List of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure
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This is a list of college football head coaches with non-consecutive tenure, meaning that an individual was a head coach at a college or university for a period, departed, and then returned to the same college or university in the same capacity.
This list includes only head coaches. This list does not include head coaches whose break in tenure was due to a temporarily suspended football program for World War I (including the flu pandemic linked to that conflict) or World War II and with no other coach during the break in tenure. It also does not include coaches that left and returned into an administrative capacity in the title of "head coach" but did not coach any games, such as when Tom Osborne temporarily named himself head coach while athletic director for the Nebraska Cornhuskers until Bo Pelini was hired in 2007.[1]
Several College Football Hall of Fame coaches have made the list, accenting not only their return to the same program but the success their return brought to the program.[2] Critics have pointed out that returning coaches appear to be less successful at producing winning teams and programs during their second tenure[3] and make comparisons to previous records of coaches attempting to return to a prior coaching job.[4]
Head Coach | School/Team | Tenure | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eli Abbott[5] | Alabama | 1893–1895, 1902 | ||
A. A. Abraham[6] | Alcorn State | 1936, 1938, 1941–1942 | ||
Hobbs Adams[7] | Kansas State | 1940–1941, 1946 | ||
George E. Allen[8] | Maine | 1941, 1946–1948 | ||
William Allen[9] | Washington State | 1900, 1902 | ||
Barry Alvarez | Wisconsin | 1990–2005, 2012, 2014 | Alvarez, who stepped down from coaching after the 2005 season to concentrate on his second role as athletic director and entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, has been interim coach for two Wisconsin bowl games after the Badgers' head coach left for another school. He coached in the 2013 Rose Bowl (part of the 2012 season) after Bret Bielema left to take the head coaching vacancy at Arkansas,[10] and the 2015 Outback Bowl (part of the 2014 season) following Gary Andersen's departure for the Oregon State vacancy (though Alvarez coached the bowl game in 2015).[11] | |
Carl "Swede" Anderson | Western Kentucky | 1929, 1934–1937 | ||
Eddie Anderson | Holy Cross | 1933–1938, 1950–1964 | Member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Coached six years at Holy Cross in the 1930s, moved on to Iowa which he interrupted to serve in the U.S. Army. He then returned first to Iowa then to Holy Cross for 13 seasons.[2] | |
Iowa | 1939–1942, 1946–1949 | |||
Phillip Arbuckle | Rice | 1912–1917, 1919–1923 | ||
Chris Ault | Nevada | 1976–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–2012 | Stepped down and returned twice during his tenure at Nevada, each time to focus on his (now-relinquished) second role as athletics director.[2] Ault was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, during his second break in tenure. | |
D. M. Balliet | Purdue | 1893–1895, 1901 | ||
Laurence Bankart | Colgate | 1910, 1913–1916 | ||
T. L. Bayne | Tulane | 1893, 1895 | ||
Matty Bell | Southern Methodist | 1935–1941, 1945–1949 | ||
John R. Bender | Washington State | 1906–1907, 1912–1914 | ||
Christie Benet | South Carolina | 1904–1905, 1908–1909 | ||
Curt Bennett | Sterling | 1966–1973, 1980, 1997–2000 | ||
Hugo Bezdek | Oregon | 1906, 1913–1917 | ||
Bernie Bierman | Minnesota | 1932–1941, 1945–1950 | ||
Bill Bloss | Oregon State | 1893, 1897 | ||
Branch Bocock | Virginia Tech | 1909–1910, 1912–1915 | ||
William & Mary | 1928–1930, 1936–1938 | |||
Stanley Borleske | North Dakota State | 1919–1921, 1923–1924, 1928 | Co-head coach with Casey Finnegan in 1928 | |
Jimmy Bradshaw | Fresno State | 1936–1942, 1946 | Fresno State did not play in 1943, but resumed in 1944.[12] | |
Chester Brewer | Michigan State | 1903–1910, 1917, 1919 | Michigan State played its 1918 season. | |
Arthur Briggs | Missouri State | 1912, 1914–1917, 1919–1933 | Missouri State, then known as the Fourth District Normal School, played in 1918.[13] | |
Reuben Bronson | Idaho State | 1915–1916, 1919 | Idaho State played in 1917, but not in 1918.[14] | |
John Brown | Alabama State | 1943, 1945–1948 | Alabama State played in 1944.[15] | |
Matthew Bullock | Massachusetts | 1904, 1907–1908 | ||
Henry Butova | American International | 1948, 1952–1955 | ||
Perrin Busbee | North Carolina State | 1892, 1896–1897 | ||
Johnny Cain | Louisiana–Lafayette | 1937–1941, 1946 | ||
Walter Camp | Stanford | 1892, 1894–1895 | ||
V. M. Campbell | Memphis | 1917, 1919 | Memphis, then the West Tennessee Normal School, played in 1918.[16] | |
Jack Cannell | Dartmouth | 1921–1922, 1929–1933 | ||
Gilbert Carson | Eastern Illinois | 1936–1937, 1939–1941 | ||
Bill Church | Georgetown | 1899, 1901 | ||
George Clark | Nebraska | 1945, 1948 | ||
Louis Clark | Dayton | 1913, 1917–1918 | ||
Tom Clark | Catholic | 1994–2000, 2004–2005 | ||
Dean Cromwell | Southern California | 1909–1910, 1916–1918 | ||
H. P. Cross | Stanford | 1896, 1898 | ||
Charles Dudley Daly | Army | 1913–1916, 1919–1922 | ||
Mark Dean | Indiana State | 1951–1954, 1956 | ||
James DeHart | Washington & Lee | 1922–1925, 1931–1932 | ||
Hugh Devore | Notre Dame | 1945, 1963 | ||
Marvin D. Dickinson | Georgia | 1903, 1905 | ||
Chet Dillon | Samford | 1919, 1927–1928 | ||
Jacksonville State | 1938–1939, 1945 | |||
Mike Donahue | Auburn | 1904–1906, 1908–1922 | ||
Moon Ducote | Spring Hill | 1919, 1921–1922, 1933–1934 | ||
E. C. Duggins | Appalachian State | 1947–1950, 1952–1955 | ||
John Dunlop | Boston College | 1897–1899, 1901 | ||
Ron Dupree | Kansas Wesleyan | 1979–1980, 1996 | ||
Schubert R. Dyche | Montana State | 1928–1935, 1938–1941 | ||
Thomas Eck | Massachusetts | 1945, 1947–1951 | ||
George R. Edwards | Kansas Wesleyan | 1914, 1917 | ||
Harry Ely | Fordham | 1892, 1903 | ||
Rex Enright | South Carolina | 1938–1942, 1946–1955 | ||
Dennis Erickson | Idaho | 1982–1985, 2006 | 21 years between coaching periods[2] | |
Jack Faber | Maryland | 1935, 1940–1941 | ||
Dave Fagg | Davidson | 1970–1973, 1990–1992 | ||
Don Fambrough | Kansas | 1971–1974, 1979–1982 | ||
Wells Farley | Maine | 1901, 1903 | ||
Don Faurot | Missouri | 1935–1942, 1946–1956 | ||
Doug Fessenden | Montana | 1935–1941, 1946–1948 | ||
Fred Folsom | Colorado | 1895–1899, 1901–1902, 1908–1915 | ||
Ted Forbes | UC Davis | 1949–1953, 1955 | ||
Dixon Foster | South Carolina | 1917, 1919 | ||
Red Floyd | Middle Tennessee | 1917, 1935–1938 | ||
Dennis Franchione | Texas State | 1990–91, 2011–2015 | 20 years between coaching periods[17] | |
Phillip Fulmer | Tennessee | 1992, 1993–2008 | Fulmer was named interim head coach for the first three games of the 1992 season in Johnny Majors' absence. He returned to his position as offensive coordinator upon Majors' return. Following Majors' resignation after the season, Fulmer was promoted to head coach. | |
J. A. Gammons | Brown | 1902, 1908–1909 | ||
Mike Gardner | Tabor | 2004–2005, 2010–present | ||
Frank Gargan | Fordham | 1916, 1922–1926 | ||
Rufus Gilbert | Kalamazoo | 1905, 1907–1908 | ||
Otto Graham | Coast Guard | 1959–1965, 1974–1975 | ||
Ralph Graham | Wichita State | 1942, 1946–1947 | ||
Ernest Graves, Sr. | Army | 1906, 1912 | ||
Rob Green | Missouri Southern | 1997, 2003 | Green had no wins in nine games as head coach. | |
James Griffin Sr. | Hampton | 1941–1942, 1947–1948 | ||
John G. Griffith | Idaho | 1902–1906, 1910–1914 | ||
Tom Hamilton | Navy | 1934–1936, 1946–1947 | ||
Pittsburgh | 1951, 1954 | |||
A. G. Harbaugh | Montana State | 1901, 1905 | ||
Jack Harding | Miami (Fla.) | 1937–1942, 1945–1947 | ||
Walter Hargesheirner | Massachusetts | 1941–1942, 1946 | ||
Harvey Harman | Rutgers | 1938–1941, 1946–1955 | ||
Lyle W. Hare | Black Hills State | 1906, 1911–1919 | ||
L. Harris | Alcorn State | 1937, 1939–1940 | ||
Dick Harlow | Harvard | 1935–1942, 1945–1947 | ||
Harry Hartsell | North Carolina State | 1917, 1921–1923 | ||
Clay Helton | USC | 2013, 2015–present | Helton was interim coach for the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl and for seven games after Steve Sarkisian's firing in 2015. He was named permanent head coach after the 2015 UCLA game. | |
Fred Hess | Wyoming | 1892, 1894, 1898 | Hess was co-head coach with Justus Soule in 1894. | |
Nick E. Hinch | Eastern Washington | 1908, 1912 | ||
Tony Hinkle | Butler | 1926, 1935–1941, 1946–1969 | ||
Bill Hollenback | Penn State | 1909, 1911–1914 | ||
George Hoskins | Bucknell | 1899–1906, 1909 | ||
Henry B. Hucles | Virginia Union | 1919–1920, 1926–1942 | ||
Harry W. Hughes | Colorado State | 1911–1941, 1946 | ||
Claude J. Hunt | Washington | 1917, 1919 | Washington played in 1918.[18] | |
John Hunthausen | Carroll (MT) | 1957, 1959–1961 | [19] | |
Edward Jackson | Delaware State | 1933–1936, 1939, 1941–1942, 1945, 1953–1956 | ||
A. R. Kennedy | Washburn | 1903, 1916–1917 | ||
William C. Kenyon | Maine | 1942, 1944–1945 | ||
Bill Kern | West Virginia | 1940–1942, 1946–1947 | ||
Eddie Kimball | Brigham Young | 1937–1941, 1946–1948 | ||
Philip King | Wisconsin | 1896–1902, 1905 | ||
James Kitts | Virginia Tech | 1941, 1946–1947 | ||
Harl Lahar | Colgate | 1952–1956, 1962–1967 | ||
Charles Lantz | Eastern Illinois | 1911–1934, 1944 | No season in 1918.[20] | |
Frank Leahy | Notre Dame | 1941–1943, 1946–1953 | ||
John Lee | Fordham | 1891, 1893 | ||
George Little | Miami (Ohio) | 1916, 1919–1921 | ||
Will Lotter | California–Davis | 1954, 1956–1957, 1959–1963 | ||
Johnny Majors | Pittsburgh | 1973–1976, 1993–1996 | Won a national title at Pittsburgh in his first tenure.[2] | |
Oliver Mann | Rutgers | 1903, 1905 | ||
Wally Marks | Indiana State | 1927–1930, 1933–1941, 1946–1948 | ||
Charles Mayser | Franklin & Marshall | 1919–1914 1924–1925 1944–1945 |
||
William McAvoy | Delaware | 1908–1916, 1922–1924 | ||
Sam P. McBirney | Tulsa | 1908, 1914–1916 | ||
Dan McCann | Duquesne | 1970–1983, 1988–1992 | ||
Tim McCarty | East Central | 2004–2005, 2009–present | ||
Jack McClairen | Bethune–Cookman | 1961–1972, 1994–1997 | ||
Sam McCorkle | Livingston/West Alabama | 1985–1990, 2004–2005 | ||
Dan McGugin | Vanderbilt | 1904–1917, 1919–1934 | ||
Tuss McLaughry | Dartmouth | 1941–1942, 1945–1954 | ||
Westminster College | 1915–1916, 1918, 1921 | Co-head coach with Park in 1915 | ||
Jack McKay | Butler | 1907–1908, 1910 | ||
Dennis Michie | Army | 1890, 1892 | ||
John O. Miller | New Mexico State | 1899, 1901–1907 | ||
Alfred Miles | Middle Tennessee | 1913–1916, 1919–1923 | ||
T. R. Mobley | Louisiana–Lafayette | 1916, 1919, 1921–1930 | ||
Jim Moore | Murray State | 1941, 1946–1947 | ||
Edward Morrison | Howard | 1920–1924, 1928 | ||
Ray Morrison | Southern Methodist | 1915–1916, 1924–1934 | ||
Vanderbilt | 1918, 1935–1939 | |||
David C. Morrow | Washington & Jefferson | 1908–11, 1919–20, 1924–25 | [21] | |
Moon Mullins | Saint Ambrose | 1940, 1947–1950 | [22] | |
Frank Murray | Marquette | 1922–1936, 1946–1949 | ||
Denny Myers | Boston College | 1941–1942, 1946–1950 | ||
Howdy Myers | Johns Hopkins | 1946–1949, 1979 | Myers had a 30-year break in tenure at Johns Hopkins[23] | |
Bob Nielson | Minnesota–Duluth | 1999–2003, 2008–2012 | Won two Division II national titles in his second tenure. | |
Robert Neyland | Tennessee | 1926–1934, 1936–1940, 1946–1952 | Interrupted his coaching twice to serve in the U.S. Army[2] | |
Ralph Nichols | Washington | 1895–1896, 1898 | ||
Harvey O'Brien | The Citadel | 1916–1918, 1920–1921 | ||
Maynard O'Brien | Eastern Illinois | 1946–1950, 1952–1955 | ||
Howie O'Daniels | Cal Poly | 1933–1941, 1946–1947 | ||
Frank "Buck" O'Neill | Colgate | 1902, 1904–1905 | ||
Syracuse | 1906–1907, 1913–1915, 1917–1919 | |||
Tex Oliver | Oregon | 1938–1941, 1945–1946 | ||
Wallace Parker | Central Michigan | 1921–1923, 1926–1928 | ||
Willie Parker | Alabama State | 1973–1975, 1984, 1986 | ||
Mike Pecarovich | Loyola Marymount | 1928, 1939 | ||
Bo Pelini | Nebraska | 2003, 2008–2014 | Pelini coached the final game (the Alamo Bowl) of the 2003 season after Frank Solich was fired. | |
Marty Peters | Benedictine | 1937–1941, 1946–1947 | ||
Bobby Petrino | Louisville | 2003–2006, 2014–present | ||
Alvin Pierson | Fresno State | 1945, 1949 | ||
Boozer Pitts | Auburn | 1923–1924, 1927 | ||
Frank Potts | Colorado | 1940, 1944–1945 | ||
Irving Pray | Louisiana State | 1916, 1919, 1922 | ||
Percy S. Prince | Louisiana Tech | 1909–1915, 1919 | ||
Eddie Reed | Loyola (LA) | 1926, 1935–1936 | ||
Red Reese | Eastern Washington | 1930–1941, 1946 | ||
William Reid | Harvard | 1901, 1905–1906 | ||
John Richards | Wisconsin | 1911, 1917, 1919–1922 | ||
Walter Riggs | Clemson | 1896, 1899 | ||
Mike Riley | Oregon State | 1997–1998, 2003–2014 | Returned to Oregon State after coaching in the NFL[4] | |
Eddie "Robbie" Robinson | Brown | 1898–1901, 1904–1907, 1910–1925 | ||
John Robinson | Southern California[24] | 1976–1982, 1993–1997 | Won a national title in his first tenure[2] | |
Merton Robinson | Howard | 1908, 1918–1919 | ||
Harry Rockafeller | Rutgers | 1927–1930, 1942–1945 | ||
Ira Rodgers | West Virginia | 1925–1930, 1943–1945 | ||
George Rogers | The Citadel | 1913–1915, 1919 | ||
Bill Roper | Princeton | 1906–1908, 1910–1911, 1919–1930 | Three undefeated seasons and four national championships at Princeton[2] | |
Frederick Bushnell "Jack" Ryder | Ohio State | 1892–1895, 1898 | ||
Elton Rynearson | Eastern Michigan ("Michigan State Normal College" at the time) | 1917, 1919–1920, 1925–1948 | No season in 1944. He is considered the most successful coach in the program, leading the team to several undefeated seasons. Eastern Michigan's current stadium bears his name.[25] | |
Henry Russell Sanders | Vanderbilt | 1940–1942, 1946–1948 | ||
Don Salls | Jacksonville State | 1946–1952, 1954–1964 | ||
Herb Schmalenberger | California–Davis | 1958, 1964–1969 | ||
Clark Shaughnessy | Maryland | 1942, 1946 | ||
Tulane | 1915–1920, 1922–1926 | |||
Clarence A. Short | Delaware | 1902, 1906 | ||
Fred Smith | Fordham | 1901, 1904, 1906–1907 | Smith was co-head coach with Maurice McCarthy in 1901. | |
Sid Smith | McPherson | 1953–1966, 1971–1972 | ||
Warren W. Smith | Oregon | 1901, 1903 | ||
Carl Snavely | North Carolina | 1934–1935, 1945–1952 | ||
Norm Snead | Apprentice | 1977–1984, 1988–1989 | ||
Bill Snyder[26] | Kansas State | 1989–2005, 2009–present | ||
Frank Spaziani | Boston College | 2006, 2009–2012 | Spaziani coached the final game of the 2006 season (the Meineke Car Care Bowl) after Tom O'Brien left. | |
J. W. Stephenson | Jacksonville State | 1920–1921, 1929–1930 | ||
Roy Stewart | Murray State | 1932–1940, 1942–1945 | No season in 1943.[27] | |
Tony Storti | Montana State | 1952–1953, 1956–1957 | ||
Arthur Strum | Indiana State | 1923–1926, 1932, 1942 | ||
Fred Sullivan | Ohio | 1899, 1903 | ||
Jim Sweeney | Fresno State | 1976–1977, 1980–1996 | ||
Charles Tambling | Central Michigan | 1902–1905, 1918 | ||
Jim Tatum | North Carolina | 1942, 1956–1958 | ||
Buddy Teevens | Dartmouth | 1987–1991, 2005–present | ||
Jesse Thomas | Western Kentucky | 1933, 1946–1947 | ||
John Thompson | Arkansas State | 2012, 2013 | Thompson has been an interim head coach for two Arkansas State appearances in the GoDaddy Bowl. He was first named interim coach after the 2012 regular season when Gus Malzahn left to take the head coaching vacancy at Auburn, and coached in the 2013 game. Thompson again became interim coach after the 2013 regular season when Bryan Harsin left for Boise State, and coached in the 2014 game.[28] | |
Mike Toop | Davidson | 2001–2004, 2008 | ||
Merchant Marine | 2005–2007, 2009–present | |||
Thomas Trenchard | North Carolina | 1895, 1913–1915 | ||
Washington & Lee | 1899, 1902 | |||
Otto D. Unruh | Bethel Threshers | 1919–1942, 1967–1969 | 25 years and nine other head coaches held the post between times of service, including his son David Unruh[29] | |
Johnny Vaught | Mississippi | 1947–1970, 1973 | ||
Wallace Wade | Duke | 1931–1941, 1946–1950 | ||
Bill Walsh[30] | Stanford | 1977–1978, 1992–1994 | ||
Charles W. Wantland | Central Oklahoma | 1912–1919, 1921–1930 | ||
W. Rice Warren | Virginia | 1913, 1920–1921 | ||
Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner | Cornell | 1897–1898, 1904–1906 | ||
Carlisle | 1899–1903, 1907–1914 | |||
Mark Whipple | Massachusetts | 1998–2003, 2014–present | Whipple won a Division I-AA (FCS) national title in the first year of his first tenure. | |
Bob Williams | Clemson | 1906, 1909, 1913–1915 | ||
C. H. Williams | Hampton | 1914–1917, 1919–1920 | ||
Jimmy Wilson | Buffalo | 1932–1933, 1950–1951 | ||
Edgar Wingard | Susquehanna | 1916–1917, 1919, 1924–1925 | ||
Frank N. Wolf | Waynesburg | 1921–1922, 1928–1941 | ||
James J. Yeager | Colorado | 1941–1943, 1946–1947 | ||
Louis Yeager | West Virginia | 1899, 1901–1902 | ||
Donzell Young | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 1973–1975, 1984–1986 | ||
Fielding H. Yost | Michigan | 1901–1923, 1925–1926 | ||
Don Young | Black Hills State | 1948–1950, 1953–1958, 1967 |
References
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Past Carroll Coaches, Carroll College, retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ St. Ambrose Football Year-by-Year Coaching Records (PDF), Saint Ambrose University, 2009.
- ↑ With best start in 6 years, Hopkins seeks 4th win at Moravian, The Baltimore Sun, October 26, 1979.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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