Fansided Top 20 Best College Football Coaches all time

[scarletred]

1) Nick Saban
2) Bear Bryant
3) Tom Osborne
4) Bobby Bowden
5) Woody Hayes
6) Joe Paterno
7) Bud Wilkinson
8) Urban Meyer
9) Dabo Swinney
10) Barry Switzer
11) Frank Leahy
12) Knute Rockne
13) Glen “Pop” Warner
14) Bo Schembecher
15) Amos Alonzo Stagg
16) Steve Spurrier
17) Jimmy Johnson
18) Pete Carroll
19) Ara Parseghian
20) Lou Holtz

After seeing this I would have had Bob Devaney at least 14th..

Who are your Top 10 Coaches?

 

[BleedRed78]

1) Nick Saban
2) Bear Bryant
3) Tom Osborne
4) Bobby Bowden
5) Woody Hays
6) Joe Paterno
7) Bud Wilkinson
8) Urban Meyer
9) Dabo Swinney
10) Barry Switzer
11) Frank Leahy
12) Knute Rockne
13) Glen “Pop” Warner
14) Bo Scembechler
15) Amos Alonzo Stagg
16) Steve Spurrier
17) Jimmy Johnson
18) Pete Carroll
19) Ara Parseghian
20) Lou Holtz

After seeing this I would have had Bob Devaney at least 14th..

Who are your Top 10 Coaches?

Def between 10-14!

 

[cornhead1]

I would have to rank Holtz higher than #20 and agree on Devaney

 

[Chief Wiggum]

Bo Schembechler? Really? Never won a national championship, not sure he even played for one.

 

[goldencohusker]

Switzer should be higher. If for no other reason, he went 12-5 against the #3 guy on the list.

 

[RedMyMind]

Where is Pelini and Solich?

 

[timnsun]

Switzer should be higher. If for no other reason, he went 12-5 against the #3 guy on the list.

I get it, and don’t disagree, except that he got his hand slapped multiple times for recruiting violations, which certainly made it easier to go 12-5 against Osborne.

To be honest, I could see Devaney on the list above Switzer. But that may be just me.

 

[Matrix Husker]

Urban and Switzer should be higher in the list.

 

[scarletred]

Switzer should be higher. If for no other reason, he went 12-5 against the #3 guy on the list.

Switzer also had 3 straight 4 loss season.

1981 7-4-1
1982 8-4
1983 8-4

TO 2 of his 5 best teams were in 82 and 83 which he should have won at least one title of those two years.

 

[Baxter48]

Not sold on Saban as number 1 he had three seasons at mich st that were 500 and a little higher at lsu he went 8-4

 

[king_kong_]

paterno way too high

dabo, too

switzer should be above urban

schembeckler - what a joke!

Devaney absolutely top 15

spurrier should be higher

top 4 I agree with

 

[AVeritas]

Notre Dame's Knute Rockne would be my #1. And it's not a close call. Three national championships in 13 years finishing 105-12-5. God knows how many he'd have won if not killed in an airplane crash. His last two teams were undefeated. Dead at 43. Comparatively, Nick Saban was 6-5-1 at the same age coaching his first year at Michigan State. Nick has had two undefeated seasons in 28; Rock had five in 13.

 

[HankMoody78]

Paterno should be permanently removed from CFB history.

 

[AVeritas]

Paterno should be permanently removed from CFB history.

I always rooted for Paterno's teams. I thought he ran a clean program and always seemed to be better when facing the best. And all those great linebackers. Goodness.

But his reputation took a serious hit at the end. Whether that was his fault, IDK, probably was as facts turned. Likely was the reason he was soon dead. I also thought he was a bit arrogant about Penn State academics v. others.

Whatever, it was a sad ending to a marvelous career.

 

[king_kong_]

I always rooted for Paterno's teams. I thought he ran a clean program and always seemed to be better when facing the best. And all those great linebackers. Goodness.

But his reputation took a serious hit at the end. Whether that was his fault, IDK, probably was as facts turned. Likely was the reason he was soon dead. I also thought he was a bit arrogant about Penn State academics v. others.

Whatever, it was a sad ending to a marvelous career.

wasn't his 'clean' program diddling kids for like 20+ years?

wasn't just the ending that was sad, fella

 

[PeliniTheCrutch]

Dabo Swinney number 9?

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[AVeritas]

wasn't his 'clean' program diddling kids for like 20+ years?

wasn't just the ending that was sad, fella

By clean, I meant he wasn't giving money under the table, prop 8 youngsters, and the like. The fact he had a pedophile on his staff is obviously troubling.

 

[Charlie Marlow]

Woody Hayes is way too high too

 

[AVeritas]

Woody Hayes is way too high too

As shown by the fact they didn't even spell his name correctly.

 

[Tahoe78]

Switzer should be higher. If for no other reason, he went 12-5 against the #3 guy on the list.

Switzer was the best recruiter of all time.... Coaching TO did much more with much less....

 

[scarletred]

With Wilkinson coming in at #7 in 17 years he had one losing season and one .500 season. Winning 14 conference titles..

Devaney never had one losing season at Nebraska or Wyoming and he is in company with 11 other head coaches to win back to back national championships…

Devaney not being among these is inexcusable…

 

[scarletred]

As shown by the fact they didn't even spell his name correctly.

Missed typo Snyder..

 

[AVeritas]

I had Devaney as a dinner speaker at Norfolk long ago. Great guy. Funny.

When I was at SDSU our coach after playing N said: Watch out for Nebraska, they're going to be really good under Devaney. He was correct. This was Bob's first or second year after Anderson, who was awful.

 

[rgrachek]

1) Nick Saban
2) Bear Bryant
3) Tom Osborne
4) Bobby Bowden
5) Woody Hays
6) Joe Paterno
7) Bud Wilkinson
8) Urban Meyer
9) Dabo Swinney
10) Barry Switzer
11) Frank Leahy
12) Knute Rockne
13) Glen “Pop” Warner
14) Bo Scembechler
15) Amos Alonzo Stagg
16) Steve Spurrier
17) Jimmy Johnson
18) Pete Carroll
19) Ara Parseghian
20) Lou Holtz

After seeing this I would have had Bob Devaney at least 14th..

Who are your Top 10 Coaches?

Devaney is top 15. He's a bridge into the modern era of football.

If it was purely coaching, then TO would be #1 by far. He was an intellectual football genius and innovator. He could have won at Nebraska in any era. He ushered in the power/option combo offense, sophisticated strength training, and many other things. He produced All-Americans from Nebraska kids. He was a master at national recruiting in places (like the Northeast) that many other programs didn't go to. He also had the best 5 year run in modern history at the end of his career (60-3 and 3 NCs - a wide left from 4).

There are several coaches on this list though who would fail in today's player landscape (Scembechler, Leahy, Hays in particular).

 

[scarletred]

Something interesting about Woody, he had 3 assistance coaches who were Schembechler, Holtz and Parseghian…

 

[Baxter48]

Devaney is top 15. He's a bridge into the modern era of football.

If it was purely coaching, then TO would be #1 by far. He was an intellectual football genius and innovator. He could have won at Nebraska in any era. He ushered in the power/option combo offense, sophisticated strength training, and many other things. He produced All-Americans from Nebraska kids. He was a master at national recruiting in places (like the Northeast) that many other programs didn't go to. He also had the best 5 year run in modern history at the end of his career (60-3 and 3 NCs - a wide left from 4).

There are several coaches on this list though who would fail in today's player landscape (Scembechler, Leahy, Hays in particular).

I wonder if bear Bryant could coach in today’s world, word was he was a big racist and the only reason he recruited black athletes he couldn’t beat the northern teams anymore. Don’t kill the Messenger that what I was told by numerous Alabama fans in the late 1970’s

 

[Mr.Scary13]

Bo Schembechler being on the list is laughable....

 

[9and4]

Where is Pelini and Solich?

Behind Bret Bielema and Larry Coker.

 

[AVeritas]

I wonder if bear Bryant could coach in today’s world, word was he was a big racist and the only reason he recruited black athletes he couldn’t beat the northern teams anymore. Don’t kill the Messenger that what I was told by numerous Alabama fans in the late 1970’s

The SEC was fully integrated in no small part because Bryant brought black players to Bama. The fabled 1964 Arkansas national championship team on which Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson starred was lily white.

Bryant, the public would learn years after that (USC) game, had been pushing for integration of the University of Alabama football team for years but found himself up against a brick wall named Governor George Wallace, a University of Alabama grad famous for his “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”: an ugly occasion on which he tried to physically block black students from enrolling at the school. Bryant, whose winning teams had made him the most popular person in Alabama, was so determined that he threatened to run for political office—and though he did not say it, insiders were certain he could only have meant running for governor. He even invited Attorney General Bobby Kennedy and his wife for dinner in Tuscaloosa. Atlantic

 

[notscottfrost]

Notre Dame's Knute Rockne would be my #1. And it's not a close call. Three national championships in 13 years finishing 105-12-5. God knows how many he'd have won if not killed in an airplane crash. His last two teams were undefeated. Dead at 43. Comparatively, Nick Saban was 6-5-1 at the same age coaching his first year at Michigan State. Nick has had two undefeated seasons in 28; Rock had five in 13.

He had a monopoly on the sport...winning today is MUCH more difficult...this is why championship arguments are bogus if the sport is new or developing. There was little standardization of schedules, traveling, there was very little equality in the sport and almost no oversight into who was playing. I know the Gtech-Cumberland game was about 15 years before Rockne but that 220-0 game was played because the year before Cumblerand had hired semi-pro players to play a baseball game against Gtech and won 22-0, the coach of the baseball team was Heisman. The next year Cumberland ran out of money for its football program but John Heisman Gtech lead football team insisted they play and so the game was played between a top 5 team and a bunch of law students without football experience.

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

I would have Tom Osborne at 2

He has consistency for 20 years.

 

[cruelhalo]

1) Nick Saban
2) Bear Bryant
3) Tom Osborne
4) Bobby Bowden
5) Woody Hayes
6) Joe Paterno
7) Bud Wilkinson
8) Urban Meyer
9) Dabo Swinney
10) Barry Switzer
11) Frank Leahy
12) Knute Rockne
13) Glen “Pop” Warner
14) Bo Scembechler
15) Amos Alonzo Stagg
16) Steve Spurrier
17) Jimmy Johnson
18) Pete Carroll
19) Ara Parseghian
20) Lou Holtz

After seeing this I would have had Bob Devaney at least 14th..

Who are your Top 10 Coaches?

Where did this list come from? Link?

Schembechler is spelled wrong.

Anyway, Schembechler was a loud mouth bag of dicks. Never won a NC.

 

[TheNewNU]

Paterno should be permanently removed from CFB history.

I wouldnt tell our current head coach that. He played for Joe Pa

 

[PeliniTheCrutch]

That one italic ruhtard notwithstanding…any list of the top 20 without Snyder is a joke.

 

[redwine65]

Switzer also had 3 straight 4 loss season.

1981 7-4-1
1982 8-4
1983 8-4

TO 2 of his 5 best teams were in 82 and 83 which he should have won at least one title of those two years.

dr. tom had alot less ncaa probations

 

[AVeritas]

He had a monopoly on the sport...winning today is MUCH more difficult...this is why championship arguments are bogus if the sport is new or developing. There was little standardization of schedules, traveling, there was very little equality in the sport and almost no oversight into who was playing. I know the Gtech-Cumberland game was about 15 years before Rockne but that 220-0 game was played because the year before Cumblerand had hired semi-pro players to play a baseball game against Gtech and won 22-0, the coach of the baseball team was Heisman. The next year Cumberland ran out of money for its football program but John Heisman Gtech lead football team insisted they play and so the game was played between a top 5 team and a bunch of law students without football experience.

Everything should be taken in its context. One cannot say with certainty one way or the other given the times. Would Saban have been as effective at Alabama in the 1920s-30s? That question goes both ways, you see.

Taking time out of the equation, nobody comes close to Rockne who after all had to deal with Army's legends back then. And he did travel to USC. That's when the rivalry started. Scoreboards and records matter when asking these kinds of question, much more so than time in my opinion.

 

[tarheelhusker]

Paternò, Yeah, I‘ve deleted him from my gray matter. Keeping his mouth shut about the kids is unforgivable.
Except for writing this, he means nothing to me.

 

[HankMoody78]

I always rooted for Paterno's teams. I thought he ran a clean program and always seemed to be better when facing the best. And all those great linebackers. Goodness.

But his reputation took a serious hit at the end. Whether that was his fault, IDK, probably was as facts turned. Likely was the reason he was soon dead. I also thought he was a bit arrogant about Penn State academics v. others.

Whatever, it was a sad ending to a marvelous career.

Look up the serial rapist murderer he enabled.

 

[Charlie Marlow]

How many championships could TO have won as the head guy at Bama in the current era?
How many could Saban have won at Nebraska from the 70s through the 90s?
It’s interesting to think about

 

[scarletred]

How many championships could TO have won as the head guy at Bama in the current era?
How many could Saban have won at Nebraska from the 70s through the 90s?
It’s interesting to think about

Interesting thought process for sure.