Coaches Research Hub
Search any coach, jump to the record answer, then verify it with year-by-year rows, ranked-game splits, school impact, and comparisons.
Answer Pages
Fast answers, deeper profiles.
Current Research Window
Search coach records, career wins, win percentage, and rankings from the same filtered universe as the discovery visuals below. Start from the recommended sample, then tighten the field around identity, school, time span, or quality.
16
Coaches in view
1786 indexed coaches available
200
Coach-seasons
12392 total coach-season rows
1/1
Page position
16 coaches in the current filtered result set
Summary and Filtering
Coach search stays primary, then school, archetype, time span, and quality sharpen the rankings. The recommended starting point is 3+ seasons.
Primary Discovery
Start with career shape or flip to identity. Either way, the chart, the coach summary, the outlier list, and the table context all stay synchronized.
Start with the simplest question: who paired real strength with a repeatable week-to-week shape?
Ralph Young
Volatility: 5.39 • Average SRS: -7.53
42.0% win rate • -0.5 peak SRS
Hover or focus a point to isolate it. Click a coach to carry that selection into the results table.
Average SRS reads overall strength. Volatility is the spread of season-to-season SRS, so lower values mean a steadier profile.
Career shape lens
This is the clearest first-pass view for peak versus stability. It is the best place to start browsing.
Ralph Young coached 3 seasons, won 42.0%, and posted an average SRS of -7.5. Best season: 1925 Michigan State. The profile was balanced with a mostly steady profile. One primary stint defined the run.
These callouts update with the active discovery mode and filtered coach set.
Highest peak
Nick Saban
Single-season ceiling leader in the current filtered set.
Steadiest floor
Frank Waters
Lowest volatility in the view. Lower is more stable.
Keep the ceiling board in view, but as a support module for the active lens, not the main destination.
1. Nick Saban
2016
2. Duffy Daugherty
1965
3. Biggie Munn
1952
4. Charlie Bachman
1935
5. Harry Kipke
1933
Supporting Insights
These are shortcuts into the same table below. Performance leads the stack, while stability and longevity stay visible without competing with the main chart.
Performance
The fastest path into peak and results leaders.
Single-season ceiling leaders.
1. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
2. Duffy Daugherty
1965 Michigan State (10-1)
3. Biggie Munn
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
4. Charlie Bachman
1935 Michigan State (6-2)
5. Harry Kipke
1933 Michigan (7-0-1)
Who won the most across a meaningful sample.
1. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
2. Biggie Munn
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
3. Jimmy Crowley
1942 North Carolina Pre-Flight (8-2-1)
4. Mark Dantonio
2014 Michigan State (11-2)
5. Darryl Rogers
1978 Michigan State (8-3)
Coaches who stacked elite endings.
1. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
2. Duffy Daugherty
1965 Michigan State (10-1)
3. Biggie Munn
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
4. Mark Dantonio
2014 Michigan State (11-2)
5. Jimmy Crowley
1942 North Carolina Pre-Flight (8-2-1)
Stability
Who stays in control year after year.
Low SRS volatility among winning coaches with a real sample.
1. Jimmy Crowley
1942 North Carolina Pre-Flight (8-2-1)
2. Charlie Bachman
1935 Michigan State (6-2)
3. Mark Dantonio
2014 Michigan State (11-2)
4. Duffy Daugherty
1965 Michigan State (10-1)
5. Biggie Munn
1952 Michigan State (9-0)
Longevity
Long arcs, big samples, and durable careers.
Big careers and long arcs.
1. Nick Saban
2016 Alabama (14-1)
2. Charlie Bachman
1935 Michigan State (6-2)
3. Duffy Daugherty
1965 Michigan State (10-1)
4. John Smith
2005 Michigan State (5-6)
5. Mark Dantonio
2014 Michigan State (11-2)
Results Table
16 filtered coaches in view. Lower rank numbers are better. Lower volatility means more stable. Lower SP Def numbers are better on the identity chart.
| Compare | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ralph Young 10-14-1 • 1925-1927 | Michigan State | 3 | 25 | 10 | 14 | 42.0% | -7.5 | -0.5 1925 peak | 5.4 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Frank Waters 10-23 • 1980-1982 | Michigan State | 3 | 33 | 10 | 23 | 30.3% | 2.2 | 3.2 1982 peak | 0.8 | 27.0 | 27.2 | — | 0 | Balanced — | |
Dennis Stolz 91-77-2 • 1973-1988 | Bowling Green, Michigan State +1 | 15 | 170 | 91 | 77 | 54.1% | -2.6 | 14.1 1974 peak | 8.1 | 27.6 | 24.6 | #12 | 0 | Defense-First Longevity Coach | |
Bobby Williams 15-17 • 2000-2002 | Michigan State | 3 | 30 | 15 | 17 | 50.0% | 1.9 | 7.6 2001 peak | 5.0 | 33.0 | 30.2 | — | 0 | Offense-First Offense-First | |
John Smith 83-73 • 1995-2012 | Arkansas, Louisville +2 | 13 | 156 | 83 | 73 | 53.2% | 1.9 | 11.1 2005 peak | 6.5 | 36.1 | 31.5 | #17 | 0 | Offense-First Longevity Coach | |
Jonathan Smith 43-50 • 2018-2025 | Michigan State, Oregon State | 8 | 93 | 43 | 50 | 46.2% | 3.0 | 15.3 2023 peak | 10.1 | 30.1 | 28.2 | #17 | 0 | Offense-First Volatile Builder | |
Mel Tucker 25-21 • 2019-2023 | Colorado, Michigan State | 5 | 46 | 25 | 21 | 54.4% | 0.5 | 11.1 2021 peak | 5.6 | 26.1 | 26.1 | #9 | 1 | Defense-First Defense-First | |
Charlie Bachman 132-80-22 • 1919-1946 | Florida, Kansas State +2 | 27 | 234 | 132 | 80 | 61.1% | 5.9 | 23.9 1935 peak | 6.0 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced Program Stabilizer | |
Harry Kipke 49-30-5 • 1928-1937 | Michigan, Michigan State | 10 | 84 | 49 | 30 | 61.3% | 6.9 | 23.5 1933 peak | 9.8 | — | — | — | 0 | Balanced Longevity Coach | |
George Perles 73-62-4 • 1983-1994 | Michigan State | 12 | 139 | 73 | 62 | 54.0% | 6.9 | 15.9 1987 peak | 7.0 | 28.8 | 20.7 | #8 | 1 | Defense-First Longevity Coach | |
Darryl Rogers 109-62-7 • 1969-1984 | Arizona State, Fresno State +2 | 16 | 178 | 109 | 62 | 63.2% | 6.9 | 21.8 1978 peak | 9.2 | 30.7 | 22.3 | #6 | 1 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Mark Dantonio 132-74 • 2004-2019 | Cincinnati, Michigan State | 16 | 206 | 132 | 74 | 64.1% | 7.2 | 20.0 2014 peak | 6.8 | 29.3 | 19.2 | #3 | 3 | Defense-First Longevity Coach | |
Jimmy Crowley 86-23-11 • 1929-1942 | Fordham, Michigan State +1 | 14 | 120 | 86 | 23 | 76.3% | 10.2 | 17.6 1942 peak | 5.9 | — | — | #3 | 2 | Balanced Program Stabilizer | |
Duffy Daugherty 109-69-5 • 1954-1972 | Michigan State | 19 | 183 | 109 | 69 | 60.9% | 17.1 | 30.7 1965 peak | 7.2 | 24.4 | 16.9 | #2 | 7 | Defense-First Peak Dominator | |
Biggie Munn 58-14-2 • 1946-1953 | Michigan State, Syracuse | 8 | 74 | 58 | 14 | 79.7% | 16.4 | 28.2 1952 peak | 8.6 | — | — | #1 | 4 | Balanced Peak Dominator | |
Nick Saban 297-71-1 • 1990-2023 | Alabama, LSU +2 | 28 | 369 | 297 | 71 | 80.6% | 19.8 | 33.6 2016 peak | 9.9 | 39.4 | 16.2 | #1 | 18 | Balanced Peak Dominator |
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