25. Marty Schottenheimer
The seventh-winningest coach of all-time, Schottenheimer was an excellent regular season coach. See how we emphasized regular season, because his postseason track record was rather abysmal. Schottenheimer had a .613 winning percentage during the regular season. However in the playoffs, his teams went a combined 5-13. He never sniffed a conference title — let alone a Super Bowl. Schottenheimer’s teams went 0-3 in conference championship games. All the same, he deserves mention as a highly productive coach.
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24. Dan Reeves
One might be surprised to hear that Reeves is a top-10 coach all-time when it comes to victories (190). The Georgia native started out as a running back before transitioning to the realm of coaching. Reeves had lengthy stints as the head coach of the New York Giants, the Denver Broncos, and the Atlanta Falcons. Reeves-coached teams made the playoffs on nine separate occasions. His best season game in the 1998-99 season, when the 14-2 Falcons lost in the Super Bowl to John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
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23. Chuck Knox
Though Knox never won a Super Bowl, he was a consistently solid coach. He led the Rams to five-straight double-digit win seasons. From there, Knox had six more playoff appearances combined with two other franchises (Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills). Knox was recognized on three separate occasions as the league’s Coach of the Year. He currently ranks No. 11 all-time in career victories (186).
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22. Hank Stram
When analyzing the annals of the former AFL, Hank Stram is an all-time great. He led the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs to three AFL titles. Once the franchise merged into the NFL, Stram’s winning streak continued. Stram helped KC win Super Bowl IV with a commanding 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He had five seasons in which his team won at least 10 games. Over the course of his career, Stram had a .575 winning percentage as a professional coach.
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21. Dick Vermeil
The wily veteran out of California has a track record of taking down-on-their-luck squads and transforming them into playoff contenders. This included three franchises (Kansas City, St. Louis, Philadelphia) who went from sub-.500 teams into playoff squads. His biggest reclamation project came with the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ St. Louis Rams squad. A year before the Rams won the Super Bowl, they went 4-12. Vermeil played a large part in flipping the script — instead engineering a 13-3 regular season team led by Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
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20. Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy doesn’t get enough respect as a historically elite head coach. Known as an excellent defensive mind, he finally got the chance to become a head coach (in Tampa Bay) during the 1996-97 season. He didn’t look back — as Dungy went on to have a Hall-of-Fame career which included making the playoffs 11 times out of a possible 13 years. Dungy’s partnership with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis was particularly special. The Colts won five-straight division titles, as well as the Super Bowl in 2007. With that victory, Dungy became the first African-American to ever hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
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19. Bill Cowher
The younger generation may know Cowher strictly as a football commentator. However, the Pennsylvania native had quite the run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his 15 years as the head man of his hometown team, Cowher led the Steelers to 10 playoff appearances. This includes eight division titles, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl win. He retired at a relatively young age to spend time with his family. Had Cowher continued with the profession, there’s no doubt he was headed for a ‘top-ten’ billing.
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18. Marv Levy
Poor Marv. Much credit is due to the man who led the Buffalo Bills to four-straight Super Bowl appearances. That alone is quite an accomplishment. However, Levy wasn’t able to get over the proverbial hump in search of eternal glory. The Bills lost every single Super Bowl contest, and thus haven’t come close to replicating any semblance of postseason success since. Over his career, Levy won an impressive 143 games (with a .561 winning percentage).
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17. Mike Holmgren
A quarterback whisperer of sorts, Holmgren had the wherewithal to develop a plethora of very good NFL quarterbacks (Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, Steve Young, Joe Montana) during his illustrious coaching career. As a play-caller, Holmgren always put his quarterbacks in positions to succeed on the field. Though he won only one Super Bowl as a head coach, Holmgren was incredibly well thought of by both players and fellow coaches. The California native won 59 percent of the games in which he coached.
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16. George Seifert
George Seifert and the San Francisco 49ers franchise are truly synonymous with one another. Seifert — a native of Northern California — was a coach on the team for 17 years. After featuring as Bill Walsh’s right-hand man for nine years, Seifert was finally able to take over as the team’s head coach. During this time, Seifert led the 49ers to two Super Bowl wins in seven seasons. Seifert still remains as the all-time winningest coach (98) in franchise history.
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15. Mike Shanahan
In a career that spanned 20 years, the Illinois native led eight different teams to the playoffs. Shanahan’s most known for his time in Denver. Led by John Elway and Terrell Davis, Shanahan’s Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls during the late ’90s. Though his later tenure in Washington only netted him one playoff appearance, Shanahan’s offensive brilliance cannot be overstated enough. He was revolutionary in running a highly effective zone-blocking scheme for his running backs.
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14. Jimmy Johnson
The Dallas Cowboys haven’t really been relevant since the 1990s. During this time, a three-headed monster (Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin) charged through to help lead the team to multiple titles. Jimmy Johnson was the head man of this squad. Of course, the man knew how to coach. Johnson excelled during his stint with the Miami Hurricanes before taking the job in the NFL. However, the effervescent individual was terrific when it came to managing egos. His frosty relationship with Jerry Jones ultimately ended his time in Dallas — though the two-time Super Bowl winner is still one of the better coaches in the history of the franchise.
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13. Tom Coughlin
Coughlin isn’t the most fun coach to play for. He’s known for staunchly making players be on time, as well as abiding by an old school toughness. With that said, the man knows how to win. He took an expansion Jacksonville Jaguars franchise to four-straight playoff appearances. From there, Coughlin accrued five playoff berths with the New York Giants. In 2007, Coughlin won the first of his two Super Bowl titles after knocking off the then-undefeated New England Patriots. His efforts ultimately prevented the Patriots from becoming the best team of all-time.
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12. Curly Lambeau
The most iconic football stadium in the NFL is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Lambeau Field is a place where messieurs Favre, Rodgers, and Starr have long starred as elite signal-callers. The name ‘Lambeau’ comes from Curly Lambeau — the man responsible for the creation of the franchise. Not only did Lambeau help build the squad, but he functioned as both a player and as a coach. Six titles and 226 wins later, it comes as no surprise that the stadium was named after Lambeu in the mid-’60s (weeks after he passed).
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11. Bill Parcells
‘The Big Tuna’ was beloved for a nearly two-decade span. Parcells was as no nonsense as they came, and was most certainly driven by both discipline and attention to detail. Parcells holds the distinction as being the only coach in NFL history to have led four different franchises (Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, New York Giants, New England Patriots) to postseason play. This included two Super Bowl rings with the New York (Football) Giants. Parcells was also the type of coach who worked tirelessly with up-and-coming assistant coaches. A few of the names hailing from the ‘Parcells tree’ include Bill Belichick, Mike Zimmer, Tom Coughlin, Todd Haley, and Sean Payton (among others).
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10. John Madden
Many in the current generation know Madden solely for his funny sound bites, as well as his video games. The California native won over 75 percent of his games as a head coach of the Oakland Raiders. Madden’s signature moment came during the 1976-77 season, as the Raiders triumphantly defeated Fran Tarkenton and the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 32-14. From that point on, Madden forever etched himself into Raiders’ lore.
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9. Paul Brown
The name ‘Brown’ should ring a bell, as the Cleveland Browns were named after this man’s surname. The Ohio native is actually one of the most integral people to the sport’s growth as a whole. Under Brown’s inventiveness, teams began actually scouting the opposition. He also employed a full staff of assistant coaches, as well as what is now the modern day face mask. Above all else, Brown won at a very high level. He won three NFL titles during his time with the Browns.
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8. Joe Gibbs
While Gibbs second tenure in Washington wasn’t all that special, his first stint certainly turned some heads. The first 12 years spent in Washington led to eight seasons with at least 10 victories. Also during this time span, Gibbs led a ragtag bunch of players to four Super Bowl appearances (with three wins). In 24 playoff games, Gibbs has a sparkling .708 winning percentage. While often noted for his proclivity in the realm of NASCAR, Gibbs is quite the football coach as well.
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7. George Halas
The Chicago Bears franchise would be nothing without the influence of George Stanley Halas. Born in 1895, Halas was responsible for creating the franchise. In the process, Halas opted to run the team. In the pre-Super Bowl era, Halas accrued six NFL Championships as head coach of the Bears. To this day, he’s compiled the second-most wins (318) of any NFL head coach. Illustrating the love Chicago has for Halas, his initials (GSH) sit on the arm sleeve of all Bears’ uniforms.
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6. Chuck Noll
The famed ‘Steel Curtain’ defense throughout the ’70s was buoyed by Noll — a tough, hard-nosed man full of character and determination. Pittsburgh was chock-full of Hall of Fame talent during Noll’s 20+ year run. He led the Steelers to four Super Bowl rings under his guidance. Most importantly, he championed for the inclusion of African-Americans in the sport (as both players and coaches). In fact, Tony Dungy first cut his teeth as a coach under Noll’s guidance.
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5. Tom Landry
As of February 2019, Tom Landry has the fourth-most wins (250) of any head coach in NFL history. For nearly three decades, Landry held the highest-profile head coaching gig in the league (Dallas Cowboys). Dallas won two Super Bowls under his leadership — a particularly impressive feat considering the opponents (Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos). Additionally, Landry led the Cowboys to 20-straight seasons with a winning record. This aspect is utterly mind-blowing.
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4. Bill Walsh
The 1980s was a decade dominated by Walsh. As the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Walsh took the team to seven playoff appearances in 10 seasons. This included six first place finishes, and three Super Bowl trophies. In the process, Walsh introduced the vaunted West Coast offense to the league. It was a scheme predicated on short, high-percentage throws — as well as a goal of controlling the ball.
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3. Vince Lombardi
The inspirational figure is easily the most iconic individual in all of football. Vince Lombardi had an unbelievable run with the Green Bay Packers. He led the franchise to five titles in seven seasons — including a victory in the first ever Super Bowl. To this day, Lombardi remains as a revered and highly respected man. His imprints are all over the NFL — as well as the Green Bay Packers franchise. Had his career been longer, Lombardi would’ve been a top-two selection.
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2. Don Shula
Don Shula is the NFL’s all-time winningest head coach. He notched 328 victories over his 30+ years of head coaching experience in the league. Shula’s most notable achievement included leading the 1972 Miami Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 record. Not only did Shula-led teams win two Super Bowls (in six appearances), he also made the playoffs 20 times out of a possible 33 years. From a consistency standpoint, few come close.
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1. Bill Belichick
While his fashion sense is rather atrocious, we can’t criticize Bill Belichick for virtually anything as it pertains to the sport of football. Since 2001, the Patriots — under Belichick’s guidance — have appeared in 13 AFC Championship Games (including the last eight in a row). Additionally during this time, Belichick has led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles. There’s never been a coach more adept at making halftime adjustments — nor a man capable of scheming to the point that the opposition’s best player is rendered useless. Simply put, Belichick defines what it means to be an elite head coach — regardless of sport.
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