best college football head coach's of all time.

[Axemaster]

YES, unfortunatly Satan:::: oops I mean Saban does deserve it.

[theMileHighGuy]

Bud Wilkinson 145-29-4;

I was going to chime in with Wilkinson. One of my dad's favorites.

i am surprised nobody has questioned paterno being on my list considering 111 of his wins were stripped. if i was to add saban, i think i would replace paterno with him.

I think that is a discussion of wether you think Paterno the coach is great or not versus Paterno the man.

Paterno gained no advantage to earn those 111 wins. He did not cheat to get them with illegal recruits. They were merely taken away to punish a legacy that the NCAA felt needed to be punished. The man made a huge huge unforgiveable mistake off the field and the NCAA doesn't want him praised in any form or fashion.

However any knowledgeable football fan knows he earned those wins within NCAA rules on the field. Meaning in my opinion he actually has 111 wins more than what the NCAA record will show. So as far as actual coaching on the field he is still up there with the best of them.


So to answer the question I would have to put Saban ahead of him for National titles alone. However I think Paterno still belongs on the list of top all time coaches. Maybe not top 5 anymore but at least top 10.
Now an argument could be made that he was hiding Sandusky under the rug to protect the football team. Meaning if he hadn't hid it under the rug maybe he thought he would be fired a decade ago. And would've never been on the field to earn those wins.

But you could combat this with if he had done the right thing to begin with he wouldn't have been fired and still earned those wins.

I'm ranting a little but point is in my opinion which is what this is, Paterno still has some 400+ wins. Though you could also argue that is because he coached for an eternity.

Nice post DB. I won't get into the fact that I thought stripping Joe Pa of his wins was a joke. With or without them I think you have to put him in the top 5, but I'm a little biased though. Penn State was almost always competitive during his tenure, which I think is most impressive because of how long it was.

[DenverBlood]

i am surprised nobody has questioned paterno being on my list considering 111 of his wins were stripped. if i was to add saban, i think i would replace paterno with him.

I think that is a discussion of wether you think Paterno the coach is great or not versus Paterno the man.

Paterno gained no advantage to earn those 111 wins. He did not cheat to get them with illegal recruits. They were merely taken away to punish a legacy that the NCAA felt needed to be punished. The man made a huge huge unforgiveable mistake off the field and the NCAA doesn't want him praised in any form or fashion.

However any knowledgeable football fan knows he earned those wins within NCAA rules on the field. Meaning in my opinion he actually has 111 wins more than what the NCAA record will show. So as far as actual coaching on the field he is still up there with the best of them.


So to answer the question I would have to put Saban ahead of him for National titles alone. However I think Paterno still belongs on the list of top all time coaches. Maybe not top 5 anymore but at least top 10.
Now an argument could be made that he was hiding Sandusky under the rug to protect the football team. Meaning if he hadn't hid it under the rug maybe he thought he would be fired a decade ago. And would've never been on the field to earn those wins.

But you could combat this with if he had done the right thing to begin with he wouldn't have been fired and still earned those wins.

I'm ranting a little but point is in my opinion which is what this is, Paterno still has some 400+ wins. Though you could also argue that is because he coached for an eternity.

[InsaneBlaze23]

what about yost? as you know, i am not a Michigan fan and probably don't know the history as well as you but i do know that guy has 6 national titles and possibly a better winning percentage than bo?

Sometimes championships aren't always what makes a man great.
Bo's record was 234-65, Yost was 198-35.

Bo's words, ability to coach, recruiting, and his leadership made him what he is in Michigan. My grandfather played for Bo, he said no man command respect like Bo.

Time period also plays a role. More people have memories of Bo than Yost. Some might not even know Yost is.

It's just like with the Tigers. You can walk the streets and ask who is Ty Cobbs and Al Kaline. More people will know Al.

Yost was a great coach, he just wasn't Bo.

[baphamet]

In Michigan? Yes.

Bo is like a divine power in Ann Arbor.

what about yost? as you know, i am not a Michigan fan and probably don't know the history as well as you but i do know that guy has 6 national titles and possibly a better winning percentage than bo?

[InsaneBlaze23]

is he even the greatest Michigan coach of all time? had bo won a national title there would be an argument i think.

In Michigan? Yes.

Bo is like a divine power in Ann Arbor.

[samparnell]

With over a hundred teams and no playoff, there is no actual national championship. It has always been polls, sportswriters and a bowl game or two that has been used to manufacture the image of one. The BCS created an exclusive club that did nothing to help the situation.

Five weeks of preparation for a football game is ridiculous. That time would be better used in weekly games of a playoff bracket to determine a true national champion.

[baphamet]

i am surprised nobody has questioned paterno being on my list considering 111 of his wins were stripped. if i was to add saban, i think i would replace paterno with him.

[baphamet]

Well because I'm completely bias when it comes to college sports. I think Bo is the greatest coach of all time.

is he even the greatest Michigan coach of all time? had bo won a national title there would be an argument i think.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

Saban is very hard for me to like, but when you look at the product he puts on the field, there's no doubt he's one of the best to ever coach in the college ranks.

He's obviously a great recruiter.
His teams are always one of the most disciplined teams in football. They execute with excellence.

[InsaneBlaze23]

I assume this thread only refers to DIA/FBS coaches.

Of those, some other names which could be considered:

Frank Leahy 107-13-9;

Bud Wilkinson 145-29-4;

Bo Schembechler 234-65-8;

Glenn Warner 336-114-32 compiled at seven different schools over a forty-four year period.

As always, terminology is important. What is meant by "best" and "of all time"?

How much credit should be given for coaches who were great innovators in the game of football? Warner would need to be at the top of the list in that group since he invented so many things we take for granted in football today.

How much of a coaching tree a coach generated is worth considering. Hayden Fry would be near the top of the list in that area.

Social impact is something not discussed much lately especially concerning integration in college football. Bear Bryant in the SEC and Hayden Fry in the SWC worked to break the stranglehold of segregation on major college football in the South.

Alabama has come a long way from the 1969 Liberty Bowl where some of their fans spit on and shouted racial epithets at African-American members of Colorado's football team.

Well because I'm completely bias when it comes to college sports. I think Bo is the greatest coach of all time.

[samparnell]

I assume this thread only refers to DIA/FBS coaches.

Of those, some other names which could be considered:

Frank Leahy 107-13-9;

Bud Wilkinson 145-29-4;

Bo Schembechler 234-65-8;

Glenn Warner 336-114-32 compiled at seven different schools over a forty-four year period.

As always, terminology is important. What is meant by "best" and "of all time"?

How much credit should be given for coaches who were great innovators in the game of football? Warner would need to be at the top of the list in that group since he invented so many things we take for granted in football today.

How much of a coaching tree a coach generated is worth considering. Hayden Fry would be near the top of the list in that area.

Social impact is something not discussed much lately especially concerning integration in college football. Bear Bryant in the SEC and Hayden Fry in the SWC worked to break the stranglehold of segregation on major college football in the South.

Alabama has come a long way from the 1969 Liberty Bowl where some of their fans spit on and shouted racial epithets at African-American members of Colorado's football team.

[xX-Bronco-Xx]

I hate Saban. But yeah... He's top 5.

[SoundsOfSuccess]

Where's Lane Kiffin on that list?


(sarcasm)

[FabrizioHC]

Me

I'm the best. Haven't lost a game EVER!

But seriously, I would probably say Saban.