Fansided

NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Coaches of All-Time

By Will Osgood

Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; General view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy prior to a press conference at Rose Theater in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; General view of the Vince Lombardi Trophy prior to a press conference at Rose Theater in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 31
Next
Jul 27, 2013; Cortland, NY, USA; General view of a New York Jets helmet during training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2013; Cortland, NY, USA; General view of a New York Jets helmet during training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

24. Weeb Ewbank (1954-1973)

You know how Rex Ryan is a good coach who has no talent to coach, especially on the offensive side of the ball? Okay, that is actually debatable. The point is that Weeb Ewbank once took the New York Jets to a Super Bowl title. He is the only coach in franchise history to accomplish that, all the way back in 1969.

He is among the “cradle of coaches” whose careers began or intersected at the University of Miami of Ohio. To this day he is the only coach to lead teams in separate conferences to NFL championships. He did so at the beginning of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He coached his first nine seasons there. He then moved onto the Jets in 1964. By 1969 he famously led the Jets to a Super Bowl victory over his former franchise.

That was the famous Joe Namath prediction game. Despite huge underdogs, Namath and Ewbank recorded the greatest upset in Pro Football history to that date.

Ewbank only had a .502 winning percentage, by far the lowest of any coach on this list. But his .800 playoff winning percentage and three championships speak for themselves. As a result, he is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, and arguably one of the 30 greatest football coaches ever.

Next: Any San Diego coaches coming up?

Home/NFL