10 Greatest NFL Coaches in History
By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent
(This story can also be seen on our sister site, The Love of NFL.)
There’s no doubting the fact that every single NFL fan will bring their own favorite head coach to this debate.
I mean, it’d be impossible to find a Dolphin fan who’ll disagree with this list, but I guarantee every Cheesehead around will be cursing me for ranking their pre-Favre NFL God where I did.
But it you think about it, I bet you’ll eventually agree with my take on the top 10 head coaches in NFL history.
Top 10 NFL Coaches of All-Time
10. Bill Cowher
He led the Steelers to 10 playoff appearances in 15 seasons and retired with a regular season record of 149-90-1, a playoff record of 12-9 and a victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL.
9. Tony Dungy
I know the popular choice would be Belichick, but deep down inside, you know Dungy’s the better coach. He currently boasts a regular season record of 127-95, which gives him the highest winning percentage for any NFL head coach since John Madden. Bet you didn’t know that, did you? He’s led Indianapolis to 10 or more wins in every season he’s been there (2002-present) and holds a 9-9 record in the playoffs with a Super Bowl victory.
8. John Madden
Madden was a Hall of Fame coach long before his video games made him a pop-culture icon. He retired with an incredible 103-27-7 regular season record, which gives him the best winning percentage in NFL history (.763). He also went 9-7 in the playoffs with a win over the Vikings in Super Bowl XI.
7. Joe Gibbs
He led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl championships, and his 17 playoff victories are third most in NFL history (17-7). Odds are I would’ve ranked him higher had he stayed away from the game, because the Skins just weren’t that strong when he returned in 2000.
6. Bill Walsh
There are only three coaches in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with less victories than Walsh, who finished with a regular season record of 92-59-1. He led the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships between 1979-88 and coached them to 10 or more victories in each of his final eight seasons.
5. Paul Brown
The man finished with an extremely impressive regular season record of 213-104-9, a playoff record of 9-8 and brought home three NFL titles. Also worthy of note is the fact he only coached one losing season out of the 17 he spent with Cleveland.
4. Tom Landry
His 20 playoff victories remain a record in the NFL (20-16), and he also won two Super Bowls. Landry coached the same team (Dallas Cowboys) from 1960-88, retired with a regular season record of 250-162-6 and won five conference championships. The hat isn’t the only thing that made this man a legend amongst legends.
3. Vince Lombardi
First off, I know what you’re thinking, and yes I agree he’s one of the most “inspirational” sports figures ever. Having said that, I couldn’t rank him higher than a guy who won four Super Bowls. Of course, there’s no denying his superiority in the playoffs, as he finished with an incredible 9-1 postseason record and brought Green Bay two Super Bowl championships. He may seem out of place here at #3, but in truth he isn’t.
2. Chuck Noll
He’s the only coach in NFL history with four Super Bowl rings and was the guy who led Pittsburgh to their first taste of true victory after 30 years of failure. He retired with a regular season record of 209-156-1, a playoff record of 16-8 and no one will ever forget his four titles in the span of six seasons.
1. Don Shula
Did you really think anyone else could take the #1 spot? Shula’s 328 regular season wins are the most for any coach in NFL history (328-156-6). On top of that, you’ve got his 19-17 playoff record, two Super Bowl titles and ... um ... oh yeah, the only PERFECT SEASON in NFL history! If that’s not enough, there’s also the fact he only coached two losing seasons in 24 as a head coach.
HONORABLE MENTION
Bill Belichick: I’ll be honest and admit he lost points for cheating. However, I’m not naive enough to contribute his coaching ability to that. Odds are he’ll climb much higher on this list before retiring. For now, the man’s 127-81 record in the regular season is as strong as anyone’s. He’s an incredible 15-4 in the playoffs and has won a very impressive three Super Bowls. I guess his major drawback would be the four losing seasons he coached in Cleveland, but I guess nobody’s perfect, right?
Marv Levy: Marvelous Marv coached the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and even though they lost each one of them, there’s something to be said for getting to the top of the mountain over and over and over and over; isn’t there?
Well folks, that’s what I’m bringing to the table. I know I’m going to draw the ire of critics who think I ranked a certain coach too high, or another too low, which is cool. I’m very much looking forward to your comments.
(Can’t get enough NFL? Then check out our sister site, The Love of NFL.)
OTHER TOP STORIES
--Top 10 All-Time Coach’s Quotes
--Old School Love for The Forward Pass
--TLOS Preview - #2 Georgia Bulldogs
--Top 8 Reasons Why NCAA Football is Better Than The NFL
Comments
Adam on 09/08 at 09:45 AM
Maddon is overrated here. So is Cowher. Where’s Parcells? Where’s Stram? A case could be made for him to be #1. You’re missing Shanahan, whose teams are always good.
Bob Ulmer on 10/23 at 05:15 PM
do you know where I can find the top 10 winning pct. coaches for the NFL. thx
Post a Comment