20 best college football coaches without a national championship
By Brad Weiss
Frank Kush
, Arizona State
The Arizona State football program is forever indebted to Frank Kush, and for good reason. During his time with the school, Kush won over 175 ball games, going an impressive 6-1 in the team’s bowl games. The former All-American at Michigan State, Kush was notoriously tough on his players, and his methods probably would not be allowed nowadays.
If you played for Kush during his tenure at Arizona State, you would have been in for grueling practices in the desert. He would put his players through a drill that caught on across the country, where one player would have to take on nearly the whole team. Called “Bull in the Ring,” the drill would show a player’s toughness, and helped turn the Sun Devils into a national power.
From 1969-73, Kush led his Sun Devils program to a 50-6 record. The team finished in the top-10 four times, though it was the 1975 season that some believe they should have been the national champions. That team finished with a perfect 12-0 record, but ended the season ranked No. 2 in the country.
Kush left his coaching perch amid controversy, as he was dismissed for punching his punter in the mouth. However, the University and Kush are currently on good terms, and the playing field at Arizona State is called “Frank Kush Field.” Kush was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame back in 1995, and his legacy at Arizona State is that he is the best head coach in the history of the school.