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25 best college football coaches never to win a national title

By Nicholas Ian Allen

Oct 25, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder waits to lead his team onto the field before the start of a game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder waits to lead his team onto the field before the start of a game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 28, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of Vanderbilt Stadium prior to the Vanderbilt Commodores game against the Temple Owls. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of Vanderbilt Stadium prior to the Vanderbilt Commodores game against the Temple Owls. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
  • Head Coaching Record: 197-55-19 at Vanderbilt 1904-17 and 1919-34
  • Closest He Came to Winning a National Championship: Four undefeated seasons (1904, 1910, 1921, 1922)
  • Notable: Nine SIAA Championships (1904-07, 1910-12, 1915, 1921), 1922 and 1923 Southern Conference Championship, College Football Hall of Fame (1951)

Believe it or not, Vanderbilt was once a college football powerhouse, and head coach Dan McGugin was the biggest reasons why. A former lineman for legendary coach Fielding Yost at Michigan (following three years as an undergrad at Drake University), McGugin was an assistant coach for the Wolverines in 1903 before moving to the head coaching position at Vanderbilt in 1904.

McGugin’s head coaching career got off to a terrific start. Vanderbilt won the first three games of the McGugin era by 60 points or more, making him the first and only head coach in college football history to achieve that distinction. The Commodores finished the 1904 season with a 9-0 record and outscored opponents an eye-popping 474-4, which led the nation with an average of 52.7 points per game. Vanderbilt shared the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in McGugin’s first season in what was the first of four consecutive and eleven overall league championships.

Because McGugin’s coaching career was over before the Associate Press began its annual poll and the practice of naming a national champion, Vanderbilt does not claim any national championships from his tenure. However, the Commodores were obviously one of the best football programs in the nation under McGugin’s direction, particularly in undefeated seasons in 1904, 1910, 1921 and 1922.

McGugin retired in 1934 with a career record of 197-55-19, which is by far the most wins in program history.

Next: Dick MacPherson

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