List of college football coaches with a .750 winning percentage

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Larry Kehres has the highest winning percentage for a college football coach.

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. Currently, 15 active coaches are on the list.

Key

bold Active as head coach in 2017
† Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

College football coaches with a .750 winning percentage

List may be incomplete; Updated through end of 2017 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)
Jeff Devanney 2006 2017 12 97 83 14 0 .856 Trinity (CT) (2006–present)
Doyt Perry† 1955 1964 10 93 77 11 5 .855 Bowling Green (1955–1964)
Urban Meyer 2001 2017 16 208 177 31 0 .851 Bowling Green (2001–2002), Utah (2003–2004), Florida (2005–2010), Ohio State (2012–present)
Dick Farley† 1987 2003 17 136 114 19 3 .849 Williams (1987–2003)
George Washington Woodruff† 1892 1905 12 169 142 25 2 .846 Penn (1892–1901), Illinois (1903), Carlisle (1905)
Jake Gaither† 1945 1969 25 244 204 36 4 .844 Florida A&M (1945–1969)
Pete Fredenburg 1998 2017 20 249 210 39 0 .843 Mary Hardin–Baylor (1998–present)
Dave Maurer† 1969 1983 15 155 129 23 3 .842 Wittenberg (1969–1983)
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 2017 12 134 112 22 0 .836 Linfield (2006–present)
Tom Osborne† 1973 1997 25 307 255 49 3 .836 Nebraska (1973–1997)
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)
Henry Kean 1931 1954 23 209 167 33 9 .821 Kentucky State (1931–1942), Tennessee State (1944–1954)
Joe Fincham 1996 2017 22 245 201 44 0 .820 Wittenberg (1996–present)
Mike Kelly 1981 2007 27 301 246 54 1 .819 Dayton (1981–2007)
Mike Sirianni 2003 2017 15 170 139 31 0 .818 Washington & Jefferson (2003–present)
Chris Petersen 2006 2017 12 158 129 29 0 .816 Boise State (2006–2013), Washington (2014–present)
Vernon McCain† 1948 1963 16 128 102 21 5 .816 Maryland State (1948–1963)
Joe Fusco† 1972 1990 19 191 154 34 3 .814 Westminster (PA) (1972–1990)
Jim Purtill 1999 2013 15 160 130 30 0 .813 St. Norbert (1999–2013)
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)
Mike Van Diest 1999 2017 19 246 198 46 0 .811 Carroll (MT) (1999–present)
Ron Schipper† 1961 1996 36 357 287 67 3 .808 Central (IA) (1961–1996)
Lance Leipold 2007 2017 11 151 122 29 0 .808 Wisconsin–Whitewater (2007–2014), Buffalo (2015–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 2017 21 208 167 41 0 .803 Wartburg (1997–present)
John Wristen 2008 2017 10 121 97 24 0 .802 CSU–Pueblo (2008–present)
Glenn Caruso 2006 2017 12 145 116 29 0 .800 St. Thomas (MN) (2006–present)
Bob Stoops 1999 2016 18 238 190 48 0 .798 Oklahoma (1999–2016)
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)
Steve Ryan 2002 2017 16 195 155 40 0 .795 Morningside (2002–present)
Harold Burry† 1952 1971 20 163 127 31 5 .794 Westminster (PA) (1952–1971)
Mike Swider 1996 2017 22 238 189 49 0 .794 Wheaton (IL) (1996–present)
Ted Kessinger† 1976 2003 28 277 219 57 1 .792 Bethany (KS) (1976–2003)
Willie J. Slater 2006 2017 12 139 110 29 0 .791 Tuskegee (2006–present)
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)
Bill Cronin 1997 2017 21 245 192 53 0 .784 Georgetown (KY) (1997–present)
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)
John Tucker 1933 1947 12 102 74 17 11 .779 Arkansas Tech (1933–1947)
Bill Edwards† 1936 1968 23 221 168 45 8 .778 Western Reserve (1936–1940), Vanderbilt (1949–1952), Wittenberg (1955–1968)
Nick Saban 1990 2017 22 279 218 62 1 .778[a 1] Toledo (1990), Michigan State (1995–1999), LSU (2000–2004), Alabama (2007–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), St. 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)
Dabo Swinney 2008 2017 10 131 101 30 0 .771 Clemson (2008–present)
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)
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)
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 1] 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)
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)
E. J. Mills 1997 2017 21 169 128 41 0 .757 Amherst (1997–present)
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)
Frosty Westering† 1962 2003 40 406 303 96 7 .755 Parsons (IA) (1962–1963), Lea (1966–1971), Pacific Lutheran (1972–2003)
Danny Hale 1984 2012 25 283 213 69 1 .754 West Chester (1984–1988), Bloomsburg (1993–2012)
Jed Stugart 2006 2017 11 126 95 31 0 .754 MidAmerica Nazarene (2006–2008), Sioux Falls (2010–2016), Lindenwood (2017–present)
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)
Claude J. Hunt 1911 1931 19 124 90 28 6 .750 Hillsdale (1911–1912), Carleton (1914–1916, 1920–1931), Washington (1917, 1919)
Allyn McKeen† 1937 1948 11 106 78 25 3 .750 West Tennessee State (1937–1938), Mississippi State (1939–1948)
  1. ^ Saban's on-field record is 223–62–1 (winning percentage .781). 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.

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 2017 season.
Head Coach First Year Last Year Years Games Wins Losses Ties Win % Teams
Adam Dorrel 2011 2017 7 95 78 17 0 .821 Northwest Missouri State (2011–2016), Abilene Christian (2017–present)
Jimbo Fisher 2010 2017 8 106 83 23 0 .783 Florida State (2010–2017), Texas A&M (2018–present)
Mike Houston 2011 2017 7 92 71 21 0 .772 Lenoir–Rhyne (2011–2013), The Citadel (2014–2015), James Madison (2016–present)
Matt Mitchell 2010 2017 8 100 77 23 0 .770 Grand Valley State (2010–present)
David Shaw 2011 2017 7 95 73 22 0 .768 Stanford (2011–present)
Jim Hilvert 2007 2017 9 96 73 23 0 .760 Thomas More (2007–2014), Baldwin Wallace (2017–present)
Jeff McMartin 2004 2017 13 146 108 38 0 .740 Central (IA) (2004–present)
David Dean 2007 2017 10 119 88 31 0 .739 Valdosta State (2007–2015), West Georgia (2017–present)
Mark Richt 2001 2017 17 222 164 58 0 .739 Georgia (2001–2015), Miami (FL) (2016–present)
Gary Patterson 2000 2017 18 217 160 57 0 .737 TCU (2000–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 end of 2017 season.
Name First Year Last Year Years Games Wins Losses Ties Win % Teams
Kalen DeBoer 2005 2009 5 70 67 3 0 .957 Sioux Falls (2005–2009)
Vince Kehres 2013 2017 5 74 70 4 0 .946 Mount Union (2013–present)
Walter Camp 1888 1895 7 89 81 5 3 .927 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)
Ron Erhardt 1966 1972 7 69 61 7 1 .891 North Dakota State (1966–1972)
Walter C. Booth 1900 1905 6 63 53 8 2 .857 Nebraska (1900–1905)
John Macklin 1911 1915 5 34 29 5 0 .853 Michigan State (1911–1915)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 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

  1. ^ "NCAA Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA. 2008. pp. 189, 192.
  2. ^ "All-Time Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
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