Fansided

Best college football coach in history from each state

By Nathaniel Reeves

TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - CIRCA 1958-1982: Paul Bryant, head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team observes the play during a game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Alabama) (Photo by University of Alabama/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /
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STANFORD, CA – SEPTEMBER 7: Head coach Don James of the Washington Huskies looks on during a game against the Stanford Cardinals at Stanford Stadium in September 7, 1991 in Stanford, California. The Huskies won 42-7. (Bernstein Associates/Getty Images)
STANFORD, CA – SEPTEMBER 7: Head coach Don James of the Washington Huskies looks on during a game against the Stanford Cardinals at Stanford Stadium in September 7, 1991 in Stanford, California. The Huskies won 42-7. (Bernstein Associates/Getty Images) /

Washington: Don James

The Dawgfather oversaw a period of dominance in the Pacific Northwest, a feat Chris Petersen will try to match with the current Washington program.

James came from a prolific football family that included older brother Tommy, a star at Ohio State, and set a number of school records as a quarterback at Miami Florida from 1951 to 1953. After bouncing around as an assistant for four different schools in addition to one year in the high school ranks over the span of 15 years, Kent State hired James as head coach in 1971.

Following a modest four-year run with the Golden Flashes, James moved to Washington, which had been trending downward for over a decade. James turned things around by year three, leading the Huskies to an 8-4 record in 1977 with a Rose Bowl victory over Michigan.

Washington appeared in the Rose Bowl five more times under James until his resignation in 1992 with as many double-digit win seasons. James peaked in 1991 with what is considered one of the most dominant college football teams of the modern era, as the Huskies went 12-0 to capture the second national championship in school history.

The Huskies went 153-57-2 with six conference titles under James, emerging as a Pac-12 powerhouse before falling off in the 2000s. Neither major program in The Evergreen State has enjoyed a similar run of sustained success outside of the James era in Seattle, although Petersen is certainly off to a promising start.

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