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Nick Saban: In coaching records, almost no one compares to CNS

By Ronald Evans

TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shakes hand with head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers after the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Auburn Tigers 55 to 44. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide shakes hand with head coach Gus Malzahn of the Auburn Tigers after the Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Auburn Tigers 55 to 44. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Nick Saban is arguably the greatest college football coach of all-time. See how Saban compares to other coaching greats, past and present.

Almost every single Alabama football fan has heard or read Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant describing himself as “nothing but a winner.” Nick Saban has earned the same description. Still, there are other, even better ways to take the measure of a man. How many lives has one positively impacted and how deeply?

Bryant and Saban measure up well in the latter. But rightly or wrongly, most of us define greatness in the coach, rather than the man. The simplest standard to hold a coach is to win. Of course, winning is harder by varying degrees at some schools. Great coaches do not tend to remain at those schools very long.

To compare coaches based on wins is not difficult. Total career wins throughout college football history is the most common measure. Career wins of currently active head coaches is another. Winning percentage is a third.

Let’s compare Nick Saban in those categories.

Throughout the history of college football, only 18 coaches have won 200 or more games. The 18 are listed below. Actual game results have not been adjusted by any NCAA action.

All-Time Career Wins

  1. Joe Paterno – 46 seasons – 409 wins
  2. Bobby Bowden – 40 seasons – 357 wins
  3. Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant – 38 seasons – 323 wins
  4. Pop Warner – 43 seasons – 311 wins
  5. Amos Alonzo Stagg – 43 seasons – 282 wins
  6. LaVell Edwards – 29 seasons – 257 wins
  7. Tom Osborne – 25 seasons – 255 wins
  8. Lou Holtz – 33 seasons – 249 wins
  9. Nick Saban – 24 seasons – 248 wins
  10. Frank Beamer – 29 seasons – 238 wins
  11. Mack Brown – 30 seasons – 245 wins
  12. Bo Schembechler – 27 seasons – 234 wins
  13. Hayden Fry – 37 seasons – 230 wins
  14. Steve Spurrier – 26 seasons – 228 wins
  15. Bill Snyder – 27 seasons – 215 wins
  16. Woody Hayes – 28 seasons – 205 wins
  17. Don Nehlan – 30 seasons – 202 wins
  18. Vince Dooley – 18 seasons – 201 wins

The next closest coach is Gary Patterson at TCU, with 172 wins in 20 seasons. The list of career wins by currently active head coaches is next.

Career Wins – Active Head Coaches

  1. Nick Saban – 24 seasons – 248 wins
  2. Mack Brown – 30 seasons – 245 wins
  3. Gary Patterson – 20 seasons – 172 wins
  4. Frank Solich – 21 seasons – 171 wins
  5. Kirk Ferentz – 21 seasons – 162 wins
  6. (tie) Brian Kelly – 16 seasons – 145 wins
  7. (tie) Les Miles – 17 seasons – 145 wins
  8. Mike Leach – 18 seasons – 139 wins
  9. Kyle Whittingham – 16 seasons – 131 wins
  10. Mike Gundy – 15 seasons – 129 wins
  11. Bronco Mendenhall – 15 seasons – 124 wins

Now the stat many fans consider the most insightful.

All-Time Career Winning Percentage

  1. Urban Meyer – 85.4 percent
  2. Tom Osborne – 83.6 percent
  3. Bob Stoops – 79.8 percent
  4. Nick Saban – 79.1 percent
  5. Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant – 78 percent
  6. Joe Paterno – 74.9 percent
  7. Bobby Bowden – 74 percent
  8. Pop Warner – 73.3 percent
  9. Steve Spurrier – 71.8 percent
  10. LaVell Edwards – 71.6 percent
  11. Gary Patterson – 71.1 percent
  12. Brian Kelly – 71.1 percent

With seasons to go in Nick Saban’s career, how many more milestones will he achieve? On the all-time career, win list, Saban passing Lou Holtz, Tom Osborne and LaVell Edwards seems almost assured. Moving past Amos Alonzo Stagg is possible. Saban might even pass Pop Warner and get close to or past Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant. Had Nick not spent so many seasons in the NFL, he might have become the All-Time Winning Coach.

Mack Brown is not far behind Saban in career wins among active coaches. They are the same age, only two months apart. It is hard to imagine Brown catching Saban on the active list.

All-time winning percentage is pretty much locked in with Meyer and Osborne at the top. However, Saban’s Alabama football number is 87.2 percent.  Saban passing Stoops is likely. After all, Nick Saban once joked to Bill Belichick if he ever again loses three games in a season, he would be fired.

All stats in this post are provided by sportsreference.com.

dark. Next. Top 25 Coaches in College Football

Alabama football fans like to think winning is ‘baked in’ in Tuscaloosa. If it is, the credit goes Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul Bryant, Gene Stallings and Nick Saban.

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