25 greatest SEC Football coaches of all time
By John Buhler
10. Bobby Dodd
After a stellar collegiate career quarterbacking for Robert Neyland’s Tennessee Volunteers from 1928 to 1930, Bobby Dodd would go on to coach an SEC power for a program that is no longer part of the Southeastern Conference.
Yes, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were once a founding member of the SEC and that is where Dodd did the bulk of his winning as an elite head coach. Dodd would coach the Yellow Jackets from 1945 to 1966, all but the last three of those years came in the SEC. He would actually be the primary reason for Georgia Tech’s exodus from the SEC on account of the 140 Rule in terms of scholarships and recruitment.
While Dodd was leading the Ramblin’ Wreck in the SEC, Georgia Tech went 142-56-7 overall, 76-39-4 in SEC play, won two SEC Championships and the 1952 National Championship. Dodd’s Yellow Jackets would go 8-3-1 in bowl games as a national power in his heyday.
The Dodd era is widely considered to be the golden era of Yellow Jackets football. Georgia Tech has won a ton of games both in the ACC and as an independent, including a share of the 1990 national title. Over 50 years since he last coached for the Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets’ football stadium’s namesake remains the greatest head coach in school history.