Top Five Coaches of All Time

1. John Wooden

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”  He won ten NCAA national championships in a twelve year period, won eighty-eight games in a row, and was named national coach of the year six times.  The list of his accomplishments goes on and on, and so does his legacy.  John Wooden is the best coach of all time for his commitment to teaching his players lessons that go beyond basketball.  

Throughout his twelve years as head basketball coach for UCLA, John Wooden passed on many life lessons and values to his players which would shape them into more than great athletes, but also great characters. Most importantly, Wooden taught them that success is about more than just winning.  It’s about pride.  It’s about dedication.  It’s about heart.  John Wooden was arguably not the most passionate coach, but his leadership was always apparent.  His players followed the guidance of his silent yet strong example, but more importantly, they followed his leadership.

2.  Vince Lombardi

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all-time thing.  You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.  Winning is habit.”  Not only did he coach his team to five league championships in seven years, he also led them to victory in the first two Super Bowls. Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers, was concerned with one thing: winning.  Pushing his players to never give up, Lombardi taught his team that falling short of success was inexcusable.  He accepted nothing less than perfection.  If his players didn't want to work hard, then it made his job benching them that much easier. 

Lombardi possessed a passion for football that made him stand out among other coaches, and ultimately what made him successful. His passion for football was the motivator for his team to win.  Even today, successful teams feed off of the passion they see in their coach, and it undoubtedly shows on the field. Coaching was never a chore for him because of his undying passion for the sport he loved.  His passion was never more evident than his most famous saying, “Winning isn't everything: it’s the only thing.”

3. Herb Brooks

“Great moments are born from great opportunities.” Despite what some may call an unimpressive record, his legacy revolves around one game. Herb Brooks, best known for coaching the United States hockey team to victory against the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics, brought out the best in his players.  Taking a team of college players to defeat a team of professional Soviets was a feat that no one thought possible.  He was able to spot talent in his players, and make them use that talent to the best of their abilities.  

Through communication, Brooks turned a team of egotistical boys into champions.  He taught young men from very different backgrounds how to trust each other.  It took hard work, dedication, and most of all communication to turn a team like this into champions.  By successfully communicating with his players, he taught them how to accomplish the unthinkable, how to achieve dreams, and how to play like champions.  

4. Pat Summitt

"Confidence is what happens when you've done the hard work that entitles you to succeed."  While leading Tennessee between 1974 and 2012, she secured eight NCAA national championships and the utmost respect from her players and fans.  In thirty-eight years as a coach, Pat Summitt never had a losing record. She was a fearless competitor who held the secret to good coaching: take what you believe in and transfer that to your players.  She instilled her passion for basketball in each and every player, which made them so successful.

That is what great coaching is.  You can be the smartest person, the greatest motivator, the best recruiter, but if you can't teach your players to do the things you want done, it doesn't matter what you know.  She got her players to play the exact style she wanted them to play.  In this way, Summitt is one of the greatest teachers, which ultimately defines a coach.

5. Bear Bryant

"Losing doesn't make me want to quit.  It makes me want to fight that much harder."  Although he was the head coach of many notable schools, it was his twenty-five year tenure at Alabama that crafted his incredible legacy.  As the disciplinarian, Paul "Bear" Bryant molded teams into his image. He focused on aggressive defense and execution on special teams, and demonstrated that his players exhibit toughness.  His six national championships, 13 conference championships, and 232 wins with the Crimson Tide speak for themselves.

Although he coached slightly before my time, his legacy can still be seen today. Alabama still has a very strong football program, in fact the best in the country, as we all saw last Saturday when they did not hesitate to pummel our Panthers.  I believe they are as good as they are today from the hard work that Bryant put into the program over thirty years ago.  He will go down as one of the best coaches in history because of his ability to bring the fight and intensity out of every player.