List of college football coaches with 200 wins

This is a list of college football coaches with 200 career wins. "College level" is defined as a four-year college or university program in either the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) or the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). If a team competed at a time before the official organization of either of the two groups but is generally accepted as a "college football program", it is included.

Historical overview

As of the end of the 2019 season, a total of 95 head football coaches have reached the milestone of 200 career coaching wins.

In the 100 years after the first college football game in 1869, only eight coaches reached the 200-win milestone. The only two who reached the mark before 1950 were Pop Warner, with 319 wins from 1895 to 1938 (mostly at Carlisle, Pittsburgh and Stanford), and Amos Alonzo Stagg, with 314 wins from 1890 to 1946, mostly at Chicago).[1]

By 1970, another six coaches had reached the milestone: Ace Mumford, with 233 wins from 1924 to 1961 (mostly at Southern); Fred T. Long, with 227 wins from 1921 to 1965 (mostly at Wiley); Jess Neely, with 207 wins from 1924 to 1966 (mostly at Clemson and Rice); Cleveland Abbott, with 203 wins at Tuskegee between 1923 and 1954; Jake Gaither, with 204 wins at Florida A&M from 1945 to 1969; and Eddie Anderson, with 201 wins from 1922 to 1964 (mostly at Holy Cross).[1][2]

Though only eight coaches reached the milestone from 1869 to 1970, 87 coaches have reached the mark in the 49 seasons since then.

Leaders by category

In overall career wins, the all-time leader is John Gagliardi with 489 wins, mostly at the Division III level.[3] Gagliardi began his head coaching career at Carroll in Helena, Montana in 1949, and moved from there in 1953 to Saint John's in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he served until retiring after the 2012 season. Joe Paterno, the head coach at Penn State from 1966 until his 2011 firing in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, is second with 409 wins. NCAA sanctions following the scandal had stripped him of all 111 Penn State wins between 1998 and 2011,[4] but the NCAA restored those wins on January 16, 2015 as part of a settlement of a lawsuit by the state of Pennsylvania against the NCAA.[5] Eddie Robinson, head coach at Grambling State from 1941 to 1997 with a two-season hiatus during World War II in which Grambling did not field a team, is third with 408.[2][3] Bobby Bowden is in fourth place and Larry Kehres is in fifth.[3]

Among coaches with at least 10 seasons in NCAA Division I and its predecessors, the all-time leaders in wins are Paterno (409), Robinson (408), Bowden (377), Bear Bryant (323), and Warner (319).

Considering wins in Division I FBS only—including wins with "major" programs before the 1978 split of Division I football, and wins in Division I-A/FBS after the split—the all-time leaders are Paterno (409), Bowden (377), Bryant (323), Warner (319), and Stagg (314).

The only coaches with 200 Division I FCS wins after the Division I split are Jimmye Laycock (242), Roy Kidd (223), Andy Talley (217), and Jerry Moore (215).

Among NCAA Division I coaches to be active in 2021, the leader in Division I wins is Mack Brown (259) and in second is Nick Saban (256).

The all-time win leaders in NCAA Division II are Danny Hale (Bloomsburg and West Chester), Gaither and Chuck Broyles, and the all-time win leaders in NCAA Division III are Gagliardi and Kehres.

Among coaches active in 2019, the career win leaders are Kevin Donley (333), Larry Wilcox (297), and Al Bagnoli (256).[1][2]

Among the coaches with 200 career wins, the individual with the highest winning percentage is Kehres with a .929 winning percentage in 27 seasons (1986–2012) as the head football coach at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Four others finished their careers with 200 wins and a winning percentage of .800 or greater: Gaither (.844), Tom Osborne (.836), Mike Kelly (.819), and Ron Schipper (.808).[1][2]

The coaches with the most wins at one college are Gagliardi (465 at Saint John's), Paterno (409 at Penn State), Robinson (408 at Grambling), Kehres (332 at Mount Union), Ken Sparks (327 at Carson–Newman), Kidd (314 at Eastern Kentucky), Bowden (304 at Florida State) and Tubby Raymond (300 at Delaware).

Key

* Expected to be active in the 2020 season
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach
†† Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player
††† Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach
200 wins with a Division I program (or historic equivalent)[n 1]

Coaches with 200 career wins

Updated through January 11, 2021.
Rank Name Years Wins Losses Ties Pct. Teams
1John Gagliardi6448913811.775Carroll (MT) (1949–1952), Saint John's (MN) (1953–2012)
2Joe Paterno464091363.749Penn State (1966–2011)
3Eddie Robinson[n 2]5540816515.707Grambling (1941–1942, 1945–1997)
4Bobby Bowden44377[n 3]1294.743Samford (1959–1962), West Virginia (1970–1975), Florida State (1976–2009)
5Ken Sparks37338992.772Carson–Newman (1980–2016)
6Kevin Donley*413331351.711Anderson (IN) (1978–1981), Georgetown (KY) (1982–1992), California (PA) (1993–1996), Saint Francis (IN) (1998–present)
7Larry Kehres27332243.929Mount Union (1986–2012)
8Bear Bryant383238517.780Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946–1953), Texas A&M (1954–1957), Alabama (1958–1982)
9Pop Warner4931910632.730Georgia (1895–1896), Iowa State (1895–1899), Cornell (1897–1898, 1904–1906), Carlisle (1899–1903, 1907–1914), Pittsburgh (1915–1923), Stanford (1924–1932), Temple (1933–1938)
10Roy Kidd393141248.713Eastern Kentucky (1964–2002)
10Amos Alonzo Stagg†††5731419935.605Springfield (1890–1891), Chicago (1892–1932), Pacific (CA) (1933–1946)
12Frosty Westering40305967.756Parsons (1962–1963), Lea (1966–1971), Pacific Lutheran (1972–2003)
12Larry Wilcox423051530.666Benedictine (KS) (1979–2020)
14Tubby Raymond[n 4]363001193.714Delaware (1966–2001)
15Ron Schipper36287673.808Central (IA) (1961–1996)
16Frank Beamer352801444.657Murray State (1981–1986), Virginia Tech (1987–2015)
17Monte Cater372751172.701Lakeland (1981–1986), Shepherd (1987–2017)
18Bob Ford[n 5]452651911.581St. Lawrence (1965–1968), Albany (1973–2013)
19Dennis Douds452642043.564East Stroudsburg (1974–2018)
20Roger Harring31261757.771Wisconsin–La Crosse (1969–1999)
21Mack Brown*322591321.662Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985–1987), North Carolina (1988–1997, 2019–present), Texas (1998–2013)
22Hank Biesiot382581211.680Dickinson State (1976–2013)
23LaVell Edwards292571013.716BYU (1972–2000)
23Frank Girardi36257975.723Lycoming (1972–2007)
23Andy Talley372571552.623St. Lawrence (1979–83), Villanova (1985–2016)
26Al Bagnoli*382561270.668Union (NY) (1982–1991), Penn (1992–2014), Columbia (2015–present)
26Nick Saban*25256[n 6]651.797Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995–1999), LSU (2000–2004), Alabama (2007–present)
28Tom Osborne25255493.836Nebraska (1973–1997)
28Jim Malosky4025512513.665Minnesota–Duluth (1958–1997)
30Rick Giancola*372531272.665Montclair State (1983–present)
31Brian Kelly*30252[n 7]962.723Grand Valley State (1991–2003), Central Michigan (2004–2006), Cincinnati (2006–2009), Notre Dame (2010–present)
32Lou Holtz332491327.651William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State (1972–1975), Arkansas (1977–1983), Minnesota (1984–1985), Notre Dame (1986–1996), South Carolina (1999–2004)
32Jimmye Laycock392491942.562William & Mary (1980–2018)
34Rob Ash362461375.640Juniata (1980–1988), Drake (1989–2006), Montana State (2007–2015)
34Mike Kelly27246541.819Dayton (1981–2007)
36Billy Joe[n 8]342451274.657Cheyney (1972–1978), Central State (1981–1993), Florida A&M (1994–2004), Miles (2008–2010)
37Jerry Moore312421352.641North Texas (1979–1980), Texas Tech (1981–1985), Appalachian State (1989–2012)
37Mel Tjeerdsma27242824.744Austin (1984–1993), Northwest Missouri State (1994–2010)
39Woody Hayes332387210.759Denison (1946–1948), Miami (OH) (1949–1950), Ohio State (1951–1978)
40Pete Fredenburg*22237400.856Mary Hardin–Baylor (1998–present)
41John Merritt322357012.760Jackson State (1952–1962), Tennessee State (1963–1983)
42Chris Ault28234[n 9]1081.684Nevada (1976–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2012)
42Bo Schembechler27234658.775Miami (OH) (1963–1968), Michigan (1969–1989)
44K. C. Keeler*26233951.710Rowan (1993–2001), Delaware (2002–2012), Sam Houston State (2014–present)
44Ace Mumford362338523.717Jarvis Christian (1924–1926), Bishop (1927–1929), Texas College (1931–1935), Southern (1936–1942, 1944–1961)
44Joe Taylor30233964.706Howard (1983), Virginia Union (1984–1991), Hampton (1992–2007), Florida A&M (2008–2012)
47Hayden Fry3723217810.564SMU (1962–1972), North Texas (1973–1978), Iowa (1979–1998)
48Willard Bailey372301507.603Virginia Union (1971–1983, 1995–2003), Norfolk State (1984–1992), Saint Paul's (VA) (2005–2010)
49Mike Drass25229611.789Wesley (DE) (1993–2017)
49Jim Tressel25229792.742Youngstown State (1986–2000), Ohio State (2001–2010)
51Steve Spurrier†††26228892.718Duke (1987–1989), Florida (1990–2001), South Carolina (2005–2015)
52Fred T. Long4522715131.593Paul Quinn (1921–1922), Wiley (1923–1947, 1956–1965), Prairie View A&M (1948), Texas College (1949–1955)
53Steve Johnson*312261011.691Bethel (MN) (1989–present)
54John Luckhardt27225702.761Washington & Jefferson (1982–1998), California (PA) (2002–2011)
55Rich Lackner*342241212.648Carnegie Mellon (1986–present)
56Walt Hameline[n 10]342231392.615Wagner (1981–2014)
57Jim Margraff29221893.711Johns Hopkins (1990–2018)
58Gene Carpenter32220906.706Adams State (1968), Millersville (1970–2000)
58Larry Kindbom372201491.596Kenyon (1983–1988), Washington (MO) (1989–2019)
60Ron Harms312191124.660Concordia (NE) (1964–1969), Adams State (1970–1973), Texas A&M–Kingsville (1979–1999)
60Ted Kessinger28219571.792Bethany (KS) (1976–2003)
62Mike Ayers332181602.577East Tennessee State (1985–1987), Wofford (1988–2017)
62Ron Randleman362181676.565William Penn (1969–1975), Pittsburg State (1976–1981), Sam Houston State (1982–2004)
64Jim Christopherson322171027.676Concordia (Moorhead) (1969–2000)
64Joe Fincham*24217480.819Wittenberg (1996–present)
64Fred Martinelli3521711912.641Ashland (1959–1993)
67Bill Snyder272151171.647Kansas State (1989–2005, 2009–2018)
68Norm Eash*332141091.662Illinois Wesleyan (1987–present)
69Danny Hale25213691.754West Chester (1984–1988), Bloomsburg (1993–2012)
69Dennis Franchione302131352.611Southwestern (KS) (1981–1982), Pittsburg State (1985–1989), Texas State (1990–1991), New Mexico (1992–1997), TCU (1998–2000), Alabama (2001–2002), Texas A&M (2003–2007), Texas State (2011–2015)
71Eric Hamilton362121446.594TCNJ (1977–2012)
71Larry Korver29212777.729Northwestern (IA) (1968–1994)
71Bill Manlove322121111.656Widener (1969–1991), Delaware Valley (1992–1995), La Salle (1997–2001)
74Tim Murphy*332101261.625Maine (1987–1988), Cincinnati (1989–1993), Harvard (1994–present)
75Peter Mazzaferro4120915811.567Waynesburg (1959–1963), Curry (1963), Bridgewater State (1968–1986, 1988–2004)
75Mike Swider24209520.798Wheaton (IL) (1996–2019)
77Jess Neely4020717619.539Southwestern (TN) (1924–1927), Clemson (1931–1939), Rice (1940–1966)
77Bob Nielson*272071061.661Ripon (1989–1990), Wartburg (1991–1995), Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1996–1998), Minnesota–Duluth (1999–2003, 2008–2012), Western Illinois (2013–2015), South Dakota (2016–present)
79Jim Butterfield27206711.743Ithaca (1967–1993)
79Mike Maynard*32206911.693Redlands (1988–present)
81Harold Elliott372051799.533Southwestern (KS) (1964–1968), Washburn (1969–1970), Emporia State (1971–1973), Texas–Arlington (1974–1983), Northwest Missouri State (1988–1993), Eastern New Mexico (1994–2004)
81Carl Poelker312051001.672Millikin (1982–1995), McKendree (1996–2012)
83Bill Cronin*23204610.770Georgetown (KY) (1997–present)
83Jake Gaither[n 11]25204364.844Florida A&M (1945–1969)
85Cleveland Abbott312039628.664Tuskegee (1923–1954)
85Mike Van Diest20203540.790Carroll (MT) (1999–2018)
85Warren B. Woodson312039514.673Arkansas State Teachers (1935–1940), Hardin–Simmons (1941–1942, 1946–1951), Arizona (1952–1956), New Mexico State (1958–1967), Trinity (TX) (1972–1973)
88Don Nehlen302021288.609Bowling Green (1968–1976), West Virginia (1980–2000)
89Eddie Anderson3920112815.606Loras (1922–1924), DePaul (1925–1931), Holy Cross (1933–1938, 1950–1964) Iowa (1939–1942, 1946–1949)
89Mike DeLong342011392.591Maine Maritime (1979–1980), Springfield (MA) (1984–2015)
89Vince Dooley252017710.715Georgia (1964–1988)
89Keith W. Piper3920114118.583Denison (1954–1992)
93Joe Glenn282001341.599Doane (1976–1979), Northern Colorado (1989–1999), Montana (2000–2002), Wyoming (2003–2008), South Dakota (2012–2015)
93Darrell Mudra26200814.709Adams State (1959–1962), North Dakota State (1963–1965), Arizona (1967–1968), Western Illinois (1969–1973), Florida State (1974–1975), Eastern Illinois (1978–1982), Northern Iowa (1983–1987)
93Jim Sweeney322001544.564Montana State (1963–1967), Washington State (1968–1975), Fresno State (1976–1977, 1980–1996)

Active coaches nearing 200 career wins

This list identifies active coaches with at least 185 career wins. Updated through January 11, 2021.
Rank Name Years Wins Losses Ties Pct. Teams
*Bill Zwaan23198770.723Widener (1997–2002), West Chester (2003–present)
*Steve Ryan19192400.828Morningside (2002–present)
*Tom Sawyer24190850.717Winona State (1996–present)
*Rick Willis21185460.801Wartburg (1997–2005, 2008–present)

See also

Notes

  1. The list includes coaches with 200 wins regardless of division. Coaches with 200 wins at a Division I school (or historic equivalents) are designated with the referenced peach shading. The referenced shading has also been used for coaches with historic programs that were among the elite programs of their era. For example, Amos Alonzo Stagg's wins with the University of Chicago are included.
  2. Although Robinson has 408 total wins at Grambling, he has only 154 NCAA Division I wins. Robinson's first two wins were before Grambling was an accredited college. When the NCAA first split into the University Division (predecessor to today's Division I) and College Division (predecessor to today's Divisions II and III) in 1956, Grambling became a member of the College Division, and remained at that level until the split of the College Division after the 1972 season. At that time, Grambling became a Division II school, and did not move to Division I until 1977. The following year, when Division I-AA was created, Grambling became a charter member of that group and has remained there to this day.
  3. Bobby Bowden had 388 wins on the field. A March 6, 2009 NCAA ruling, which was appealed and then upheld on January 5, 2010, required Florida State to vacate 12 wins from the 2006 and 2007 seasons in relation to an academic scandal which resulted in using ineligible players.
  4. Although Raymond has 300 total wins at Delaware, he has only 181 NCAA Division I wins. From 1966 to 1972, Delaware was in the College Division, and once the NCAA adopted its current three-division setup in 1973, Delaware became a Division II school. Delaware did not move to Division I-AA until 1980; they have remained at that level ever since.
  5. Although Ford has 265 total wins and 256 at Albany, he only has 98 NCAA Division I wins. Ford's first nine wins were at St. Lawrence, which was then in the College Division and is now in Division III. When Albany reinstated varsity football in 1973 with Ford as head coach, it did so as a Division III program; it joined Division II in 1995 and did not move to Division I-AA (now FCS) until 1999.
  6. Nick Saban had five wins vacated from the 2007 season in relation to an academic scandal regarding textbooks. Four football players were found to have used their scholarships to obtain free textbooks for friends and/or girlfriends.
  7. In 2018, Notre Dame was forced to vacate all 13 games from the 2012 season, including their loss in the BCS National Championship Game, and all 9 wins from the 2013 season, including their victory in the Pinstripe Bowl.[6]
  8. Although Joe has 245 wins, only 86 came at Division I Florida A&M; all other victories were with lower division programs.
  9. In 1985, UNLV was forced to forfeit all 7 games from the 1983 season and all 11 wins from the 1984 season, including their victory in the California Bowl.[7] Ault and his team were given a win on the Fremont Cannon as a result.
  10. Although Hameline has 223 total wins, all at Wagner, he has only 128 NCAA Division I wins. Wagner was a Division III school when he became head coach in 1981, and did not upgrade to the I-AA/FCS level until 1993.
  11. Although Gaither has 204 wins at Florida A&M, FAMU did not move up to Division I until the creation of I-AA football in 1978, nine years after Gaither retired. All games coached by Gaither were designated as College Division games, either implicitly (games prior to 1956) or explicitly (1956 and later).

References

  1. "NCAA Career Statistics". NCAA. Retrieved June 21, 2010. (The NCAA Career Statistics database allows the viewer to obtain coaching records for all NCAA coaches by inputting the individual's name in the linked window.)
  2. "NCAA Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. (The linked document is a report published by the NCAA listing the winningest coaches based on data through the end of the 2012 season. Updated information on coaches active in subsequent seasons is available through the other sources listed in the "References" section.)
  3. "All-Time Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 20, 2010. (The referenced page reflects the updated information on the Top 10 winningest coaches. Records for other coaches are available in the database in alphabetical order through links from the referenced page.)
  4. "Penn State sanctions: $60M, bowl ban". ESPN. July 23, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  5. "Joe Paterno is now winningest coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  6. Gartland, Dan (February 13, 2018). "Notre Dame Forced to Vacate Wins From National Runner-Up Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  7. McCurdie, Jim (March 13, 1985). "UNLV Punished for Using Ineligible Football Players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
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