Ranking the 25 best head coaches in college football history
By Zach Bigalke
17. Barry Switzer
Current generations remember Barry Switzer more for his four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Super Bowls are great, but Switzer also remains one of the greatest head coaches in college football history. His time with Oklahoma built on the legacy of Bud Wilkinson and Chuck Fairbanks to turn the Sooners into a perennial national contender during the 1970s and 1980s. Oklahoma finished atop the Big Eight in 12 of his 16 seasons in Norman.
They also captured three national championships with Switzer at the helm. After going 10-0-1 in his first year as a head coach, Oklahoma followed up with an 11-0 season in 1974 that vaulted the Sooners to the top of the polls. Switzer’s crew successfully defended their national title in 1975, going 11-1 with another Big Eight title and a win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
A decade later, Switzer won his third national title with true freshman quarterback Jamelle Holieway leading the Sooners to the first of three straight 11-1 seasons.
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Switzer will always be remembered as one of just three head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl during his career. Ultimately, though, his exploits with Oklahoma overshadow even his NFL successes.