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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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Sep 12, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange former head coach Dick MacPherson waves to the crowd after being honored at the end of the first quarter of the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange former head coach Dick MacPherson waves to the crowd after being honored at the end of the first quarter of the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
  • Head Coaching Record: 111-73-5 at UMass 1971-77, and Syracuse 1981-90
  • Closest He Came to Winning a National Championship: 11-0-1, tied Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, No. 4 final ranking
  • Notable: Four Yankee Conference Championships (1971, 1972, 1974, 1977), AFCA Coach of the Year (1987), Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year (1987), Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (1987), Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year (1987), Walter Camp Coach of the Year (1987), College Football Hall of Fame (2009)

Had he spent more time as a college head coach, Dick MacPherson would rank a little higher on this list. Of course, had he spent more time as a college head coach, MacPherson may have won a national championship and made himself ineligible in our rankings.

MacPherson entered the coaching profession in 1958 as a graduate assistant at Illinois, and moved his way up the coaching ladder with stops at UMass, Cincinnati, Maryland and with the Denver Broncos before earning his first head coaching position at UMass in 1971. In seven seasons with the Minutemen, MacPherson posted a record of 45-27-1, and led UMass to four Yankee Conference championships. He returned to the NFL and spent three years as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns, and was hired as the head coach at Syracuse in 1981.

It took three years for MacPherson to post his first winning season at Syracuse, but he steadily built the Orangemen into a national title contender. In 1987, MacPherson led Syracuse to an 11-0-1 record, with the tie coming in the Sugar Bowl, earning the squad a No. 4 ranking in the final AP Poll. He led the Orangemen for three more seasons, posting a record of 66-46-4 during his tenure, before leaving to become the head coach of the New England Patriots in 1991.

Next: Jackie Sherrill

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