Best college football coach in history from each state

Vermont: Bob Clifford

As Vermont’s football team was discontinued back in 1974, Clifford’s brief success over 40 years ago is enough for the top spot in The Green Mountain State.

The Catamounts first established a team all the way back in 1886 but were unable to find any level of success during much of their history. Dartmouth infamously crushed Vermont 91-0 in its first-ever college game, and the Catamounts’ best season in the early stages of the program was a 4-1-2 mark in 1907.

While the Catamounts were invited to be an original member of the Yankee Conference in 1946, they never achieved more than four wins in a single season for the next two decades. Finally, Vermont was able to achieve a brief yet noteworthy run of success when Clifford took over for the 1962 season.

The Catamounts went 7-1 under Clifford in 1964 for their most successful campaign in school history, losing only to UMass. Clifford was able to keep the program competitive enough in his later years with the team, leading a 24-7 stretch from 1966 to 1968.

Vermont quickly fell apart after Clifford left with a winless first season in 1970 under Joe Scannella, and was disbanded four years later. While Vermont has the least college football tradition of any lower 48 states, Clifford’s brief stint earns recognition.

Currently, Vermont has no teams above the Division III level, and the Catamounts appear unlikely to resurrect their football program.