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Ranking the 25 best head coaches in college football history

By Zach Bigalke

Apr 22, 2017; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban talks with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt during the A-day game at Bryant Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban talks with defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt during the A-day game at Bryant Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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22. Bud Wilkinson

When Bud Wilkinson took over in Norman in 1947, the University of Oklahoma was still a stepping-stone destination for head coaches in college football.

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    • Thomas Stidham and Jim Tatum had both won Big Six titles with the Sooners before moving on to other positions. Tatum’s departure opened the door for Wilkinson, and he used the opportunity to launch Oklahoma from a springboard school to a national powerhouse.

    The Sooners would not relinquish hold of the conference title for Wilkinson’s first thirteen years at the helm.

    By year four of his reign, Wilkinson claimed his first national title after a 10-0 regular season.

    Between 1948 and 1950, the Sooners would win 31 straight games before their Sugar Bowl loss to Kentucky on New Year’s Day 1951. Then, between 1953 and 1957, his teams went 47 straight games without defeat.

    The streak included national titles in 1955 and 1956 and another perfect record in 1954 where the Sooners finished third in the polls. After 1958, though, Oklahoma would not reach 10 wins until Chuck Fairbanks pulled it off in 1967.

    By then, however, the Sooners were already a national brand name thanks to Wilkinson’s run of dominance.

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