douglas MacArthur, and in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II, earning the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. The leadership skills he acquired while in the army transferred well onto the gridiron, where he led Tennessee to a 173-31-12 record, six undefeated seasons, four national championships and seven conference championships, five of which were in the SEC. Like modern SEC coaches, Neyland emphasized speed and defense, and his 1939 squad exemplified that, as it went the entire regular season without surrendering a point. Overall, the Vols recorded 17 consecutive shutouts from 1938 to 1940. His teams strictly adhered to his maxim to “Carry the fight to our opponent and keep it there for 60 minutes.”
- Bud Wilkinson: On Oklahoma’s Mount Rushmore of head coaches, which includes Bob Stoops, Barry Switzer and Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson is the most esteemed and recognizable. He coached 17 seasons for the Sooners, tallying a 145-29-4 record, three national championships, 14 Big Eight championships (previously known as the Big Six and Big Seven), and an 8-2 record in bowl games. Oklahoma’s dominance under Wilkinson was highlighted by three impressive streaks — 13 consecutive Big (Six, Seven and) Eight championships, an astounding 74-game lossless streak in the conference and, of course, a 47-game winning streak that still stands as the longest in college football history. Retiring at the age of 47 to pursue a career in politics, Wilkinson certainly wasn’t a “compiler” of wins, but had he stuck around for another decade or two, one could only imagine what his career record would look like today.
- Woody Hayes: Woody Hayes had a temper that makes his one-time student Bobby Knight blush. Say what you want about his character flaws, there’s no doubt the guy knew how to coach and motivate a team of young men. During his career at Dennison, Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State, he amassed a 238-72-10 record, three national championships and 14 conference championships, including 13 in the Big 10. In the same way Robert Neyland represents the modern SEC coaching philosophy, Hayes represents the prominent Big 10 coaching philosophy through the years with his conservative three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. He coached 58 All-Americans, including two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. He was a disciplinarian who preached the value of hard work, attributing much of his success to simply outworking his opponents. His intense focus and surly demeanor can be explained by one quote: “Show me a gracious loser, and I’ll show you a bus boy.” He lived to win.
- Joe Paterno: JoePa is a living legend and the only active coach to make this list. The 84-year-old’s career at Penn State has now spanned six decades, and during that time, he has secured several coaching records. Currently, he has spent more years at Penn State than any other coach at a single program in the history of college football, and he’s the all-time winningest coach in Division I-A/FBS. No coach — ever — has recorded more bowl appearances (36) and wins (24) than Paterno. He’s the only coach to have won in each of the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Cotton Bowls. Most importantly, he has guided the Nittany Lions to two national championships and five undefeated seasons — his 1994 undefeated squad, which finished second in the nation, may have been his best. In addition to his accomplishments, Paterno is admired for his loyalty and integrity, which are two qualities many elite head coaches have lacked in recent years.
- Bobby Bowden: Paterno shares a few similarities with his buddy and former all-time Division 1-A/FBS wins competitor Bobby Bowden. Both have coached in their 80s, experienced remarkable longevity as coaches and are synonymous with their respective programs. Simply put, Bobby Bowden is Florida State football. Prior to his arrival, the program had a 4-29 record in the previous three seasons; in his second season, the Noles went 10-2. Although FSU had several successful seasons under coaches Bill Peterson, Tom Nugent and Don Veller, it didn’t become a top flight operation until Bowden took over the reins. His most impressive work during his 34 seasons came from 1987 to 2000, when the team finished each season with 10 wins and a top-five ranking in the polls. During that stretch, he won both of his national championships and coached two Heisman Trophy winners — Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke. What’s more, he accomplished those feats while in-state rivals Florida and Miami were national powers. Bowden also boasts 12 ACC championships, nine of which were won consecutively from 1992 — FSU’s first year in the conference — to 2000. That’s a lot of dadgum success.
- Eddie Robinson: Any list consisting of elite college football head coaches wouldn’t be complete without mention of Grambling’s Eddie Robinson, who’s best known for being the winningest coach in Division I-AA/FBS history, compiling a record of 408-165-15. He oversaw 45 winning seasons, 13 SWAC championships and nine black college football national championships, and coached more than 200 players who played professionally in the AFL and NFL. The final day of his career culminated with a call from President Clinton, who had previously called to congratulate him after his 400th win. The then-leader of the free world was one man who recognized the often unheralded accomplishments of Robinson.
- Frank Leahy: Frank Leahy may have lacked the longevity of other coaches on this list, but he packed just about as much success into his 13 seasons as the head coach of Boston College and Notre Dame. In the history of Division I football, his .864 winning percentage (107-13-9 record) is second only to fellow Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne. He coached six undefeated season, which accounts for almost half of his career, oversaw a 39-game unbeaten streak and won four national championships — all with the Irish. After his retirement, Notre Dame struggled for the next decade until Ara Parseghian took over and won almost as efficiently as Leahy and Rockne.
- Barry Switzer: Like him or not, it’s impossible to argue with Barry Switzer’s success at Oklahoma. During his first eight seasons at the helm, he won a Big Eight championship each year and two national championships. Overall, he won 12 Big Eight championships and three national championships in 16 seasons, compiling a 157-29-4 record and .837 winning percentage, which is the fourth best of all-time. He won 10 or more games in a season 11 times and never won fewer than seven games. Also impressive was his record against other elite head coaches — he was 12-5 versus rival Tom Osborne, 3-0-1 versus rival Darrell Royal (9-5-2 overall versus Texas), 5-3 versus Jimmy Johnson and 3-0 versus Bobby Bowden. Switzer more than proved that he belongs in the discussion with his big-name contemporaries.
Others who could easily make this subjective list: John Gagliardi, Larry Kehres, Walter Camp, Fielding Yost, Amos Alonzo Stagg, George Washington Woodruff, Pop Warner, Bernie Bierman, Ara Parseghian, Darrell Royal, John McKay, Tom Osborne.
