| The Best Coaches in NCAA Football | | | | their messiah. He led the Crimson Tide |
| History | | | | to six national titles between 1961 and |
| NCAA football, particularly Division | | | | 1979. At the time of his retirement, he |
| I-A, is one of the most competitive | | | | was the winningest coach of all time and |
| collegiate sports. Many coaches have had | | | | also held the record for most bowl wins. |
| winning seasons, but only the greatest | | | | Bear was known as a stern, no nonsense |
| are remembered by fans. Bobby Bowden, | | | | coach. He once suspended his star |
| forty four years after coaching his | | | | quarterback, Joe Namath, causing him to |
| first college game and after twenty nine | | | | miss the 1964 Sugar Bowl. |
| years with Florida State, is the | | | | But Bowden and Paterno, as great as they |
| winningest coach in NCAA history. His | | | | are, may never be able to reach the |
| Seminoles were ranked in the Associated | | | | greatness a certain Norwegian achieved |
| Press (AP) Top Five for fourteen | | | | while coaching America's most famous |
| consecutive seasons. His 1999 team was | | | | Irish-Catholic university. Knute Rockne |
| the first ever to go from opening game | | | | has been the subject to countless books |
| to the championship while maintaining | | | | and even a movie that featured a former |
| their number one AP ranking the whole | | | | president, Ronald Reagan, as his most |
| time. He is ranked second in most bowl | | | | famous player, George Gipp. Even people |
| wins. When he took over in 1976, the | | | | that don't know much about football or |
| Seminoles had won a total of only four | | | | Notre Dame surely know the line "Win one |
| games in three seasons. His career | | | | for the Gipper." What Rockne could have |
| record with the Seminoles, playing some | | | | accomplished will never be known. He was |
| of the league's toughest teams, is | | | | cut down in his prime, dying in a plane |
| 278-70-4. Also considered a NCAA | | | | crash at age 42. But in his short |
| coaching great is Joe Paterno. As he | | | | thirteen years at Notre Dame, he managed |
| prepares for his fortieth year with Penn | | | | to compile a record of 105-12-5, |
| State, he is in second place for all | | | | including six national championships. |
| time victories, only behind Bobby | | | | That is the winningest percentage (.881) |
| Bowden. He led the Nittany Lions to | | | | of any NCAA football coach ever. He was |
| national championships in 1982 and 1986 | | | | also created the unstoppable backfield |
| and had five unbeaten/untied seasons. | | | | known as the four horsemen that led the |
| Oh, and he is the one Bobby Bowden is | | | | Fighting Irish to a 28-2 record. He was |
| chasing for all time bowl wins with a | | | | dearly loved not only by his players, |
| record of 20-10-1. | | | | but fans as well. |
| If NCAA football was a religion in | | | | Sure, there will be other great coaches |
| Alabama, Paul "Bear" Bryant would be | | | | in the future of the NCAA. |