From Struggle to Success: Even the winningest head coaches in NFL history weren't always winners
- Jim Barnes
- Jan 8
- 7 min read
The 2024 NFL regular season just ended, and we've already seen several head coaches ousted. The firing of head coaches the day after the regular season ends, often referred to as 'Black Monday,' is becoming more common as team owners expect instant success or grow tired of their team's lack of improvement. It used to be that unless there was some major issue, a head coach would get at least 2 or 3 seasons to right the ship and prove that they have a winning formula.
Nowadays it is not uncommon to see a head coach fired after just one season or even part way through their first season! One big issue with the revolving door of head coaches is that the new coach coming in is usually taking over the same losing team and not given time to get the needed pieces in place to build a winning team. Not every championship winning team is built in one season. At the same time, not every winning head coach has ALWAYS been a winner.
Even the winningest NFL head coaches can't win them all
In this article, we'll explore the 10 NFL coaches with the most all-time regular season wins, focusing on both their impressive win totals and accolades, as well as the times they persevered despite lacking a winning formula.
Don Shula - Regular season record: 328-156-6 (.677 Win %)
Don Shula stands at the top of the list of winning establishments NFL Head coaches with an impressive record of 328 regular season wins from 1963 to 1995. Shula's impressive resume includes 2 Super Bowl wins, 4X Coach of the Year, NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the head coach of the 1972 Miami Dolphins that went a perfect 17-0 through the regular season and playoffs.
The flip side of all that success is that Shula served as an NFL head coach for 33 years, and despite numerous regular season victories, he secured only 2 Super Bowl titles and lost 5 Super Bowl/NFL Championship games. Don Shula's overall playoff record stood at 19 wins and 17 losses.
George Halas - Regular season record: 318-148-31 (.682 Win %)
George Halas, known as “Papa Bear,” was not only an NFL head coach from 1920 - 1967, he was a player/head coach in the beginning of his career. With 318 regular season wins and 6 NFL Championships, it's easy to see why they named the NFC Championship trophy after him. Halas was also a 2X Coach of the Year, NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and NFL Hall of Famer.
In all those years as a head coach Halas led teams only made the playoffs 8 times. The bright side of that is the 6 championships in those 8 appearances, but that's over 30 years of NOT making the playoffs.
Bill Belichick - Regular season record: 302-165 (.647 Win %)
Bill Belichick is another name synonymous with greatness in the NFL, with 302 regular season wins. His 31 playoff wins are the most all time. In 29 seasons as an NFL head coach Belichick has led his teams to 23 division titles (17 in a row!) and 9 Super Bowls. His 6 Super Bowl wins as a head coach are the most in the Super Bowl era. Even in 2008 when his team didn't make the playoffs, they still had an 11-5 record.
Bill Belichick's achievements did not come quickly. His initial head coaching role was with the Cleveland Browns, where he experienced losing seasons in four out of his five years. In his final season with the Browns, the team finished 5-11. After spending a few years as a coordinator for the NY Jets, Belichick took on the head coach position with the New England Patriots, where he also had a 5-11 record in his first season.
Andy Reid - Regular Season Record 273-146-1 (.651 Win %)
273 regular season wins, 19 seasons of making the playoffs, and 3 Super Bowl wins, and a Coach of the Year award have made Andy Reid one of the top coaches of the modern era. Reid has led his teams to 17 division titles and 10 conference championship games.
Andy Reid was the first head coach to lead his team to 4 consecutive NFC Championship games, but he was also the first to lose 3 consecutive NFC Championship games. Despite Andy Reid's consistent winning formula in the regular season, it took 20 seasons for him to finally hoist the Super Bowl trophy.
Tom Landry - Regular season record: 250-162-6 (.607 Win %)
Tom Landry, a true innovator of the game, collected 250 regular season wins. His 2 Super Bowl victories and 18 playoff appearances highlight his outstanding performance as the Dallas Cowboys head coach. Landry was NFL Coach of the Year in 1966 and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Landry had a terrible start to his NFL head coaching career, going 0-11 his first season. He didn't have a non-losing season until his sixth season when they went 7-7. Landry did eventually lead the Cowboys to 2 Super Bowls wins in his 29 seasons as their head coach. But he also was at the helm for 3 of the Cowboys Super Bowl losses.
Curly Lambeau - Regular season record: 226-132-22 (.631 Win %)
Curly Lambeau's impact on the NFL is immeasurable, with a record of 226 regular season wins at 226-132-22. As the founder of the Green Bay Packers, he led the team to six NFL championships as a head coach. He was a player / head coach for his first 10 seasons with the Packers. Lambeau is Pro Football Hall of Famer and the Packers home stadium, Lambeau Field, is named after him.
Curly's success as a head coach has a nearly perfect arc to it. He didn't win his first championship until his 9th season and didn't win one in his last 9 seasons as a head coach either. 5 of his last 6 seasons as a head coach his teams had a record under .500.
Paul Brown - Regular season record: 213-104-9 (.672 Win %)
Paul Brown's 213 regular season wins are impressive, but his 7 championships as a head coach are even more impressive. Brown is a multiple time Coach of the Year and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
There definitely aren't many blemishes on Paul Brown's resume. In his 25 seasons as an NFL head coach he had 4 losing seasons and in his last 15 seasons as a head coach, he led his teams to the championship game once and lost that lone appearance.
Marty Schottenheimer - Regular season record: 200-126-1 (.613 Win %)
Marty Schottenheimer was the head coach of 4 different NFL teams and collected 200 regular season wins. He was a 2X AFC Coach of the Year and a 1X NFL Coach of the Year. He led his teams to the playoffs 13 times.
At this time Schottenheimer ranks #8 all time in regular season wins as a head coach, which makes him the winningest head coach to never win a Super Bowl. In fact, Marty's teams never made it past the conference championship game. Even the year that he led the San Diego Chargers to a league best record of 14-2 they were one and done. Despite consistent regular season success, Schottenheimer has .278 winning percentage in the playoffs with a record of 5-13.
Chuck Noll - Regular season record: 193-148-1 (.566 Win %)
With Chuck Noll at the helm as their head coach the Pittsburgh Steelers teams of the 1970's won back-to-back Super Bowls twice. Their 4 Super bowl wins in the 70's made them the NFL's first dynasty. Those glory days led Noll to being selected to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Like others on this list, Chuck Noll did not start off his head coaching career with a march to the playoffs. In fact, in his first season as HC his team won only 1 game and lost 13 and had a losing record in each of his first 3 seasons.
Dan Reeves - Regular season record: 190-165-2 (.535 Win %)
Dan Reeves rounds out the list with 190 regular season wins. He was the head coach of 3 different NFL teams. He led each team to the playoffs at least once, including leading 2 different teams to the Super Bowl, and was a 2X NFL Coach of the Year.
Reeves actually had a higher winning percentage in the playoffs than in the regular season, but never won a Super Bowl as a head coach. As a head coach Reeves lost 4 Super Bowls, 3 with the Denver Broncos and 1 with the Atlanta Falcons. His teams also only made the playoffs 4 times in his last 14 seasons as a head coach.
Success begins with selecting the right individuals for the role
As you can see, even the most successful head coaches in history have faced moments where they needed to reassess, rebuild, and adapt to continue winning. No one wins every game, and losing can often serve as the greatest motivator for someone to work harder and refine their skills. Indeed, coaches like George Seifert, Barry Switzer, Mike Tomlin, Jon Gruden, and a few others have taken on head coaching roles and won a Super Bowl relatively quickly, but they inherited teams that were already strong contenders. Even the legendary Vince Lombardi, after whom the Super Bowl trophy is named, lost more than a quarter of his games as a head coach.
Hiring a head coach is like hiring a foreman or manager at any other company. Team owners and GMs need to realize that if they are interviewing someone for a head coaching position every 3 years or less, either they are not being patient enough or they should let someone else handle the interviewing and hiring process.
Comments