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 end of the 2023 season, a total of 101 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 224 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, 93 coaches have reached the mark since then.

Leaders by category

In overall career wins, the all-time leader is John Gagliardi with 489 wins, mostly at the NCAA Division III level.[3] Gagliardi began his head coaching career at Carroll in Helena, Montana in 1949 and moved 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 fourth with 377 wins.[3]

Among the coaches with 200 career wins, Larry Kehres has the highest winning percentage with .929 in 27 seasons (1986–2012) as the head football coach at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. Seven others finished their careers with 200 wins and a winning percentage of .800 or greater: Pete Fredenburg (.856), Jake Gaither (.844), Tom Osborne (.836), Mike Kelly (.819), Joe Fincham (.815), Ron Schipper (.808), and Nick Saban (.804).[1][2] One active coach has 200 wins and a winning percentage of .800 or greater: Steve Ryan (.835).

Among coaches with at least ten 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 Pop 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 Amos Alonzo 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).

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 expected to be active in 2024, the career wins leaders are Kevin Donley (348), Brian Kelly (283), and Mack Brown (282).[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 2024 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 end of 2023 season
Rank Name Years Wins Losses Ties Pct. Teams
1John Gagliardi†6448913811.775Carroll (MT) (1949–1952), Saint John's (MN) (1953–2012)
2Joe Paterno†464091363.749Penn State (1966–2011)
3Eddie Robinson†[n 2]5540816515.707Grambling (1941–1942, 1945–1997)
4Bobby Bowden†44377[n 3]1294.743Samford (1959–1962), West Virginia (1970–1975), Florida State (1976–2009)
5Kevin Donley*453481531.694Anderson (IN) (1978–1981), Georgetown (KY) (1982–1992), California (PA) (1993–1996), Saint Francis (IN) (1998–present)
6Ken Sparks37338992.772Carson–Newman (1980–2016)
7Larry Kehres†27332243.929Mount Union (1986–2012)
8Bear Bryant†383238517.780Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946–1953), Texas A&M (1954–1957), Alabama (1958–1982)
9Pop Warner†4931910632.730Georgia (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 Kidd†393141248.713Eastern Kentucky (1964–2002)
10Amos Alonzo Stagg†††5731419935.605Springfield (1890–1891), Chicago (1892–1932), Pacific (CA) (1933–1946)
12Frosty Westering†40305967.756Parsons (1962–1963), Lea (1966–1971), Pacific Lutheran (1972–2003)
12Larry Wilcox423051530.666Benedictine (KS) (1979–2020)
14Tubby Raymond†[n 4]363001193.714Delaware (1966–2001)
15Nick Saban28292[n 5]711.804Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995–1999), LSU (2000–2004), Alabama (2007–2024)
16Ron Schipper†36287673.808Central (IA) (1961–1996)
17Brian Kelly*34283[n 6]1032.732Grand Valley State (1991–2003), Central Michigan (2004–2006), Cincinnati (2006–2009), Notre Dame (2010–2021), LSU (2022–present)
17Mack Brown†*352821491.654Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985–1987), North Carolina (1988–1997, 2019–present), Texas (1998–2013)
19Frank Beamer†352801444.657Murray State (1981–1986), Virginia Tech (1987–2015)
20Monte Cater372751172.701Lakeland (1981–1986), Shepherd (1987–2017)
21Al Bagnoli402691340.667Union (NY) (1982–1991), Penn (1992–2014), Columbia (2015–2022)
22Bob Ford[n 7]452651911.581St. Lawrence (1965–1968), Albany (1973–2013)
23Dennis Douds452642043.564East Stroudsburg (1974–2018)
24K. C. Keeler*302621091.706Rowan (1993–2001), Delaware (2002–2012), Sam Houston State (2014–present)
25Roger Harring†31261757.771Wisconsin–La Crosse (1969–1999)
26Rick Giancola392601432.644Montclair State (1983–2022)
27Hank Biesiot382581211.680Dickinson State (1976–2013)
28LaVell Edwards†292571013.716BYU (1972–2000)
28Frank Girardi†36257975.723Lycoming (1972–2007)
28Andy Talley†372571552.623St. Lawrence (1979–83), Villanova (1985–2016)
31Tom Osborne†25255493.836Nebraska (1973–1997)
31Jim Malosky4025512513.665Minnesota–Duluth (1958–1997)
33Steve Johnson342521101.696Bethel (MN) (1989–2023)
34Lou Holtz†332491327.651William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State (1972–1975), Arkansas (1977–1983), Minnesota (1984–1985), Notre Dame (1986–1996), South Carolina (1999–2004)
34Jimmye Laycock392491942.562William & Mary (1980–2018)
36Mike Kelly†27246541.819Dayton (1981–2007)
36Rob Ash362461375.640Juniata (1980–1988), Drake (1989–2006), Montana State (2007–2015)
38Billy Joe†[n 8]342451274.657Cheyney (1972–1978), Central State (1981–1993), Florida A&M (1994–2004), Miles (2008–2010)
39Jerry Moore†312421352.641North Texas (1979–1980), Texas Tech (1981–1985), Appalachian State (1989–2012)
39Mel Tjeerdsma†27242824.744Austin (1984–1993), Northwest Missouri State (1994–2010)
41Woody Hayes†332387210.759Denison (1946–1948), Miami (OH) (1949–1950), Ohio State (1951–1978)
42John Merritt†322357012.760Jackson State (1952–1962), Tennessee State (1963–1983)
43Bo Schembechler†27234658.775Miami (OH) (1963–1968), Michigan (1969–1989)
43Chris Ault†28234[n 9]1081.684Nevada (1976–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2012)
43Rich Lackner362341252.651Carnegie Mellon (1986–2021)
46Ace Mumford†362338523.717Jarvis Christian (1924–1926), Bishop (1927–1929), Texas College (1931–1935), Southern (1936–1942, 1944–1961)
46Joe Taylor30233964.706Howard (1983), Virginia Union (1984–1991), Hampton (1992–2007), Florida A&M (2008–2012)
48Tim Murphy*362321341.634Maine (1987–1988), Cincinnati (1989–1993), Harvard (1994–present)
48Hayden Fry†3723217810.564SMU (1962–1972), North Texas (1973–1978), Iowa (1979–1998)
50Pete Fredenburg24231390.856Mary Hardin–Baylor (1998–2021)
51Willard Bailey372301507.603Virginia Union (1971–1983, 1995–2003), Norfolk State (1984–1992), Saint Paul's (VA) (2005–2010)
52Mike Drass25229611.789Wesley (DE) (1993–2017)
52Jim Tressel†25229792.742Youngstown State (1986–2000), Ohio State (2001–2010)
54Bob Nielson*312281251.645Ripon (1989–1990), Wartburg (1991–1995), Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1996–1998), Minnesota–Duluth (1999–2003, 2008–2012), Western Illinois (2013–2015), South Dakota (2016–present)
54Steve Ryan*23228450.835Morningside (2002–present)
54Steve Spurrier†††26228892.718Duke (1987–1989), Florida (1990–2001), South Carolina (2005–2015)
57Norm Eash*372271291.637Illinois Wesleyan (1987–present)
58John Luckhardt†27225702.761Washington & Jefferson (1982–1998), California (PA) (2002–2011)
59Joe Fincham25224510.815Wittenberg (1996–2021)
59Fred T. Long4422414531.599Paul Quinn (1921–1922), Wiley (1923–1947, 1956–1965), Prairie View A&M (1948), Texas College (1949–1954)
61Walt Hameline[n 10]342231392.615Wagner (1981–2014)
62Jim Margraff29221893.711Johns Hopkins (1990–2018)
63Gene Carpenter†32220906.706Adams State (1968), Millersville (1970–2000)
63Larry Kindbom372201491.596Kenyon (1983–1988), Washington (MO) (1989–2019)
65Ted Kessinger†28219571.792Bethany (KS) (1976–2003)
65Ron Harms†312191124.660Concordia (NE) (1964–1969), Adams State (1970–1973), Texas A&M–Kingsville (1979–1999)
67Bill Cronin25218650.770Georgetown (KY) (1997–2021)
67Mike Ayers332181602.577East Tennessee State (1985–1987), Wofford (1988–2017)
67Ron Randleman362181676.565William Penn (1969–1975), Pittsburg State (1976–1981), Sam Houston State (1982–2004)
70Jim Christopherson322171027.676Concordia (Moorhead) (1969–2000)
70Fred Martinelli†3521711912.641Ashland (1959–1993)
70Bill Zwaan25217900.707Widener (1997–2002), West Chester (2003–2023)
73Bill Snyder†272151171.647Kansas State (1989–2005, 2009–2018)
74Mike Feminis*25214820.723Saint Xavier (1999–present)
75Danny Hale25213691.754West Chester (1984–1988), Bloomsburg (1993–2012)
75Dennis 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)
77Larry Korver29212777.729Northwestern (IA) (1968–1994)
77Bill Manlove†322121111.656Widener (1969–1991), Delaware Valley (1992–1995), La Salle (1997–2001)
77Eric Hamilton362121446.594TCNJ (1977–2012)
80Mike Swider24209520.798Wheaton (IL) (1996–2019)
80Peter Mazzaferro4120915811.567Waynesburg (1959–1963), Curry (1963), Bridgewater State (1968–1986, 1988–2004)
81Kirk Ferentz*282081400.598Maine (1990–1992), Iowa (1999–present)
81Willie Fritz*272081160.642Central Missouri Mules (1997–2009), Sam Houston State (2010–2013), Georgia Southern (2014–2015), Tulane (2016–2023), Houston (2024–present)
83Jess Neely†4020717619.539Southwestern (TN) (1924–1927), Clemson (1931–1939), Rice (1940–1966)
84Jim Butterfield†27206711.743Ithaca (1967–1993)
84Mike Maynard32206911.693Redlands (1988–2021)
87Carl Poelker312051001.672Millikin (1982–1995), McKendree (1996–2012)
87Harold 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)
89Jake Gaither†[n 11]25204364.844Florida A&M (1945–1969)
90Mike Van Diest20203540.790Carroll (MT) (1999–2018)
90Warren B. Woodson†312039514.673Arkansas State Teachers (1935–1940), Hardin–Simmons (1941–1942, 1946–1951), Arizona (1952–1956), New Mexico State (1958–1967), Trinity (TX) (1972–1973)
90Cleveland Abbott312039628.664Tuskegee (1923–1954)
93Don Nehlen†302021288.609Bowling Green (1968–1976), West Virginia (1980–2000)
93Sherman Wood*312021171.633Bowie State (1993–1998), Salisbury (1999–present)
95Vince Dooley†252017710.715Georgia (1964–1988)
95Eddie Anderson†3920112815.606Loras (1922–1924), DePaul (1925–1931), Holy Cross (1933–1938, 1950–1964) Iowa (1939–1942, 1946–1949)
95Mike DeLong342011392.591Maine Maritime (1979–1980), Springfield (MA) (1984–2015)
95Keith W. Piper3920114118.583Denison (1954–1992)
99Darrell Mudra†26200814.709Adams 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)
99Joe Glenn282001341.599Doane (1976–1979), Northern Colorado (1989–1999), Montana (2000–2002), Wyoming (2003–2008), South Dakota (2012–2015)
99Jim 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 175 career wins; updated through end of 2023 season
Rank Name Years Wins Losses Ties Pct. Teams
*Paul Vosburgh351961680.538William Penn (1985–1987), St. John Fisher (1991–present)
*Chris Creighton271911140.626Ottawa (KS) (1997–2000), Wabash (2001–2007), Drake (2008–2013), Eastern Michigan (2014–present)
*Mike Sirianni21185440.808Washington & Jefferson (2003–present)
*Dave Murray331841550.543Cortland (1990–1996), Lebanon Valley (1997), Alfred (1998–2013), Hamilton (2014–present)
*Kevin Callahan311821420.562Monmouth (1993–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 389 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. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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]
  7. ↑ 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.
  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 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. 1 2 3 4 "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. 1 2 3 4 "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. 1 2 3 "All-Time Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 19, 2010. 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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