List of college football coaches with a .750 winning percentage
This is a list of football coaches with a .750 or greater winning percentage.[1][2] College football coaches who have coached college teams for 10 or more seasons are included in the list. "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 the 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 also included.
Leading the list is Larry Kehres, who compiled a .929 winning percentage while coaching the Mount Union Purple Raiders from 1986 to 2012. The longest tenure among coaches on the list is that of John Gagliardi, who was a head coach from 1949 until retiring after the 2012 season. Gagliardi also leads all listed coaches in total games, wins, and losses. Former Vanderbilt head coach Dan McGugin has the most ties of anyone on the list.
Key
bold | Expected to be active as head coach in 2022 |
† | Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame |
College football coaches with a .750 winning percentage
- List may be incomplete; updated through 2021 season.
Name | First year | Last year | Years | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Larry Kehres† | 1986 | 2012 | 27 | 359 | 332 | 24 | 3 | .929 | Mount Union (1986–2012) |
Knute Rockne† | 1918 | 1930 | 13 | 122 | 105 | 12 | 5 | .881 | Notre Dame (1918–1930) |
Frank Leahy† | 1939 | 1953 | 13 | 129 | 107 | 13 | 9 | .864 | Boston College (1939–1940), Notre Dame (1941–1943, 1946–1953) |
Bob Reade† | 1979 | 1994 | 16 | 170 | 146 | 23 | 1 | .862 | Augustana (IL) (1979–1994) |
Pete Fredenburg | 1998 | 2021 | 24 | 270 | 231 | 39 | 0 | .856[n 1] | Mary Hardin–Baylor (1998–2021) |
Doyt Perry† | 1955 | 1964 | 10 | 93 | 77 | 11 | 5 | .855 | Bowling Green (1955–1964) |
Urban Meyer | 2001 | 2018 | 17 | 219 | 186 | 32 | 0 | .853 | Bowling Green (2001–2002), Utah (2003–2004), Florida (2005–2010), Ohio State (2012–2018) |
Dick Farley† | 1987 | 2003 | 17 | 136 | 114 | 19 | 3 | .849 | Williams (1987–2003) |
George Washington Woodruff† | 1892 | 1905 | 12 | 164 | 139 | 23 | 2 | .854 | Penn (1892–1901), Illinois (1903), Carlisle (1905) |
Jake Gaither† | 1945 | 1969 | 25 | 244 | 204 | 36 | 4 | .844 | Florida A&M (1945–1969) |
Dave Maurer† | 1969 | 1983 | 15 | 155 | 129 | 23 | 3 | .842 | Wittenberg (1969–1983) |
Jeff Devanney | 2006 | 2021 | 15 | 124 | 104 | 20 | 0 | .839 | Trinity (CT) (2006–present) |
Paul Hoernemann† | 1946 | 1959 | 14 | 124 | 102 | 18 | 4 | .839 | Heidelberg (1946–1959) |
Barry Switzer† | 1973 | 1988 | 16 | 190 | 157 | 29 | 4 | .837 | Oklahoma (1973–1988) |
Joseph Smith | 2006 | 2021 | 15 | 165 | 138 | 27 | 0 | .836 | Linfield (2006–present) |
Tom Osborne† | 1973 | 1997 | 25 | 307 | 255 | 49 | 3 | .836 | Nebraska (1973–1997) |
Steve Ryan | 2002 | 2021 | 20 | 259 | 208 | 41 | 0 | .835 | Morningside (2002–present) |
Don Coryell† | 1957 | 1972 | 15 | 154 | 127 | 24 | 3 | .834 | Whittier (1957–1959), San Diego State (1961–1972) |
Percy Haughton† | 1899 | 1924 | 13 | 120 | 97 | 17 | 6 | .833 | Cornell (1899–1900), Harvard (1908–1916), Columbia (1923–1924) |
Fielding H. Yost† | 1898 | 1926 | 28 | 245 | 198 | 35 | 12 | .833 | Ohio Wesleyan (1897), Nebraska (1898), Kansas (1899), Stanford (1900), San Jose State (1900), Michigan (1901–1923, 1925–1926) |
Robert Neyland† | 1926 | 1952 | 21 | 216 | 173 | 31 | 12 | .829 | Tennessee (1926–1934, 1936–1940, 1946–1952) |
Bud Wilkinson† | 1947 | 1963 | 17 | 178 | 145 | 29 | 4 | .826 | Oklahoma (1947–1963) |
Chuck Klausing† | 1964 | 1985 | 16 | 151 | 123 | 26 | 2 | .821 | Indiana (PA) (1964–1969), Carnegie Mellon (1976–1985) |
Mike Kelly† | 1981 | 2007 | 27 | 301 | 246 | 54 | 1 | .819 | Dayton (1981–2007) |
Henry Kean | 1931 | 1954 | 23 | 208 | 165 | 34 | 9 | .815 | Kentucky State (1931–1942), Tennessee State (1944–1954) |
Joe Fincham | 1996 | 2021 | 25 | 255 | 224 | 51 | 0 | .815 | Wittenberg (1996–2021) |
Joe Fusco† | 1972 | 1990 | 19 | 191 | 154 | 34 | 3 | .814 | Westminster (PA) (1972–1990) |
Vernon McCain† | 1948 | 1963 | 16 | 126 | 100 | 21 | 5 | .813 | Maryland State (1948–1963) |
Charlie Richard† | 1980 | 1994 | 14 | 152 | 123 | 28 | 1 | .813 | Baker (1980–1990, 1992–1994) |
Jock Sutherland† | 1919 | 1938 | 20 | 186 | 144 | 28 | 14 | .812 | Lafayette (1919–1923), Pittsburgh (1924–1938) |
Ron Schipper† | 1961 | 1996 | 36 | 357 | 287 | 67 | 3 | .808 | Central (IA) (1961–1996) |
Mike Sirianni | 2003 | 2021 | 19 | 207 | 167 | 40 | 0 | .807 | Washington & Jefferson (2003–present) |
Dabo Swinney | 2008 | 2021 | 14 | 186 | 150 | 36 | 0 | .806 | Clemson (2008–present) |
Bob Devaney† | 1957 | 1972 | 16 | 173 | 136 | 30 | 7 | .806 | Wyoming (1957–1961), Nebraska (1962–1972) |
Chuck Broyles | 1990 | 2009 | 20 | 247 | 198 | 47 | 2 | .806 | Pittsburg State (1990–2009) |
Clarence Munn† | 1935 | 1953 | 10 | 90 | 71 | 16 | 3 | .806 | Albright (1935–1936), Syracuse (1946), Michigan State (1947–1953) |
Sid Gillman† | 1944 | 1954 | 10 | 102 | 81 | 19 | 2 | .804 | Miami (OH) (1944–1947), Cincinnati (1949–1954) |
Rick Willis | 1997 | 2021 | 23 | 231 | 185 | 46 | 0 | .801 | Wartburg (1997–2021) |
Mike Swider | 1996 | 2019 | 24 | 261 | 209 | 52 | 0 | .801 | Wheaton (IL) (1996–2019) |
Nick Saban | 1990 | 2021 | 26 | 337 | 269 | 67 | 1 | .800[n 2] | Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995–1999), LSU (2000–2004), Alabama (2007–present) |
Bob Stoops | 1999 | 2016 | 18 | 238 | 191 | 48 | 0 | .798 | Oklahoma (1999–2016, 2021) |
John Thorne | 2002 | 2014 | 13 | 148 | 118 | 30 | 0 | .797 | North Central (IL) (2002–2014) |
Frank Thomas† | 1925 | 1946 | 19 | 183 | 141 | 33 | 9 | .795 | Chattanooga (1925–1928), Alabama (1931–1946) |
Chris Petersen | 2006 | 2019 | 14 | 185 | 147 | 38 | 0 | .795 | Boise State (2006–2013), Washington (2014–2019) |
Harold Burry† | 1952 | 1971 | 20 | 163 | 127 | 31 | 5 | .794 | Westminster (PA) (1952–1971) |
Glenn Caruso | 2006 | 2021 | 15 | 175 | 139 | 36 | 0 | .794 | St. Thomas (MN) (2006–present) |
Ted Kessinger† | 1976 | 2003 | 28 | 277 | 219 | 57 | 1 | .792 | Bethany (KS) (1976–2003) |
John Tucker | 1933 | 1947 | 12 | 103 | 77 | 17 | 9 | .791 | Arkansas Tech (1933–1947) |
John Wristen | 2008 | 2021 | 13 | 158 | 125 | 33 | 0 | .791 | CSU–Pueblo (2008–present) |
Allen H. Zikmund | 1955 | 1971 | 17 | 155 | 121 | 31 | 3 | .790 | Nebraska–Kearney (1955–1971) |
Pete Schmidt | 1983 | 1996 | 14 | 135 | 105 | 27 | 3 | .789 | Albion (1983–1996) |
Mike Drass | 1993 | 2017 | 25 | 291 | 229 | 61 | 1 | .789 | Wesley (DE) (1993–2017) |
Ad Rutschman† | 1968 | 1991 | 24 | 234 | 183 | 48 | 3 | .788 | Linfield (1968–1991) |
Henry L. Williams† | 1891 | 1921 | 23 | 187 | 141 | 34 | 12 | .786 | Army (1891), Minnesota (1900–1921) |
Norris Patterson | 1950 | 1967 | 23 | 175 | 133 | 33 | 9 | .786 | William Jewell (1950–1967) |
Gil Dobie† | 1906 | 1938 | 33 | 242 | 182 | 45 | 15 | .783 | North Dakota Agricultural (1906–1907), Washington (1908–1916), Navy (1917–1919), Cornell (1920–1935), Boston College (1936–1938) |
Bear Bryant† | 1945 | 1982 | 38 | 425 | 323 | 85 | 17 | .780 | Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946–1953), Texas A&M (1954–1957), Alabama (1958–1982) |
Jim Sochor† | 1970 | 1988 | 19 | 202 | 155 | 42 | 5 | .780 | UC Davis (1970–1988) |
Bill Edwards† | 1936 | 1968 | 23 | 221 | 168 | 45 | 8 | .778 | Western Reserve (1936–1940), Vanderbilt (1949–1952), Wittenberg (1955–1968) |
Matt Mitchell | 2010 | 2021 | 11 | 135 | 105 | 30 | 0 | .778 | Grand Valley State (2010–present) |
Bo Schembechler† | 1963 | 1989 | 27 | 307 | 234 | 65 | 8 | .775 | Miami (OH) (1963–1968), Michigan (1969–1989) |
John Gagliardi† | 1949 | 2012 | 64 | 638 | 489 | 138 | 11 | .775 | Carroll (MT) (1949–1952), Saint John's (MN) (1953–2012) |
Fred Folsom | 1895 | 1915 | 19 | 141 | 106 | 29 | 6 | .773 | Colorado (1895–1899, 1901–1902, 1908–1915), Dartmouth (1903–1906) |
Ken Sparks | 1980 | 2016 | 36 | 439 | 338 | 99 | 2 | .772 | Carson–Newman (1980–2016) |
Roger Harring† | 1969 | 1999 | 31 | 343 | 261 | 75 | 7 | .771 | Wisconsin–La Crosse (1969–1999) |
Clark Swisher | 1946 | 1968 | 22 | 192 | 146 | 42 | 4 | .771 | Northern State (1946–1955, 1957–1968) |
Bill Cronin | 1997 | 2021 | 25 | 283 | 204 | 61 | 0 | .770 | Georgetown (KY) (1997–2021) |
Volney Ashford† | 1937 | 1967 | 31 | 264 | 197 | 55 | 12 | .769 | Missouri Valley (1937–1946) |
Jim Purtill | 1982 | 2013 | 16 | 170 | 130 | 39 | 1 | .768 | Salem (1982), St. Norbert (1999–2013) |
Fritz Crisler† | 1930 | 1947 | 18 | 157 | 116 | 32 | 9 | .768 | Minnesota (1930–1931), Princeton (1932–1937), Michigan (1938–1947) |
Bob Folwell | 1909 | 1924 | 16 | 144 | 106 | 29 | 9 | .767 | Lafayette (1909–1911), Washington & Jefferson (1912–1915), Penn (1916–1919), Navy (1920–1924) |
Wallace Wade† | 1923 | 1950 | 24 | 230 | 171 | 49 | 10 | .765 | Alabama (1923–1930), Duke (1931–1941, 1946–1950) |
Jeff McMartin | 2004 | 2021 | 18 | 183 | 140 | 43 | 0 | .765 | Central (IA) (2004–present) |
Jimmie Keeling | 1990 | 2010 | 21 | 225 | 172 | 53 | 0 | .764 | Hardin–Simmons (1990–2010) |
Frank Kush† | 1958 | 1979 | 22 | 231 | 176 | 54 | 1 | .764 | Arizona State (1958–1979) |
Curt Cignetti | 2011 | 2021 | 11 | 131 | 100 | 31 | 0 | .763 | IUP (2011–2016), Elon (2017–2018), James Madison (2019–present) |
Gordon Kirkland | 1934 | 1948 | 14 | 145 | 107 | 31 | 7 | .762 | Catawba (1934–1948) |
Dan McGugin† | 1904 | 1934 | 30 | 271 | 197 | 55 | 19 | .762 | Vanderbilt (1904–1917, 1919–1934) |
Jim Crowley†[n 3] | 1929 | 1941 | 13 | 109 | 78 | 21 | 10 | .761 | Michigan State (1928–1932), Fordham (1933–1941) |
Andy Smith† | 1909 | 1925 | 17 | 161 | 116 | 32 | 13 | .761 | Penn (1909–1912), Purdue (1913–1915), California (1916–1925) |
Tony DeCarlo | 1987 | 1998 | 12 | 131 | 90 | 27 | 4 | .760 | John Carroll (1987–1998) |
Jimbo Fisher | 2010 | 2021 | 12 | 154 | 117 | 37 | 0 | .760 | Florida State (2010–2017), Texas A&M (2018–present) |
Woody Hayes† | 1946 | 1978 | 33 | 320 | 238 | 72 | 10 | .759 | Denison (1946–1948), Miami (OH) (1949–1950), Ohio State (1951–1978) |
Earl Blaik† | 1934 | 1958 | 25 | 228 | 166 | 48 | 14 | .759 | Dartmouth (1934–1940), Army (1941–1958) |
John Merritt† | 1952 | 1983 | 32 | 321 | 237 | 72 | 12 | .757 | Jackson State (1952–1962), Tennessee State (1963–1983) |
Ed Sherman† | 1945 | 1966 | 22 | 191 | 141 | 43 | 7 | .757 | Muskingum (1945–1966) |
Charley Moran | 1909 | 1933 | 18 | 168 | 121 | 35 | 12 | .756 | Texas A&M (1909–1914), Centre (1919–1923), Bucknell (1924–1926), Catawba (1930–1933) |
John Luckhardt† | 1982 | 2011 | 27 | 319 | 240 | 77 | 2 | .755 | Washington & Jefferson (1982–1998), California (PA) (2002–2011) |
Chris Oliver | 2010 | 2021 | 12 | 139 | 105 | 34 | 0 | .755 | Lindsey Wilson (2010–2021), Georgetown (KY) (2022–present) |
Frosty Westering† | 1962 | 2003 | 40 | 406 | 303 | 96 | 7 | .755 | Parsons (IA) (1962–1963), Lea (1966–1971), Pacific Lutheran (1972–2003) |
Curt Wiese | 2006 | 2021 | 10 | 118 | 89 | 29 | 0 | .754 | Marietta (2006–2007), Minnesota–Duluth (2013–present) |
Danny Hale | 1984 | 2012 | 25 | 283 | 213 | 69 | 1 | .754 | West Chester (1984–1988), Bloomsburg (1993–2012) |
Lloyd Carr | 1995 | 2007 | 13 | 162 | 122 | 40 | 0 | .753 | Michigan (1995–2007) |
Earl Banks† | 1960 | 1973 | 14 | 129 | 96 | 31 | 2 | .752 | Morgan State (1960–1973) |
Lance Leipold | 2007 | 2021 | 15 | 197 | 148 | 49 | 0 | .751 | Wisconsin–Whitewater (2007–2014), Buffalo (2015–2020), Kansas (2021–present) |
Jerome Berg | 1956 | 1966 | 11 | 84 | 62 | 20 | 2 | .750 | Mayville State (1956–1966) |
Jim Hilvert | 2007 | 2021 | 13 | 128 | 96 | 32 | 0 | .750 | Thomas More (2007–2014), Baldwin Wallace (2017–present) |
Allyn McKeen† | 1937 | 1948 | 11 | 106 | 78 | 25 | 3 | .750 | West Tennessee State (1937–1938), Mississippi State (1939–1948) |
Note: As of the end of the 2010 season, Jim Tressel, who served as the head football coach for Youngstown State (1986–2000) and Ohio State (2001–2010), had a career record of 241–79–2 for a winning percentage of .752. In July 2011, Ohio State vacated all 12 of its wins from the 2010 season, dropping Tressel's career record to 229–79–2 and his winning percentage to .742.
Active coaches near a .750 winning percentage
- This list identifies active coaches who have:
- a winning percentage of .735 or greater after at least 10 full seasons as a college football head coach, or
- a winning percentage of .750 or greater after at least 7 full seasons, but fewer than 10, as a college football head coach.
- Updated through end of 2021 season.
Name | First year | Last year | Years | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kalen DeBoer | 2005 | 2021 | 7 | 88 | 79 | 9 | 0 | .898 | Sioux Falls (2005–2009), Fresno State (2020–2021), Washington (2022–present) |
Tony Annese | 2012 | 2021 | 9 | 117 | 101 | 16 | 0 | .863 | Ferris State (2012–present) |
Duke Greco | 2014 | 2021 | 7 | 82 | 70 | 12 | 0 | .854 | Delaware Valley (2014–present) |
Gary Fasching | 2013 | 2021 | 8 | 96 | 81 | 15 | 0 | .844 | Saint John's (MN) (2013–present) |
Brian Bohannon | 2015 | 2021 | 7 | 81 | 63 | 18 | 0 | .778 | Kennesaw State (2015–present) |
Rod Sandberg | 2014 | 2021 | 8 | 75 | 58 | 17 | 0 | .773 | Whitworth (2014–present) |
Chris Klieman | 2005 | 2021 | 9 | 121 | 92 | 29 | 0 | .760 | Loras (2005), North Dakota State (2014–2019), Kansas State (2019–present) |
Dale Lindsey | 2013 | 2021 | 9 | 100 | 75 | 25 | 0 | .750 | San Diego (2013–present) |
E. J. Mills | 1997 | 2021 | 24 | 186 | 145 | 51 | 0 | .740 | Amherst (1997–present) |
Todd Hoffner | 1999 | 2021 | 18 | 209 | 154 | 55 | 0 | .737 | Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1999–2005), Minnesota State (2008–2011, 2014–present) |
College football coaches with an .850 winning percentage
The main list set forth above is limited to coaches with 10 years of experience as a head coach. This list supplements the main list by identifying coaches who are omitted from the main list because they have not coached 10 years, but who have achieved a winning percentage of .850 or higher while coaching a minimum of five seasons or 50 games.
- List may be incomplete; updated through 2021 season.
Name | First year | Last year | Years | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % | Teams |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vince Kehres | 2013 | 2019 | 7 | 101 | 95 | 6 | 0 | .941 | Mount Union (2013–2019) |
Walter Camp | 1888 | 1895 | 7 | 87 | 79 | 5 | 3 | .925 | Yale (1888–1892), Stanford (1892, 1894–1895) |
Robert B. Redman | 1947 | 1951 | 5 | 42 | 38 | 4 | 0 | .905 | Bloomsburg (1947–1951) |
Charles Tambling | 1902 | 1918 | 5 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 0 | .900 | Central Michigan (1902–1905, 1918) |
Kalen DeBoer | 2005 | 2021 | 7 | 88 | 79 | 9 | 0 | .898 | Sioux Falls (2005–2009), Fresno State (2020–2021), Washington (2022–present) |
Samuel Archer | 1905 | 1915 | 8 | 42 | 35 | 2 | 5 | .893 | Morehouse (1905–1908, 1912–1915) |
Ron Erhardt | 1966 | 1972 | 7 | 69 | 61 | 7 | 1 | .891 | North Dakota State (1966–1972) |
Kevin Bullis | 2015 | 2021 | 6 | 80 | 70 | 10 | 0 | .875 | Wisconsin–Whitewater (2015–present) |
Jeff Thorne | 2015 | 2021 | 6 | 76 | 66 | 10 | 0 | .868 | North Central (IL) (2015–present) |
Jay Cottone | 1981 | 1985 | 5 | 53 | 46 | 7 | 0 | .868 | Plymouth State (1981–1985) |
Tony Annese | 2012 | 2021 | 9 | 117 | 101 | 16 | 0 | .863 | Ferris State (2012–present) |
Walter C. Booth | 1900 | 1905 | 6 | 63 | 53 | 8 | 2 | .857 | Nebraska (1900–1905) |
Duke Greco | 2014 | 2021 | 7 | 82 | 70 | 12 | 0 | .854 | Delaware Valley (2014–present) |
John Macklin | 1911 | 1915 | 5 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 0 | .853 | Michigan State (1911–1915) |
See also
Notes
- Fredenburg's on-field record was 257–40 for a winning percentage of .865. In June 2020, Mary Hardin–Baylor vacated a total of 26 wins and 1 loss from the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
- Saban's on-field record is 274–67–1 for a winning percentage of .803. Due to NCAA violations that began during the tenure of Saban's predecessor at Alabama, Mike Shula, that were not discovered until Saban's first season at the school in 2007, five wins from that season were vacated.
- Crowley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1966 as a player in recognition of his career as a halfback at Notre Dame from 1922 to 1924.
References
- "NCAA Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2008. pp. 189, 192.
- "All-Time Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 20, 2010.