Greatest college football coach (25 years at a school)

Goldenage

Winning percentage only.

Tom Osborne .836

Bear Bryant .824

What other coach with 25+ years at one school can beat them or join them.

Bullsitter

Eddie Robinson, Grambling State wasn't half bad.

.

Alfonz24

Only a college coach for 16 years, I am going to plug my college coach (just my freshman year) Bob Reade who went 146-23-1 for a .863905 winning percentage.

LandrysFedora

As a Miami Hurricanes diehard fan I always had total respect for Mr. Bowden. Yes he coached FSU one of our arch rivals but he was always 1st class in my eyes. I know he had well over 30 years with FSU and some other schools before then also. I'm not a stats guy but I would think his winning percentage is pretty darn good.

Bullsitter

I loved Coach Bowden. After Bryant died, he wanted to come to Alabama, but they hired Perkins.

In 2010 Bama played Penn State.

.

Former Florida State University coach Bobby Bowden, a Birmingham native, was a guest of the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, meeting with University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, Penn State coach Joe Paterno and UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore during pre-game.

Shortly after, he had trouble describing the scene around Tuscaloosa.

“Truth be known — I coached for 57 years — today is the first time I saw tailgating. I’ve never seen tailgaters,” Bowden said. “When you’re coaching, you get in a bus, drive to the stadium, and walk on the field and coach. As we drove around today and walked around today and saw all those tents, and all that food. It was wall-to-wall food. I thought they were starving up here in Tuscaloosa.”

LandrysFedora

@Bullsitter said:
I loved Coach Bowden. After Bryant died, he wanted to come to Alabama, but they hired Perkins.

In 2010 Bama played Penn State.

.

Former Florida State University coach Bobby Bowden, a Birmingham native, was a guest of the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, meeting with University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, Penn State coach Joe Paterno and UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore during pre-game.

Shortly after, he had trouble describing the scene around Tuscaloosa.

“Truth be known — I coached for 57 years — today is the first time I saw tailgating. I’ve never seen tailgaters,” Bowden said. “When you’re coaching, you get in a bus, drive to the stadium, and walk on the field and coach. As we drove around today and walked around today and saw all those tents, and all that food. It was wall-to-wall food. I thought they were starving up here in Tuscaloosa.”

That pic of those 3 coaching legends together reminds me of a Braves spring training game I attended around 20 years ago at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL. against the Cardinals. Me and my wife were sitting behind the Braves dugout pregame when we spotted the 2 respective managers, Bobby Cox and Tony Larussa talking near the Cards dugout along with Bill Parcells (of NFL coaching fame} who is friends with Larussa all together in one spot! We just thought that was so cool! I only regret we didn't get a pic.

Maywood

Goldenage

@Bullsitter said:
I loved Coach Bowden. After Bryant died, he wanted to come to Alabama, but they hired Perkins.

In 2010 Bama played Penn State.

.

Former Florida State University coach Bobby Bowden, a Birmingham native, was a guest of the Crimson Tide on Saturday night, meeting with University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, Penn State coach Joe Paterno and UA Director of Athletics Mal Moore during pre-game.

Shortly after, he had trouble describing the scene around Tuscaloosa.

“Truth be known — I coached for 57 years — today is the first time I saw tailgating. I’ve never seen tailgaters,” Bowden said. “When you’re coaching, you get in a bus, drive to the stadium, and walk on the field and coach. As we drove around today and walked around today and saw all those tents, and all that food. It was wall-to-wall food. I thought they were starving up here in Tuscaloosa.”

Did not know that.

Too bad. He would have been great.

doubledragon

While certainly not as great as the above mentioned head coaches, Frank Beamer had a pretty good run at Virginia Tech. I think this graph is from when he was still coaching.

coinkat

B S

The legacy is not about about a winning percentage. Instead, it is about how a coach changed the game. The coaches discussed thus far benefitted immensely from other coaches- most never where able to stay at one school for 25 years. So to satisfy B S requirement of 25 years at one school, Robert Zuppke is worthy based on how he influenced and changed the game. And for those keeping score, 4 National championships should help and elevate his stature. Not the greatest... but there is no greatest so lets end that B S. And just to keep the SEC crowd satisfied... Johnny Vaught should get at least a footnote. But no... sadly his tenure at Ole Miss was 24 yrs.

I would further suggest that are other coaches such as Bud Wilkinson and Bernie Bierman contributed more to the progression of the game than others. And take a look at the number of National Championships they won as well as other statistics that seem to matter to the misguided.

coolstanley

Urban Meyer 17 years, .854 winning percentage.

Urban also has the highest winning percentage in bowls games in history.

Goldenage

@coinkat said:
B S

The legacy is not about about a winning percentage. Instead, it is about how a coach changed the game. The coaches discussed thus far benefitted immensely from other coaches- most never where able to stay at one school for 25 years. So to satisfy B S requirement of 25 years at one school, Robert Zuppke is worthy based on how he influenced and changed the game. And for those keeping score, 4 National championships should help and elevate his stature. Not the greatest... but there is no greatest so lets end that B S. And just to keep the SEC crowd satisfied... Johnny Vaught should get at least a footnote. But no... sadly his tenure at Ole Miss was 24 yrs.

I would further suggest that are other coaches such as Bud Wilkinson and Bernie Bierman contributed more to the progression of the game than other. And take a look at the number of National Championships they won as well as other statistics that seem to matter to the misguided.

Coinkat,
I love a guy who contends for what he believes in.
I love a guy as knowledgeable about college football as you are.
Keep posting about CF. You’re an asset to the forum.

Goldenage

coinkat

@Goldenage

Please do not take my commentary personally as it is not directed at you but at the frustration of what is lost over time in connection with the progression of capturing/recording College Football History. There are many college football coaches that have made an impact which really is simply not measured with stats

Red Sanders, Tommy Prothro, Dick Vermeil, Terry Donahue and Bob Toledo- these guys were the head Football Coach at UCLA that covered a period of around 50 years or so. Red Sanders was the Wizard of Westwood before John Wooden. But most see UCLA as a basketball school mainly because Wooden's success in the 1960s and 70s surpassed what Red Sanders did for UCLA football. Take a look a Red Sanders and Tommy Prothro and their record and that should easily crush the misguided view that UCLA is a basketball school.

And this is just one example.

Goldenage

@coinkat said:
@Goldenage

Please do not take my commentary personally as it is not directed at you but at the frustration of what is lost over time in connection with the progression of capturing/recording College Football History. There are many college football coaches that have made an impact which really is simply not measured with stats

Red Sanders, Tommy Prothro, Dick Vermeil, Terry Donahue and Bob Toledo- these guys were the head Football Coach at UCLA that covered a period of around 50 years or so. Red Sanders was the Wizard of Westwood before John Wooden. But most see UCLA as a basketball school mainly because Wooden's success in the 1960s and 70s surpassed what Red Sanders did for UCLA football. Take a look a Red Sanders and Tommy Prothro and their record and that should easily crush the misguided view that UCLA is a basketball school.

And this is just one example.

Your pre-1970 experience is needed.
Thanks for sharing 🏈

LandrysFedora

@Alfonz24 said:
Only a college coach for 16 years, I am going to plug my college coach (just my freshman year) Bob Reade who went 146-23-1 for a .863905 winning percentage.

I was just reading up on coach Reade. What an amazing coaching career he had. From the high school level through college. He is a legend. Thanks for dropping his name here!