30 best college football coaches of all time, ranked

11. Frank Leahy, Boston College 1939-1940, Notre Dame 1941-1953

Another Notre Dame football coach to leave a lasting legacy is Frank Leahy. Leahy has the second-best winning percentage in the history of college football, only trailing Knute Rockne. He started his head coaching career at Boston College. It took him one year before he drove the Golden Eagles to an undefeated season. In two years in New England, he went a ridiculous 20-2. He ended his career at Boston College after just two years with a win 1941 Sugar Bowl victory over Tennessee. BC scored all 19 of their points in the second half, and they drove 80 yards down the field with the clock click down to zero before winning on a last-second touchdown.

Leahy had a pretty messy exit from Boston College, but he was found for his alma mater Notre Dame. He won the national championship in 1943 despite being one year removed from eliminating Rockne’s box formation. Leahy entered the Navy and missed two seasons in the middle of his tenure, but he returned to Notre Dame in 1946.

He came within a tie with USC in 1948 from having three-straight national titles from 1947 to 1949. In his final season in 1953, another tie with Iowa State stopped Leahy from winning yet another national championship.

Leahy was forced to resign after the 1953 season. He still had two years left on his contract. However, he was dealing with health problems, and Leahy himself said he no longer felt wanted in South Bend (which is insane based on his record). Either way, he never went back to college coaching. He worked in NFL front offices and then as an executive for a vending machine company until his death in 1973.