NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time

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Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; General view of statue of Green Bay Packers former coach Vince Lombardi before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Vince Lombardi (1959-1969)

It may seem to some like sacrilege to have Vince Lombardi this low. I mean after all, the NFL’s championship trophy is named after him. Lombardi is one of the top coaches ever. Obviously, he is in the top-five. That is no slight. There are two main issues at hand in this selection.

One, Lombardi relied on a fairly simple offensive and defensive system. Compared to today’s schemes, Lombardi’s were child’s play. That’s not to say that if Lombardi were to coach in today’s game that he could not adjust. It is only to say that the two eras do not compare (though in reality he seemed pretty stubborn, so he may be like Paul Johnson and run the triple-option at Georgia Tech).

Still, Lombardi doubled as a great high school coach and then professional football coach. When reaching the highest level, he won a remarkable .738 of his games, making the playoffs six of his 10 professional seasons as a coach with a ridiculous .900 playoff winning percentage, five NFL championships, two of which were Super Bowls.

It is only recent events that have precluded him from the top spot among all football coaches.

Next: What will be the order of the top 3?

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