Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Four Oklahoma football coaches make ESPN’s ‘150 Greatest’ list

By Chip Rouse

28 Oct 2000: (L-R) Former Head Coach Barry Switzer of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with the Former Head Coach Tom Osborne of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the game at the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Cornhuskers 31-14.Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
28 Oct 2000: (L-R) Former Head Coach Barry Switzer of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with the Former Head Coach Tom Osborne of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the game at the Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Cornhuskers 31-14.Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /
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(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /

College football is nearing the completion of its 150th season. Oklahoma football isn’t far behind, celebrating its 125th year of gridiron glory and all-time greats this season.

Among those all-time Oklahoma football greats are four head coaches who combined won 614, or 68 percent, of the Sooners’ 908 all-time wins. Oklahoma holds the distinction of being the only college program with four head coaches who amassed over 100 wins each while they were at OU.

And a fifth, Lincoln Riley, who is just in his third season as head coach of the Sooners, is well on his way to joining that elite group with 36 wins of his own and an .878 winning percentage.

As part of its year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of college football, ESPN has compiled a list of the 150 Greatest College Coaches. Contributing to the anniversary project was a “blue-ribbon panel of 150 media members, administrators, former players and coaches,” as described on the ESPN website.

If your curiosity is about to get the best of you, the University of Alabama reigns at the top of the list. Spoiler alert…Paul “Bear” Bryant and the current king of college football coaching, Nick Saban rank one and two, respectively. Between them, the two have won 383 games at Alabama in 43 combined seasons. What makes these two coaching greats so extra special, though, is their incredible record of success in multiple head-coaching assignments, not just at Alabama.

College teams are defined and ranked by their accomplishments over a single season. College student-athletes are largely evaluated by the sum of their performance over three or four seasons. Coaches, and particularly the ones represented on ESPN’s distinguished “150 Greatest” list, are different. Their body of work spans multiple player cycles and defines eras.

Rounding out the top five in the ESPN ranking of the greatest college football coaches are the legendary Knute Rockne at No. 3. Rockne won 105 games in 13 seasons at Notre Dame (1918-30) and lost just 12 times.

Tom Osborne of Nebraska is No. 4 and Eddie Robinson, who coached 55 years at Grambling, is No. 5.

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