Coach With Most National Championships In College Football

Coach with most National Championships in college football are Nick Saban 7, Bear Bryant 6, Wood Hayes 5, Bernie Bierman 5, John McKay 4 and more.

College football championships are watched with utmost enthusiasm by millions of fans in America. Its history is even older than NFL.

The first college football match between Rutgers and Princeton was held back in 1869. Billingsley Report named Princeton as the first-ever college football champion.

The importance of coaches is equally essential in any game, whether be it college level or national level. They are the backbone of football teams and help in honing athletes’ skills.

Those who perform exceptionally well help their colleges become the national champions. Eventually, their names are written in history.

Knute Rockne, Woody Hayes, John McKay, and Knute Rockne are remembered for their glorious past. Current active coaches comprise Saban, Jimbo Fisher, and Dabo Swinney.

1. Nick Saban – 7

College football coach with most national titles is Nick Saban having 7 wins. Saban led the Alabama Crimson Tide to 6 titles and guided LSU to 1.

Saban has showcased his tremendous skills through the years. He officially joined Alabama in 2007. It was 16 years ago.

He worked as the head coach for LSU from 2000 to 2004. In 2003, the LSU Tigers emerged victorious at the BCS National Championship Game, his first college national title.

Here is the list of years in which Saban won BCS, AP national championships, and college football playoff championships during his time at Alabama:

  • 2009
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2015
  • 2017
  • 2020

Overall, Alabama has witnessed 194 wins against just 27 losses after the entry of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award-winning coach.

2. Bear Bryant – 6

Bear Bryant was a college football coach with most national championships before Saban came along. Bryan has won 6 national rings.

He achieved this feat during his tenure at Alabama from 1958 to 1982. These are the years he led his team to 6 Nationals: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979.

Bryant had 232 wins at Alabama while holding 13 SEC Titles. Before that, he also coached at Texas A&M for 3 years (1954-1957) and at Kentucky, among a few other colleges.

In 1950, Kentucky became the SEC champion. Bryant is a legend honored as SEC Coach of the Year 12 times.

It is safe to say that Bryant ruled the college football coaching scene during the 1960s.

3. Woody Hayes – 5

Woody Hayes is well-celebrated for leading Ohio State Buckeyes to 5 national championships in 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1970.

He is another notable name from the 1960s who triumphed over in 238 games and lost 72. Whenever one goes back to Ohio State football’s history, Hayes’s legacy is remembered as an important part.

Woody is a coach who also served in World War II as a Navy lieutenant commander, according to Bleacher Report. Hayes is a hero who not only contributed to college football but to the nation as well.

But, serving at the war changed him, and his coaching tactics. Football fanatics from Ohio are familiar with his stern and aggressive way of coaching.

4. Bernie Bierman – 5

Bernie Bierman is the third college football coach with most wins alongside Hayes. Bierman guided Minnesota Golden Gophers to 5 national titles.

From 1934 to 1936, he won the titles back to back. Again in 1940 and 1941, Bierman recorded two wins.

It is worth noting that he gained this success during his first tenure (1932 – 1941) at the University of Minnesota. He had rejoined Minnesota in 1945.

In addition, Bierman who had 4 undefeated seasons in 1934, 1935, 1940, and 1941 has 7 Big Ten titles in his name.

5. John McKay – 4

John McKay recorded 4 National Championships for USC in 1962, 1967, 1972, and 1974. The overall head coaching record of McKay in college football is 127–40–8.

McKay changed the trajectory of the USC Trojans football program after joining in 1960. After 2 years of entering at the University of Southern California, he led them to an 11-0 record.

Born on 5 July 1923, John was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.

Despite his praiseworthy time at college football, people still remember him as the 1976 head coach of the NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When he was employed as the head coach for the  Buccaneers that year, they had one of the longest losing season streaks.

6. Frank Leahy – 4

Frank Leahy holds 4 National championships titles as a coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This success took place in 1943, 1946, 1947, and 1949.

There was a high probability of him winning the championship for the 5th time when Notre Dame went against Iowa. But the contest ended with a 14-14 tie.

During Frank’s head coaching career, he went 107-13-9 and had the second-best winning percentage, .864, in college football history.

Interestingly, Leahy bagged the National Title twice as a Notre Dame Fighting Irish player in 1929 and 1930. He also published a book titled ‘Notre Dame Football: The “T” Formation’ in 1949.

7. Knute Rockne – 3

Knute Rockne is recognized for leading Notre Dame to 3 National Titles in 1924, 1929, and 1930. Rockne served at the University of Notre Dame from 1918 to 1930.

Before that, he used to serve as an assistant coach for them from 1914 to 1917. Notre Dame is one of the most popular football programs in the nation, thanks to Knute.

It is evident that he was very much- involved with the Fighting Irish because also actively took part in designing their football stadium.

With a head coaching record of 105–12–5, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.

If it was not for the tragic plane crash that took his life in 1931 at the age of 43, he could have probably accomplished bigger goals per Forbes.

8. Walter Camp – 3

Walter Camp boasts 3 titles as the college football coach with most championships. Under the guidance of Camp Yale won in 1888, 1891, and 1892.

He remained at Yale as the head coach from 1888 to 1892, giving them 67 wins and only 2 defeats. Later, Walter provided his guidance to Stanford.

The Father of American Football is mostly known for his genius inventions like:

  • The line of scrimmage
  • The system of downs

Being so invested in the sport, he also penned several magazine articles and books about it. Those who are into the early history of American football are well acquainted with his unique works.

9. Urban Meyer – 3

Urban Meyer successfully ushered Florida to 2 National Championships in 2006 and 2008. In 2014 Urban did the same for Ohio State Buckeyes football.

He also guided his team to become the SEC Eastern Division champion for 3 times in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

Meyer’s professional coaching career began in 1985 as a defensive backs coach for St. Xavier HS (OH). Then, the 58-year-old coached for several other colleges: Illinois State, Colorado State, Utah, and Jacksonville Jaguars many others.

His coaching record at NCAA stands at 187–32 with a winning percentage of .854.

Currently, Urban is not coaching and does not plan to do so in the near future. He is busy as a broadcaster on Fox Sports.

10. Tom Osborne – 3

Tom Osborne won 3 titles in 1994, 1995, and 1997 for Nebraska. Tom coached at Nebraska until 1997.

For 25 seasons, Osborne served the Nebraska Cornhuskers as the head coach and made a 255–49–3 record. In his last game, the Huskers bested Tennessee with a 42-17 win, which was also his 3rd National championship.

Under his leadership, Nebraska became the champion of the Big 8 Conference 12 times, and for one time in 1997, they won the Big 12 Conference championship.

To commemorate his legacy, the Memorial Stadium has been named Tom Osborne Field.

Osborne is an accomplished personality who also served as the Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska’s 3rd district from 2001 to 2007.

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