Best college football coaches of all time, ranked by wins - ESPN

Few coaches can have a greater impact on their team than those in college football, where the duties of a head coach read more like that of a CEO: recruiting and developing personnel, constructing weekly and yearlong game plans, working with key stakeholders inside and outside the university and generally serving as the face of the program. It's a demanding job, which makes each win all the more impressive. It's also why many of the winningest coaches across college football history have literal statues built in their honor — including many coaches on this list. Here's an inside look at the 25 best college football coaches of all time ranked by wins. Active coaches are denoted with an asterisk.

1. Joe Paterno, 409 wins

In his 46 years at Happy Valley, «Joe Pa» left no doubt on the field about his coaching prowess. The longtime Penn State boss finished his career with a 409-136-3 record (.749) and led the Nittany Lions to a record 37 bowl appearances and 24 wins — including two national championships (1982, 1986) and five undefeated seasons.

2. Bobby Bowden, 346 wins

Bowden spent the first six years of his FBS coaching career at West Virginia (42-26), but he's best known for his 34 years at Florida State, where he led the Seminoles to a 304-97-4 record (.756) with two national championships (1993, 1999) and 12 ACC titles. They also finished in the top five of the AP poll in a record 14 straight seasons.

3. Bear Bryant, 323 wins

Long considered the greatest college football coach of all time, Paul «Bear» Bryant was the winningest coach in the sport's history when he retired in 1982, and his six national championships at Alabama were the most all time until Nick Saban won his seventh in 2020. Bryant's all-time win