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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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LOS ANGELES, CA – CIRCA 1969: John McKay, head coach, and player of the University of Southern California Trojans football team go over the play on the sideline during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by University of Southern California/Collegiate Images/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – CIRCA 1969: John McKay, head coach, and player of the University of Southern California Trojans football team go over the play on the sideline during a game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by University of Southern California/Collegiate Images/Getty Images) /

California: John McKay 

The Golden State has a legendary history in college football, but McKay still stands out as the greatest to ever coach in California.

After transferring from Purdue, McKay starred at a running back at Oregon and helped the Ducks reach the Cotton Bowl with a 9-1 regular season in 1948. McKay went on to spend eight years as an assistant at Oregon before moving to USC in 1959 and took over the head coaching job one year later following Don Clark’s resignation.

USC was one of the most consistently successful teams on the West Coast at the time but quickly reached new heights under McKay. The Trojans compiled a perfect 11-0 record in 1962 to claim their first national title in over two decades, with no victory coming by fewer than seven points.

McKay would not endure a losing season in the final 14 years of his tenure and finished in the AP top 10 nine separate times. With four national championships and eight Rose Bowl berths including five wins with the Trojans, McKay has an overall resume that only a select few college football coaches in history can top.

Following a disappointing 1975 season, McKay made the jump to the NFL to coach the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who infamously lost their first 26 games before turning things around. Pete Carroll, Terry Donahue and Pappy Waldorf are among the many other legends to coach in California, but McKay’s success stands out from the rest.

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