Examining the 10 greatest college football coaches of all time

Collegiate football is the stepping stone for talented players to make it to the NFL. Aside from this, college teams have massive support as they give sports fans from those respective states a sense of identity. Today, we look at the men behind those college teams as we delve into the greatest coaches in college football history.

College football has been around even longer than the NFL, with the first verified game being between Rutgers University and the College of New Jersey in 1869. The games became more popular in the early 20th century, and some coaches achieved cult-like status among football fans.

Who is the greatest college football coach of all time?

Regarding championships, the best football coach of all time is current Alabama State University head coach Nick Saban. He has won a total of 7 NCAA championships. Let us look at the top 10 most outstanding college football coaches of all time.

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10. Joe Paterno (Penn State University)

Joe is the winningest football coach in the history of the NCAA, with 409 wins. He achieved this during a 6-decade spell at Penn State University, where he also won two national titles. His career ended in 2011 in controversy as one of his assistants was implicated in a child assault scandal. He passed away in November 2011 due to complications related to lung cancer.

9. Bud Wilkinson (University of Oklahoma)

Bud Wilkinson started as a football player and was drafted into the NFL in 1937. He joined the US Navy for World War 2. After the war, he became a coach at the University of Oklahoma, where he went on to win three national championships. His team won 41 straight NCAA Division 1 games, a record yet to be defeated. Wilkinson later became a football commentator for ABC and even tried his hand at coaching in the NFL. He passed away in 1994.

8. Urban Meyer (Florida, Ohio State)

Urban has coached at all levels in the football pyramid, from high school to college to the NFL. He won three national collegiate championships as head coach at Florida and Ohio State and coached the NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars. Meyer also works as an NFL analyst with Fox Sports.

7. Howard Jones (Yale, Iowa, USC)

Howard was one of the most successful tacticians of the early 20th century. He won 6 national championships between 1909 and 1939 at Yale, Iowa and USC. Jones passed away in 1941.

6. John McKay (USC)

McKay became a coach at the University of Southern California after an NFL career with the Anaheim Ducks. He won 4 national titles at USC. John later coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His son Rich McKay is currently the Atlanta Falcons president.

5. Frank Leahy (University of Notre Dame)

Leahy is a legend of the University of Notre Dame who won two national championships as a player and coached the team to 4 more titles. Frank later served as the general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 1960s before he died in 1973.

4. Bernie Bierman (University of Minnesota)

Bierman was unique in that he coached five collegiate basketball and football. He won 5 national football titles at Minnesota between 1932-1941. He retired from coaching in 1950 and passed away in 1977.

3. Woody Hayes (Ohio State University)

Woody Hayes started his coaching career at Denison but made his mark at Ohio State between 1951-1978. Woody won 5 national titles. He passed away in 1987 due to a heart attack.

2. Bear Bryant (University of Alabama)

Bear is one of the greatest football coaches of all time. He presided over an Alabama program that went on to win six national championships between 1958-1973. When he eventually retired from coaching in 1982, he did so with 323 wins, an NCAA record. He died of a heart attack in January 1983.

1. Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama State)

Nick Saban is the most successful coach in the history of collegiate football. He started his coaching career at Toledo in 1987, followed by an NFL stint at the Cleveland Browns. He then returned to college football with spells at Michigan State and LSU, where he won his first championship. After another short time in the NFL with the Dolphins, he joined Alabama State University in 2007 and has won 6 more titles since.

Every great football team needs a leader. Coaches fulfil the role of guiding players and coordinating tactics to ensure success. From our list of the greatest college football coaches of all time, Nick Saban stands tallest.

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