Sporting News: 50 Greatest Coaches of all Time

[peplaw06]

http://www.sportingnews.com/college...29/sporting-news-50-greatest-coaches-all-time




Sporting News' 50 greatest coaches of all time

By Unknown
Created 07/29/2009 - 11:53

John Wooden, SN's No. 1 coach, won 10 national championships at UCLA.

Headlining the new issue of Sporting News Magazine: our list of sports' 50 greatest coaches of all time, as selected by a panel of 118 Hall of Famers, championship coaches and other experts.

John Wooden, who at UCLA won a record 10 Division I men's basketball championships in 12 years, was a runaway winner. SN's 1970 Sportsman of the Year picked up 57 first-place votes from the panel, which includes seven World Series-winning managers, four Super Bowl champion coaches and the winningest coaches in the NBA, NHL and college basketball.

"When I think of Coach Wooden, the first word that comes to mind is execution," said Gail Goodrich, who wrote an appreciation of his former coach in SN. "We never worried about the opponent, only about how we were going to play."

Green Bay Packers great Vince Lombardi came in second place in SN's rankings, picking up 20 first-place votes. Wrote Bart Starr, Lombardi's Hall of Fame quarterback: "(He said), 'Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it because in the process we will catch excellence.' He paused for a moment, got up even closer to those of us sitting up front, looked us in the eye and added, 'I am not remotely interested in being just good.' Wow."

SN turned to former players of the top 20 coaches on the list, asking each to relive a moment that best defined their greatness. Among those joining Goodrich and Starr as guest authors: Hall of Famers Dwight Stephenson, Paul Warfield, Tommy Heinsohn, Luc Robitaille, Mike McCormack, Gale Sayers, Lynn Swann, Isiah Thomas and Roger Staubach.

SN's greatest coaches

1. John Wooden, college basketball
2. Vince Lombardi, NFL
3. Bear Bryant, college football
4. Phil Jackson, NBA
5. Don Shula, NFL
6. Red Auerbach, NBA
7. Scotty Bowman, NHL
8. Dean Smith, college basketball
9. Casey Stengel, MLB
10. Knute Rockne, college football
11. Pat Summitt, women's college basketball
12. Paul Brown, NFL
13. Joe Paterno, college football
14. George Halas, NFL
15. Chuck Noll, NFL
16. Bob Knight, college basketball
17. Joe Gibbs, NFL
18. Tom Landry, NFL
19. Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball
20. Bill Belichick, NFL
21. Adolph Rupp, college basketball
22. Joe McCarthy, MLB
23. Eddie Robinson, college football
24. Bobby Bowden, college football
25. John McGraw, MLB
26. Bill Walsh, NFL
27. Woody Hayes, college football
28. Connie Mack, MLB
29. Bud Wilkinson, college football
30. Pat Riley, NBA
31. Pete Newell, college basketball
32. Joe Torre, MLB
33. Bill Parcells, NFL
34. Tom Osborne, college football
35. Walter Alston, MLB
36. Bo Schembechler, college football
37. Toe Blake, NHL
38. Sparky Anderson, MLB
39. Al Arbour, NHL
40. Amos Alonzo Stagg, college football
41. Tony La Russa, MLB
42. Geno Auriemma, women's college basketball
43. Dick Irvin, NHL
44. Ara Parseghian, college football
45. Chuck Daly, NBA
46. Bobby Cox, MLB
47. Hank Iba, college basketball
48. Tommy Lasorda, MLB
49. Gregg Popovich, NBA
50. Herb Brooks, NHL

_______________________________________________________________

They were discussing this on Mike & Mike all morning, and thought it would be good discussion. Put here because of Landry, but feel free to move.

 

[Khartun]

Belicheck should not be above Walsh or Parcells IMO. Maybe it is just my hatred for him. Walsh is too low I think.

 

[DallasEast]

My first impulse was to slightly slam the list, but acknowledging that Tom Landry is one of the top twenty coaches of all-time is a high honor. However, it's also hard to overlook some of the slotting of the list.

Don Shula over Red Auerbach? Please.

Bo Schembechler is way too high.

There are 31 slots separating Pat Summit and Geno Auriemma. You've got to be kidding.

 

[peplaw06]

I hate that Gibbs is above Landry. Geno Auriemma is a joke. And IMO they should make room for Rod Dedeaux and Augie Garrido.

 

[Chief]

Chuck Noll is way too high, IMO.

I wouldn't put him in my top 40. How many Hall of Famers did he have? Thirty?

Landry may even be a little too high. ~ ducks ~


And where's Larry Brown? He's a top 3 NBA coach of all time IMO. That's incredible. And Lenny Wilkins should be on there somewhere.

 

[CowboyWay]

Gibbs above Landry? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Absolutly ridiculous, and anyone with a brain the size of a peanut would agree.

Unless the criteria for judging is winning superbowls in strike years.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Buehler needs to visit whoever made up that list.

 

[burmafrd]

just another hack article from a piece of garbage rag. Where are all the great old coaches like Pop Warner and Heisman, etc.

 

[DallasEast]

Sporting News' 50 greatest coaches of all time

By Unknown
Created 07/29/2009 - 11:53

John Wooden, SN's No. 1 coach, won 10 national championships at UCLA.

Headlining the new issue of Sporting News Magazine: our list of sports' 50 greatest coaches of all time, as selected by a panel of 118 Hall of Famers, championship coaches and other experts.

Perhaps most criticism should be focused on the real creators of the list instead of the article's author. And speaking of the writer... Who the heck is "unknown"???

 

[fredp22]

Noll, Gibbs over Landry. Please. Gibbs- the same coach that tried to call 2 time outs in a row.
I could see why this article is unsigned

 

[ologan]

I sure would have thought Darrell Royal would have gotten some consideration,especially since Tom Osborne made it.

 

[yesfan]

I get the winning percentage and all the championships or
Super Bowls,but turning around 5 franchises should earn Parcells a spot higher on that list. Jmho

 

[Zaxor]

Need I list the innovations brought into the NFL by Tom Landry. He and Paul Brown were innovators. Lombardi was a motivator...but being a self motivator I would need a coach like Lombardi like I would need a hole in the head...just give me the tools and the means to beat the guy in front of me. So on a subjective list like this guys who were motivators might not even make my top 50 list and yellers not at all... I have an ex-wife if I need to be yelled at she is more than willing.

 

[AdamJT13]

Apparently, longevity makes you a "better" coach than winning does.

And I agree with Zaxor. Being an innovator apparently wasn't even a consideration.

 

[BAT]

Good God, how overrated is Shula!!??!! Above both Papa Bear and Paul Brown?! REE-DICK-ULOUSE!


And where the heck are guys who fielded championship caliber teams year in and year out AND won championships at multiple levels: Larry Brown, Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson?

 

[peplaw06]

Good God, how overrated is Shula!!??!! Above both Papa Bear and Paul Brown?! REE-DICK-ULOUSE!


And where the heck are guys who fielded championship caliber teams year in and year out AND won championships at multiple levels: Larry Brown, Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson?

Greenie said the first guy he would take out would be Schembechler and the first guy he would put in would be Larry Brown. I could see an argument for Jimmuh, but Switzer, no way.

 

[Biggems]

Sweet.......Pop made the list, though he should not be behind Cox, IMO. Pop has led the Spurs to the best winning % of all 4 major sports, as well as 4 Championships, over the last 11 years.

Cox, while leading to Braves to many successful years, had a bunch of postseason chokefests....and only won 1 WS. He does belong on the list, but not ahead of Pop.

Flip those 2 and I am happy with the list.

Oh and one more thing, Landry should be ahead of Gibbs. Yes Gibbs has 1 more trophy, but Landry is by far the superior coach.

 

[theogt]

Belicheck should not be above Walsh or Parcells IMO. Maybe it is just my hatred for him. Walsh is too low I think.

Belichick should certainly be above Parcells.

 

[Big Dakota]

just another hack article from a piece of garbage rag. Where are all the great old coaches like Pop Warner and Heisman, etc.

I'm sure Joe Guyon would agree. He's a HOFer that played for both.

 

[Rampage]

Phil Jackson is way too high having 4 of the best nba players of all time.