Neither were at the top of the sport long enough, IMO.What about Barry Switzer? Damn fine OU coach. Or Jimmy Johnson? His "U" teams were legendary. So many good coaches.
Neither were at the top of the sport long enough, IMO.What about Barry Switzer? Damn fine OU coach. Or Jimmy Johnson? His "U" teams were legendary. So many good coaches.
Had he not went to the NFL and continued at USC, he would be there.Bazza I debated bringing up John McKay yesterday myself. He has 4 NC's which DO mean a lot. I think I kind of discounted him for longevity. He 'only' coached 16 seasons as USC. But His record WAS dazzling at 127-40-8 (.749) which is pretty close to Woody Hayes's winning %. Plus winning the 5 Rose Bowls which is 1 more than Hayes.
If he had coached 9-10 more seasons at that pace he for sure would be a strong contender for that #3-4 slot.
Osborne really only had two hard games every year...OU and a bowl opponent. :cool2:I would say:
1. Bryant
2. Saban
3. Osborne
4. Rockne
Bowden is the next one up for me. If things had ended differently, I might have had Paterno in spot 4. I agree that Meyer has a good chance of entering a top 4/5 list in a few years. He ha probably already equaled or surpassed Hayes, McKay, and the two Oklahoma greats.
This is the reason I would leave him off.Osborne really only had two hard games every year...OU and a bowl opponent. :cool2:
Good analysis of the coaches and these are the 4 I would pick as well. Some have suggested Woody Hayes but he would be off my list because he had an uncontrollable temper and showed poor sportsmanship throughout his career. On many occasions he threw punches at players, sportswriters, and cameramen. Such behavior would force me to keep him off Mt. Rushmore.I don't like Notre Dame at all but what Knute Rockne did there was very impressive. This before the era of the media's love affair with Notre Dame.
Coach Bryant is obvious. It's not just the wins or the championships, but also the cultural impact. It's why I'm not sure Coach Saban could ever overtake him, even if he wins a few more titles. But, if anyone is close, it is Coach Saban. Speaking of cultural impact, and I'm no Facebook fan, but it's a big deal with Mark Zuckerberg visits you just to chat and find out about your organization.
It's hard to figure out who would be in the 4th slot. I like the Tom Osborne choice, but it's true he didn't face much competition for a good bit of his tenure. The same could be said of Barry Switzer, Joe Paterno, and Bobby Bowden. Bowden and Paterno have the gaudy win totals, but while those are impressive, a lot of it is attributed to just staying healthy enough to remain on the job. And Paterno is eliminated by default with me because of the scandal. That leaves Osborne and Switzer and while Switzer had plenty of success, he was somewhat loose with the rules (putting it kindly). I'll pick Osborne.o
In oder:
1. Paul W. Bryant
2. Nick Saban
3. Knute Rockne
4. Tom Osborne
I also think Urban Meyer will wind up there someday, provided he remains healthy. He will most likely win more NCs, and most certainly continue to dominate the B1G.
Agreed, he was beloved nationally - so much so that his death in a plane crash changed the industry forever.I don't like Notre Dame at all but what Knute Rockne did there was very impressive. This before the era of the media's love affair with Notre Dame.
This is the exact order I thought of. I agree with paterno would be 4 if that didn't happen Also that Meyer is close. Now for me b/c of age I didn't watch most coaches being talked about but I heard and read bout many of the ones being thrown around hereI would say:
1. Bryant
2. Saban
3. Osborne
4. Rockne
Bowden is the next one up for me. If things had ended differently, I might have had Paterno in spot 4. I agree that Meyer has a good chance of entering a top 4/5 list in a few years. He ha probably already equaled or surpassed Hayes, McKay, and the two Oklahoma greats.