I must say this list was difficult. I just wanted to do 10 but I had to bump it up to 15 because I was stuck on having three candidates for the 10th spot, so I expanded it to 15.
15. Gary Pinkel, Missouri Tigers Football
Because I had to expand my list to 15, there are two current coaches who will be included. Pinkel is one of them. Since arriving at Missouri, Pinkel has taken the Tigers to the #1 ranking in the nation; its first New Year’s Day bowl victory in my lifetime and three blowout wins over Nebraska in Columbia. He also snapped a nasty losing streak to Kansas State and has figured out how to defeat Kansas. The Tigers are 49-37 since Pinkel was hired by MU.
14. Jack Hartman, Kansas State Basketball
Winning 294 games in 16 seasons in Manhattan, Hartman took the Wildcats to four Elite Eights and won or finished second in the Big 8 Conference 10 out of 16 seasons. KSU was very competitive against KU during the time period and Hartman really represented the most recent “glory years” for KSU basketball.
13. Don Faurot, Missouri Tigers FootballAlong with being one of the longest-serving head coaches in Missouri Tigers history, Faurot also invented the Split-T formation and a statue and a stadium were dedicated to his name and memory in Columbia. Overall, Faurot was 101-79-10 at Missouri during his time.
12. Bill Self, Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
At Kansas for five years, Self has taken the Jayhawks to three Elite Eights, a Final Four and a National Championship. His team has won about 82 percent of games since he arrived in Lawrence and the program looks like it will maintain it’s prominence with the recruiting classes he’s bringing into Lawrence each year. (Darn it)
11. Larry Brown, Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
At Kansas for five years, just like Self, Brown won a national title and took the Jayhawks to the Final Four twice. You could argue the Jayhawks’ national title was one of the greatest coaching jobs, considering he had Danny Manning and four other guys. He’s the only coach to win an NCAA title and an NBA title. Lack of longevity hurts him on this list.
10. Norm Stewart, Missouri Tigers Basketball
Winning over 630 games at Missouri, Stewart won 9 regular season conference championships, six post-season conference tournaments and took the Tigers to the Elite Eight. The missing Final Four hurts the ranking but he’s the face of Missouri athletics and will continue to be unless Pinkel wins a national championship.
9. Tex Winter, Kansas State Basketball
At Kansas State for 15 years, Winter won 261 games, 69 percent of his games and took the Wildcats to two Final Fours. He was later instrumental in the development of the triangle offense and was on several coaching staffs of teams that won NBA titles, most notably with the Bulls and Lakers.
8. Whitey Herzog, Kansas City Royals Baseball
Herzog, the all-time winning manager with the Royals, was the first manager who guided the Royals to the playoffs, where they lost to the Yankees in 1976. It’s a shame he was on the losing end of the 1985 World Series. He would take the Royals to three straight division titles, and three straight playoff defeats dealt by the New York Yankees.
7. Dan Devine, Missouri Tigers FootballWhile he would win a national championship at Notre Dame, one of Devine’s earliest stops was in Columbia. The Tigers were 92-38-7 during his tenure and won four bowl games at the university. Devine lead the Tigers to three Orange Bowl appearances and a Sugar Bowl appearance. The Tigers finished in the Top 10 three times under Devine.
6. Roy Williams, Kansas Jayhawks Basketball
I know you hate him, KU fans. Sorry, but I have to include him. Ol’ Roy wasn’t that bad at KU, winning over 400 games and taking the Jayhawks to four Final Fours during his time in Lawrence. While he never won the big one, he led the Jayhawks to the most wins of any university in the 1990s, and left after two consecutive Final Four trips. Again, like Herzog, he deserved to win one all while at KU and was on the short-end of many heartbreakers.
5. Dick Howser, Kansas City Royals BaseballHowser would do what Herzog couldn’t do – lead the Royals to the World Series title after they defeated the Cardinals in 1985. Before winning the title, Howser had to deal with a minor-rebuilding project after drug problems led to the release and trade of some players. Along with the 1985 victory, the Royals made the playoffs in 1984 after winning the division.
4. Marty Schottenheimer, Kansas City Chiefs FootballIt’s all about the context, people. When Marty took over the Chiefs, they stunk. There were many available seats at Arrowhead, even when the Raiders and Broncos were in town. However, after assembling a 101-58-1 record with the Chiefs, he transformed Arrowhead into one of the greatest sports atmospheres in the United States. He was a Super Bowl victory away from being a sure hall of famer.
3. Bill Snyder, Kansas State Football
Like Marty, Bill Snyder had a tough rebuilding job after taking the Kansas State football head coaching position in the late 1980s. Winning 136 games and six bowl games during his time, he did more than all previous Wildcat coaches did combined. He also dominated the Jayhawks, Tigers and would eventually knock off the Cornhuskers from their top position for a short time period. Snyder was 10 minutes away in St. Louis from taking the Wildcats to the top of the mountain.
2. Hank Stram, Kansas City Chiefs Football
Winning three American Football League titles and the Super Bowl, Stram lead the Chiefs during their glory years in the 1960s, into the early 1970s. If it wasn’t for a guy named Vince Lombardi, Stram probably goes down as the best coach in the 1960s and he coached a number of Hall of Famers. With the significance of the Chiefs in this city, he earns the number two spot.
1. Phog Allen, Kansas Jayhawks BasketballWinning over 700 games at KU, Allen is the face of KU athletics. The arena the Jayhawks play in is rightfully named after him. Counting Helms National Titles (I don’t), Allen won three titles at the University of Kansas. He also coached Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, who would later building the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina into what they are today. To top it off, he also coached one year of football at KU, guiding the Jayhawks to a 5-2-1 record. While all the coaches on this list made a significant impact at their respective positions, none made a larger one than Allen at KU.
1 comments:
roy was good but Bill Self should be ahead,he has won the big one.
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