List of college football career coaching wins leaders

This is a list of college football coaches who are the leaders in career wins. It is limited to coaches who have won at least 200 games at 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
1	John Gagliardi†	64	489	138	11	.775	Carroll (MT) (1949–1952), Saint John's (MN) (1953–2012)
2	Joe Paterno†	46	409	136	3	.749	Penn State (1966–2011)
3	Eddie Robinson†[n 2]	55	408	165	15	.707	Grambling (1941–1942, 1945–1997)
4	Bobby Bowden†	44	377[n 3]	129	4	.743	Samford (1959–1962), West Virginia (1970–1975), Florida State (1976–2009)
5	Kevin Donley*	46	355	155	1	.696	Anderson (IN) (1978–1981), Georgetown (KY) (1982–1992), California (PA) (1993–1996), Saint Francis (IN) (1998–present)
6	Ken Sparks	37	338	99	2	.772	Carson–Newman (1980–2016)
7	Larry Kehres†	27	332	24	3	.929	Mount Union (1986–2012)
8	Bear Bryant†	38	323	85	17	.780	Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946–1953), Texas A&M (1954–1957), Alabama (1958–1982)
9	Pop Warner†	49	319	106	32	.730	Georgia (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)
10	Roy Kidd†	39	314	124	8	.713	Eastern Kentucky (1964–2002)
10	Amos Alonzo Stagg†††	57	314	199	35	.605	Springfield (1890–1891), Chicago (1892–1932), Pacific (CA) (1933–1946)
12	Frosty Westering†	40	305	96	7	.756	Parsons (1962–1963), Lea (1966–1971), Pacific Lutheran (1972–2003)
12	Larry Wilcox	42	305	153	0	.666	Benedictine (KS) (1979–2020)
14	Tubby Raymond†[n 4]	36	300	119	3	.714	Delaware (1966–2001)
15	Nick Saban	28	292[n 5]	71	1	.804	Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995–1999), LSU (2000–2004), Alabama (2007–2024)
16	Brian Kelly*	34	289[n 6]	106	2	.730	Grand Valley State (1991–2003), Central Michigan (2004–2006), Cincinnati (2006–2009), Notre Dame (2010–2021), LSU (2022–present)
17	Ron Schipper†	36	287	67	3	.808	Central (IA) (1961–1996)
18	Mack Brown†*	35	282	149	1	.654	Appalachian State (1983), Tulane (1985–1987), North Carolina (1988–1997, 2019–present), Texas (1998–2013)
19	Frank Beamer†	35	280	144	4	.657	Murray State (1981–1986), Virginia Tech (1987–2015)
20	Monte Cater	37	275	117	2	.701	Lakeland (1981–1986), Shepherd (1987–2017)
21	Al Bagnoli	40	269	134	0	.667	Union (NY) (1982–1991), Penn (1992–2014), Columbia (2015–2022)
21	K. C. Keeler*	31	269	111	1	.707	Rowan (1993–2001), Delaware (2002–2012), Sam Houston State (2014–present)
22	Bob Ford[n 7]	45	265	191	1	.581	St. Lawrence (1965–1968), Albany (1973–2013)
23	Dennis Douds	45	264	204	3	.564	East Stroudsburg (1974–2018)
25	Roger Harring†	31	261	75	7	.771	Wisconsin–La Crosse (1969–1999)
26	Rick Giancola	39	260	143	2	.644	Montclair State (1983–2022)
27	Hank Biesiot	38	258	121	1	.680	Dickinson State (1976–2013)
28	LaVell Edwards†	29	257	101	3	.716	BYU (1972–2000)
28	Frank Girardi†	36	257	97	5	.723	Lycoming (1972–2007)
28	Andy Talley†	37	257	155	2	.623	St. Lawrence (1979–83), Villanova (1985–2016)
31	Tom Osborne†	25	255	49	3	.836	Nebraska (1973–1997)
31	Jim Malosky	40	255	125	13	.665	Minnesota–Duluth (1958–1997)
33	Steve Johnson	34	252	110	1	.696	Bethel (MN) (1989–2023)
34	Lou Holtz†	33	249	132	7	.651	William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State (1972–1975), Arkansas (1977–1983), Minnesota (1984–1985), Notre Dame (1986–1996), South Carolina (1999–2004)
34	Jimmye Laycock	39	249	194	2	.562	William & Mary (1980–2018)
36	Mike Kelly†	27	246	54	1	.819	Dayton (1981–2007)
36	Rob Ash	36	246	137	5	.640	Juniata (1980–1988), Drake (1989–2006), Montana State (2007–2015)
38	Billy Joe†[n 8]	34	245	127	4	.657	Cheyney (1972–1978), Central State (1981–1993), Florida A&M (1994–2004), Miles (2008–2010)
39	Jerry Moore†	31	242	135	2	.641	North Texas (1979–1980), Texas Tech (1981–1985), Appalachian State (1989–2012)
39	Mel Tjeerdsma†	27	242	82	4	.744	Austin (1984–1993), Northwest Missouri State (1994–2010)
41	Woody Hayes†	33	238	72	10	.759	Denison (1946–1948), Miami (OH) (1949–1950), Ohio State (1951–1978)
42	Steve Ryan*	23	236	46	0	.837	Morningside (2002–present)
43	John Merritt†	32	235	70	12	.760	Jackson State (1952–1962), Tennessee State (1963–1983)
44	Bo Schembechler†	27	234	65	8	.775	Miami (OH) (1963–1968), Michigan (1969–1989)
44	Chris Ault†	28	234[n 9]	108	1	.684	Nevada (1976–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2012)
44	Rich Lackner	36	234	125	2	.651	Carnegie Mellon (1986–2021)
44	Bob Nielson*	32	234	127	1	.648	Ripon (1989–1990), Wartburg (1991–1995), Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1996–1998), Minnesota–Duluth (1999–2003, 2008–2012), Western Illinois (2013–2015), South Dakota (2016–present)
48	Ace Mumford†	36	233	85	23	.717	Jarvis Christian (1924–1926), Bishop (1927–1929), Texas College (1931–1935), Southern (1936–1942, 1944–1961)
48	Joe Taylor	30	233	96	4	.706	Howard (1983), Virginia Union (1984–1991), Hampton (1992–2007), Florida A&M (2008–2012)
50	Tim Murphy	36	232	134	1	.634	Maine (1987–1988), Cincinnati (1989–1993), Harvard (1994–2023)
50	Hayden Fry†	37	232	178	10	.564	SMU (1962–1972), North Texas (1973–1978), Iowa (1979–1998)
52	Pete Fredenburg	24	231	39	0	.856	Mary Hardin–Baylor (1998–2021)
52	Norm Eash*	37	231	133	1	.634	Illinois Wesleyan (1987–present)
54	Willard Bailey	37	230	150	7	.603	Virginia Union (1971–1983, 1995–2003), Norfolk State (1984–1992), Saint Paul's (VA) (2005–2010)
55	Mike Drass	25	229	61	1	.789	Wesley (DE) (1993–2017)
55	Jim Tressel†	25	229	79	2	.742	Youngstown State (1986–2000), Ohio State (2001–2010)
57	Steve Spurrier†††	26	228	89	2	.718	Duke (1987–1989), Florida (1990–2001), South Carolina (2005–2015)
58	John Luckhardt†	27	225	70	2	.761	Washington & Jefferson (1982–1998), California (PA) (2002–2011)
59	Joe Fincham	25	224	51	0	.815	Wittenberg (1996–2021)
59	Fred T. Long	44	224	145	31	.599	Paul Quinn (1921–1922), Wiley (1923–1947, 1956–1965), Prairie View A&M (1948), Texas College (1949–1954)
61	Walt Hameline[n 10]	34	223	139	2	.615	Wagner (1981–2014)
62	Jim Margraff	29	221	89	3	.711	Johns Hopkins (1990–2018)
63	Gene Carpenter†	32	220	90	6	.706	Adams State (1968), Millersville (1970–2000)
63	Larry Kindbom	37	220	149	1	.596	Kenyon (1983–1988), Washington (MO) (1989–2019)
65	Ted Kessinger†	28	219	57	1	.792	Bethany (KS) (1976–2003)
65	Ron Harms†	31	219	112	4	.660	Concordia (NE) (1964–1969), Adams State (1970–1973), Texas A&M–Kingsville (1979–1999)
67	Bill Cronin	25	218	65	0	.770	Georgetown (KY) (1997–2021)
67	Mike Feminis*	26	218	87	0	.715	Saint Xavier (1999–present)
67	Mike Ayers	33	218	160	2	.577	East Tennessee State (1985–1987), Wofford (1988–2017)
67	Ron Randleman	36	218	167	6	.565	William Penn (1969–1975), Pittsburg State (1976–1981), Sam Houston State (1982–2004)
71	Jim Christopherson	32	217	102	7	.676	Concordia (Moorhead) (1969–2000)
71	Fred Martinelli†	35	217	119	12	.641	Ashland (1959–1993)
71	Bill Zwaan	25	217	90	0	.707	Widener (1997–2002), West Chester (2003–2023)
74	Bill Snyder†	27	215	117	1	.647	Kansas State (1989–2005, 2009–2018)
75	Kirk Ferentz*	29	214	143	0	.599	Maine (1990–1992), Iowa (1999–present)
76	Danny Hale	25	213	69	1	.754	West Chester (1984–1988), Bloomsburg (1993–2012)
76	Dennis Franchione	30	213	135	2	.611	Southwestern (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)
78	Larry Korver	29	212	77	7	.729	Northwestern (IA) (1968–1994)
78	Bill Manlove†	32	212	111	1	.656	Widener (1969–1991), Delaware Valley (1992–1995), La Salle (1997–2001)
78	Eric Hamilton	36	212	144	6	.594	TCNJ (1977–2012)
81	Sherman Wood*	32	210	118	1	.640	Bowie State (1993–1998), Salisbury (1999–present)
82	Mike Swider	24	209	52	0	.798	Wheaton (IL) (1996–2019)
82	Peter Mazzaferro	41	209	158	11	.567	Waynesburg (1959–1963), Curry (1963), Bridgewater State (1968–1986, 1988–2004)
84	Willie Fritz*	27	208	116	0	.642	Central Missouri Mules (1997–2009), Sam Houston State (2010–2013), Georgia Southern (2014–2015), Tulane (2016–2023), Houston (2024–present)
85	Jess Neely†	40	207	176	19	.539	Southwestern (TN) (1924–1927), Clemson (1931–1939), Rice (1940–1966)
86	Jim Butterfield†	27	206	71	1	.743	Ithaca (1967–1993)
86	Mike Maynard	32	206	91	1	.693	Redlands (1988–2021)
88	Carl Poelker	31	205	100	1	.672	Millikin (1982–1995), McKendree (1996–2012)
88	Harold Elliott	37	205	179	9	.533	Southwestern (KS) (1964–1968), Washburn (1969–1970), Emporia State (1971–1973), Texas–Arlington (1974–1983), Northwest Missouri State (1988–1993), Eastern New Mexico (1994–2004)
90	Jake Gaither†[n 11]	25	204	36	4	.844	Florida A&M (1945–1969)
91	Mike Van Diest	20	203	54	0	.790	Carroll (MT) (1999–2018)
91	Warren B. Woodson†	31	203	95	14	.673	Arkansas State Teachers (1935–1940), Hardin–Simmons (1941–1942, 1946–1951), Arizona (1952–1956), New Mexico State (1958–1967), Trinity (TX) (1972–1973)
91	Cleveland Abbott	31	203	96	28	.664	Tuskegee (1923–1954)
94	Don Nehlen†	30	202	128	8	.609	Bowling Green (1968–1976), West Virginia (1980–2000)
95	Vince Dooley†	25	201	77	10	.715	Georgia (1964–1988)
95	Eddie Anderson†	39	201	128	15	.606	Loras (1922–1924), DePaul (1925–1931), Holy Cross (1933–1938, 1950–1964) Iowa (1939–1942, 1946–1949)
95	Mike DeLong	34	201	139	2	.591	Maine Maritime (1979–1980), Springfield (MA) (1984–2015)
95	Keith W. Piper	39	201	141	18	.583	Denison (1954–1992)
99	Darrell Mudra†	26	200	81	4	.709	Adams 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)
99	Joe Glenn	28	200	134	1	.599	Doane (1976–1979), Northern Colorado (1989–1999), Montana (2000–2002), Wyoming (2003–2008), South Dakota (2012–2015)
99	Jim Sweeney	32	200	154	4	.564	Montana 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 Vosburgh	35	196	168	0	.538	William Penn (1985–1987), St. John Fisher (1991–present)
*	Chris Creighton	27	191	114	0	.626	Ottawa (KS) (1997–2000), Wabash (2001–2007), Drake (2008–2013), Eastern Michigan (2014–present)
*	Mike Sirianni	21	185	44	0	.808	Washington & Jefferson (2003–present)
*	Dave Murray	33	184	155	0	.543	Cortland (1990–1996), Lebanon Valley (1997), Alfred (1998–2013), Hamilton (2014–present)
*	Kevin Callahan	31	182	142	0	.562	Monmouth (1993–present)
*	Rich Rodriguez	26	181	125	2	.591	Salem (1988), Glenville State (1990–1996), West Virginia (2001–2007), Michigan (2008–2010), Arizona (2012–2017), Jacksonville State Gamecocks (2022–present)
*	Todd Knight	30	180	133	2	.575	Delta State (1993–1998), Ouachita Baptist Tigers (1999–present)
*	Mark Farley	23	179	101	0	.639	Northern Iowa (2001–present)
*	Chris Hatcher	24	178	100	0	.640	Valdosta State (2000–2006), Georgia Southern (2007–2009), Murray State (2010–2014), Samford (2015–present)

See also

• List of college football career coaching winning percentage leaders
• List of college football career coaching losses leaders
• List of college football coaches with 30 seasons
• List of NFL head coaches

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. "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. "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. "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.