Many of these legendary NFL coaches were players themselves. One name stood on top for decades, but another has now replaced it. This coach proved dynasties can still exist despite the free agency/salary cap era.
10. Curly Lambeau
Curly Lambeau was the Packers’ first coach and played tailback/fullback during his first nine years. He led the Packers to six NFL championships, including three straight titles. His 1929 team was the first to go undefeated 12-0-1. The Packers went 34-5-2 under his leadership. The team plays its home games at the field bearing his name.
9. Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs spent his entire 16-year NFL coaching career in Washington. He led the Redskins to four Super Bowls, winning three. He won each with different starting quarterbacks. In 1987, despite a replacement-filled roster after players went on strike, Gibbs led the Redskins to a Super Bowl victory that season, with a record-setting 35 points in the second quarter.
8. Tom Landry
Tom Landry is fourth in all-time wins by an NFL head coach. During the Dallas Cowboys’ first 29 seasons, Landry’s teams had a winning record for 20 consecutive seasons and made the playoffs 18 times. His innovative Flex 4-3 defense defeated offenses, while his shotgun-oriented offense was far ahead of its time.
7. Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh is one of only two coaches on this list who didn’t win 100 career regular-season games. In his short, 10-year run as an NFL coach, Walsh left a lasting impact on the game. He innovated the West Coast offense. More than 30 years later, every NFL team runs a variation of Walsh’s offense.
6. Chuck Noll
The 1970s Steelers’ dynasty resulted from Chuck Noll turning the losing franchise into an NFL powerhouse within three years under his leadership. The Steelers won four Super Bowl titles over six years. Moreover, Noll established the NFL standard for building fundamentally sound teams. Success came through wise draft choices, as well as finding undrafted talent.
5. Paul Brown
Paul Brown was the original coaching cofounder of the team that bears his name. He later co-founded the Cincinnati Bengals. During his 25-year coaching career, his teams won seven league championships. He’s the sixth-winningest coach in NFL history. As a coach, Brown was a trailblazer, establishing how coaches conduct their schedule related to weekly preparation. He also mentored Bill Walsh.
4. George Halas
George Halas, the founder and original owner of the Chicago Bears, still ranks No. 3 on the all-time wins list. He’s also the only NFL coach to win an NFL title in four different decades. Halas was the first coach to conduct daily practice sessions that included film study. As a player/coach, he won 8 NFL titles. His career record is 318-151-31.
3. Don Shula
Don Shula’s 1972 Dolphins team remains the only NFL team in history to finish the season with a perfect record. With 33 seasons as an NFL head coach, Shula’s 328 regular-season wins and 347 total wins remain records. Shula helped to modernize the game. He inspired several rule changes as head of the NFL’s Competition Committee in 1978.
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2. Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi coached the Green Bay Packers for nine seasons, winning five titles in seven years. The Packers were the only team to win three straight NFL titles, including the first two Super Bowls. Lombardi boasts a .738 regular season winning percentage and a 9-1 postseason record. In 1970, the NFL named the Super Bowl trophy in his honor.
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1. Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick is the only coach in NFL history to win nine conference titles and six Super Bowls. Under Belichick’s leadership, the Patriots achieved 19 consecutive winning seasons, 17 straight playoff appearances, and 17 division titles. Belichick ranks No. 2 in all-time in career wins. Before that, Belichick was a two-time Super Bowl-winning assistant coach with the New York Giants.
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