SMQ: Evaluating the backgrounds of championship coaches
By Zach Bigalke
A Major Start: 8 who won titles after starting at another major program
These are the coaches we think about most when mulling where a coach might land next. Really, though, success at a previous stop leading a major program is not necessarily an indicator of success at a future stop.
That narrative also works in reverse. In Gene Chizik’s case, for instance, we saw that it is possible to fall upward after Chizik spent two forgettable years at Iowa State. After leaving the Cyclones for Auburn, Chizik led the Tigers to the 2010 national title. Expectation caught up with Chizik, though, as the Auburn administration eventually cast him aside.
On this list, only two of the eight coaches who started at another major program actually retired from college football at the school where they found the greatest success. Bear Bryant ended his legendary career with national titles galore, while Mack Brown coached his final game at Texas.
Two others haven’t coached again after being dismissed. Those are the two newest names on the list, specifically Chizik and LSU’s Les Miles. But in every case, it wasn’t a jump from a mid-major but from another major program that helped this octet win at least one national title at the I-A/FBS ranks.
The Full List (8)
- Johnny Majors (Pittsburgh)
- Dan Devine (Notre Dame)
- Bear Bryant (Alabama)
- Jimmy Johnson (Miami)
- Steve Spurrier (Florida)
- Mack Brown (Texas)
- Les Miles (LSU)
- Gene Chizik (Auburn)