Since 1920 there have been 449 different head coaches in the NFL from Faye Abbott to Jim Zorn according to www.pro-football-reference.com. Of those 449 coaches five stand out as among the best of all-time. Here is a look at the five greatest head coaches in NFL history.
Vince Lombardi - (1959-1967) Green Bay Packers, (1969) Washington Redskins. If you look at Lombardi's overall record as head coach, 96-34-6, you might not be all that impressed. After all he ranks only 36th all-time in wins for a head coach. But in the nine years he coached the Packers he never had a losing season. In 1959 Vince Lombardi took a Packer team which had finished 1-10-1 the previous year and led them to a 7-5 record. It would be the worst record the Packers would achieve under Lombardi. In 1960 Lombardi led the Packers to the postseason for the first time in since 1944. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Championship game. It would be the last postseason game the Packers would lose under Lombardi. The Packers went to the postseason six times under Lombardi and compiled a 9-1 record winning five NFL Championships including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi retired following the 1967 season but returned to coaching in 1969 when he took over the Washington Redskins. He led the Redskins to their first winning season since 1955 with a 7-5-2 record.
Tom Landry - (1960-1988) Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry was hired as the first Head Coach in Dallas Cowboys history. The expansion Cowboys would finish 0-11-1 in their first year under Tom Landry. The Cowboys showed gradual improvement under Landry until they finally had a winning season in 1966 with a 10-3-1 record. It would be the first of 20 consecutive winning seasons the Cowboys would have under Tom Landry, which is still an NFL record. Under Landry the Cowboys would reach the postseason 18 times winning two Super Bowl Championships (1971, 1977) and appearing in three others. Landry still holds the NFL record for most postseason wins with 20. His 250 regular season wins rank third all-time in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Vince Lombardi - (1959-1967) Green Bay Packers, (1969) Washington Redskins. If you look at Lombardi's overall record as head coach, 96-34-6, you might not be all that impressed. After all he ranks only 36th all-time in wins for a head coach. But in the nine years he coached the Packers he never had a losing season. In 1959 Vince Lombardi took a Packer team which had finished 1-10-1 the previous year and led them to a 7-5 record. It would be the worst record the Packers would achieve under Lombardi. In 1960 Lombardi led the Packers to the postseason for the first time in since 1944. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Championship game. It would be the last postseason game the Packers would lose under Lombardi. The Packers went to the postseason six times under Lombardi and compiled a 9-1 record winning five NFL Championships including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi retired following the 1967 season but returned to coaching in 1969 when he took over the Washington Redskins. He led the Redskins to their first winning season since 1955 with a 7-5-2 record.
Tom Landry - (1960-1988) Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry was hired as the first Head Coach in Dallas Cowboys history. The expansion Cowboys would finish 0-11-1 in their first year under Tom Landry. The Cowboys showed gradual improvement under Landry until they finally had a winning season in 1966 with a 10-3-1 record. It would be the first of 20 consecutive winning seasons the Cowboys would have under Tom Landry, which is still an NFL record. Under Landry the Cowboys would reach the postseason 18 times winning two Super Bowl Championships (1971, 1977) and appearing in three others. Landry still holds the NFL record for most postseason wins with 20. His 250 regular season wins rank third all-time in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.
Comments
great list, great article. i've always been biased toward Bill Parcells because of his ability to turn a struggling team around but it's hard to argue with the five guys you mentioned.
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