Yardbarker: Top 10 College Fotball Coaches - All Time

[Wingback Reverse]

What do I know...but here is my Top-10 list.  My list contains only coaches from what I would consider the "modern" era and excludes coaches who coached in lower divisions.

Selecting Bryant over Osborne was very difficult based on Osborne's winning percentage and his 25 consecutive 9 win seasons (when 9 wins actually meant something), but in the end I gave Bryant the nod because of six national championships.

Here is my Top-10:

1. Bear Bryant (323-85-17, .780 winning percentage, 6 national championships, 13 conference championships)

2. Tom Osborne (255-49-3, .835 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 13 conference championships)

3. Barry Switzer (157-29-4, .837 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 12 conference championships)

4. Joe Paterno (409-136-3, .749 winning percentage, 2 national championships, 3 conference championships)

5. Bud Wilkinson (145-29-4, .826 winning percentage, 3 national championhships, 14 conference championships)

6. Bob Devaney (136-30-7, .806 winning percentage, 2 national championships, 12 conference championships)

7. Woody Hayes (219-66-10, .759 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 13 conference championsips)

8.  Bobby Bowden (377-129-4, .743 winning pcercentage, 2 national championships, 12 conference championships)

9. John McKay (127-40-4, .737 winning percentage, 4 national championships, 9 conference championships)

10. Bo Schembechler (234-65-8, .775 winning percentage, 0 national championships, 13 conference championships)

I would give an "honorable mention" to Lavell Edwards (257-101-3, .716 winning percentage, 1 national championship, 19 conference championships).

That's a pretty good list.  I would probably replace Schembechler with somebody else like Rockne, Hayes, Stagg, Warner or others.

You know it is interesting when I go back and look over this list, the top four "modern era" coaches, based on winning percentage, are all four from either Nebraska or Oklahoma:

Barry Switzer (.837)
Tom Osborne (.835)
Bud Wilkinson (.826)
Bob Devaney (.806)

[FreightTrain]

Such a list is nothing but subjective in the eye's of any individual.   My list wouldn't be very welcome I'm sure.  Some maybe on others most hated lists.  Holtz turned many a program around.  Programs that many had given their last rights to.  I remember when he was at Arkansas with Monte Kiffen as his DC.  His team came into the game against number one Oklahoma.  Several of his big weapons were injured and OU was a heavy favorite.  He outwitted Barry at every turn.
 
Another was an old timer that took one of the losingest program of all time and created a winner at Kansas State.  So many had tried and failed.  You know who I'm referring to. That was an accomplishment that will never leave my mind.  He retired and the program fell like a rock.  He returned again and turn it around once more.  You have to give credit where credit is due even if you hate his school.
John McKay was a great coach that one had to admire.  He was also a very entertaining speaker and commedian.  There are several that would make my list that others would scoff at.  

I would have to add a few coaches just for their intangibles.  Of course I'd have some of the greats as Osborne, The Bear and Knut.  It may be easier to recruit at some schools.  It can make average coaches look pretty good.  Miles at LSU comes to mind.  It is the coaches that take programs without those advantages to the top in obscure places that catch my eye.  Nebraska, Kansas State and landlocked states with integrity over places with bright lights and beaches.  I'm a football purest.  I enjoy the history of the game as much as I like the fast moving and ever changing present.  Subjective for sure.  It also helps a little to have been around to see the likes of Wilkinson and Woody.  Wilkinson the stoic man such as Osborne, and Woody much like Bo with his hair on fire most of the time.  

[Solly]

I hold Yardbarker in the same vein as Bleacher Report: nothing they put out should be taken too seriously.

Bleacher is like Huffington, they just provide links to real newspapers and media outlets.

Bleacher Report "hires" Joe Schmoes to write their columns. Anyone, no matter how good of a writer or how much they know about sports, can get approved.

I turned down a solicitation from them awhile back.

[Big Sky Husker]

What do I know...but here is my Top-10 list.  My list contains only coaches from what I would consider the "modern" era and excludes coaches who coached in lower divisions.

Selecting Bryant over Osborne was very difficult based on Osborne's winning percentage and his 25 consecutive 9 win seasons (when 9 wins actually meant something), but in the end I gave Bryant the nod because of six national championships.

Here is my Top-10:

1. Bear Bryant (323-85-17, .780 winning percentage, 6 national championships, 13 conference championships)

2. Tom Osborne (255-49-3, .835 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 13 conference championships)

3. Barry Switzer (157-29-4, .837 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 12 conference championships)

4. Joe Paterno (409-136-3, .749 winning percentage, 2 national championships, 3 conference championships)

5. Bud Wilkinson (145-29-4, .826 winning percentage, 3 national championhships, 14 conference championships)

6. Bob Devaney (136-30-7, .806 winning percentage, 2 national championships, 12 conference championships)

7. Woody Hayes (219-66-10, .759 winning percentage, 3 national championships, 13 conference championsips)

8.  Bobby Bowden (377-129-4, .743 winning pcercentage, 2 national championships, 12 conference championships)

9. John McKay (127-40-4, .737 winning percentage, 4 national championships, 9 conference championships)

10. Bo Schembechler (234-65-8, .775 winning percentage, 0 national championships, 13 conference championships)

I would give an "honorable mention" to Lavell Edwards (257-101-3, .716 winning percentage, 1 national championship, 19 conference championships).

That's a pretty good list.  I would probably replace Schembechler with somebody else like Rockne, Hayes, Stagg, Warner or others.

You know it is interesting when I go back and look over this list, the top four "modern era" coaches, based on winning percentage, are all four from either Nebraska or Oklahoma:

Barry Switzer (.837)
Tom Osborne (.835)
Bud Wilkinson (.826)
Bob Devaney (.806)

I have Bob Devaney at the top of the list.  What he did with a team that was a down as long as Nebraska was in the 50s was remarkable. 

1.  Bob Devaney
2.  Barry Switzer
2.  Tom Osborne
4.  Bud Wilkinson

Tom Osborne is a tie with Barry Switzer, IMO.  Osborne's winning percentage is amazing over a 25 year period. 

[Cdog923]

Let's all get worked up about things that are meaningless!

Um, duh. Have you not been around here during the offseason?

[Cdog923]

I hold Yardbarker in the same vein as Bleacher Report: nothing they put out should be taken too seriously.

Bleacher is like Huffington, they just provide links to real newspapers and media outlets.

Bleacher Report "hires" Joe Schmoes to write their columns. Anyone, no matter how good of a writer or how much they know about sports, can get approved.

I turned down a solicitation from them awhile back.

You would have upped their standards by 1000%.

[Toe]

Another was an old timer that took one of the losingest program of all time and created a winner at Kansas State.  So many had tried and failed.  You know who I'm referring to. That was an accomplishment that will never leave my mind.  He retired and the program fell like a rock.  He returned again and turn it around once more.  You have to give credit where credit is due even if you hate his school.

"Doing it again just proves how amazing it was the first time — that it wasn’t a fluke," Switzer says. "And how old is he? 72? I'm telling you, he's my hero."

[FreightTrain]

I hold Yardbarker in the same vein as Bleacher Report: nothing they put out should be taken too seriously.

Bleacher is like Huffington, they just provide links to real newspapers and media outlets.

Bleacher Report "hires" Joe Schmoes to write their columns. Anyone, no matter how good of a writer or how much they know about sports, can get approved.

I turned down a solicitation from them awhile back.

Me to a couple of years back.  Off season stories and articles are all about trying to get a responce from readers.  Many writers will print ideas that are out there just to get anykind of feedback.  They want you to react. When things were slow on this sight in the off season, I would play devils advocate many times just to see how many people were really out there.  I was always surprised how many actually were dropping in.  It's an old Indian trick writers use to add up some silly hits on a sight.  Sight sponsors don't mind as long as they know someone is out there.