Ranking the 25 best head coaches in college football history
By Zach Bigalke
24. Wallace Wade
When they name an entire stadium after you, it is likely that you did something special. That is certainly the case with Wallace Wade, who is a legend at two schools. In his first act as a head coach, Wade took over at Alabama in 1923. Within three years, he had won his first national championship after guiding the Crimson Tide to the school’s first unbeaten record and a landmark win in the 1926 Rose Bowl.
The Tide repeated as national champions in 1926 after another undefeated season, and added another national title in 1929 under Wade. But in a move that surprised the world at the time and that seems even more shocking in retrospect, Wade left Tuscaloosa after 1930 to take over at Duke. There he led the Blue Devils to six Southern Conference titles. Duke also finished in the top three of the AP poll in both 1938 and 1941.
Wade finished just ahead of Army’s Red Blaik due mainly to a slightly longer career with more wins and a marginally improved winning percentage. A legend at two schools, Wade is more than merely a name gracing the stadium where he spent the last two decades of his coaching career.