Best college football coach in history from each state

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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24 Oct 1998: A portrait of head coach Don Nehlen of the West Virginia Mountaineers as he watches the field during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at Mountaineer Field in Morgan Filed, West Virginia. Miami defeated W. Virginia 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /

West Virginia: Don Nehlen

While West Virginia would have many of its best individual seasons under Rich Rodriguez, Nehlen set the stage for the program to become a contender from 1980-2000.

Nehlen was a prominent quarterback at Bowling Green from 1955-1957, helping the Falcons win a MAC championship. After five years in the high school ranks, Nehlen took a pair of assistant jobs before returning to his Alma Mater to take the head gig in 1968.

While Nehlen only achieved middling success at Bowling Green, the Mountaineers hired him in 1980 following a quick stop as a position coach at Michigan. West Virginia had declined steadily since Bowden’s five years earlier, and only owned a few strong individual seasons in program history.

The Mountaineers were in bowl contention soon enough under Nehlen with three straight 9-3 campaigns from 1981-1983. West Virginia peaked in 1988 with an 11-1 mark and No. 5 finish in the AP Poll and matched that record in 1993 with its lone loss coming against Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

Nehlen posted just four losing seasons over his lengthy West Virginia tenure with an overall record of 149-93-4, and the 1988 season remains tied for the best finish in school history. The strong run continued after Nehlen, as Rodriguez led a stretch of three straight double-digit win campaigns from 2005-2007.

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