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Top 20 College Basketball Coaches with the Highest Winning Percentages
North Carolina’s Roy Williams is College Basketball’s Active Coach with the Highest Winning Percentage
You may not have heard of Sam Burton, but he is the college basketball coach with the greatest winning percentage of all time, taking the West Texas A&M Buffaloes to 210-42 over 12 seasons.
Clair Bee, with the second best winning percentage, is another coach from the 1920′s and 1930′s. Bee made his mark with a school that is largely irrelevant in the college game today, LIU.
Then, though, some more familiar names: Kentucky‘s Adolph Rupp and UCLA‘s John Wooden.
On today’s list of the top 20 college basketball coaches with the highest winning percentages you’ll also find five actives (*), including reigning champion John Calipari and head of the current No. 1 team, Mike Krzyzewski.
Follow @VinGetz| COACH | W-L % | SCHOOL(S) | YEARS | W | L | |
| 1. | Sam Burton | .8333 | West Texas A&M | 1921-22 thru 1932-33 | 210 | 42 |
| 2. | Clair Bee | .8244 | TOTAL | 413 | 88 | |
| Rider | 1928-29 thru 1930-31 | 53 | 8 | |||
| Long Island University | 1931-32 thru 1942-43, 1945-46 thru 1950-51 | 360 | 80 | |||
| 3. | Adolph Rupp | .8218 | Kentucky | 1930-31 thru 1951-52, 1953-54 thru 1971-72 | 876 | 190 |
| 4. | John Wooden | .8039 | TOTAL | 664 | 162 | |
| Indiana State | 1947-47, 1947-48 | 44 | 15 | |||
| UCLA | 1948-49 thru 1974-75 | 620 | 147 | |||
| 5. | John Kresse | .8012 | College of Charleston | 1991-92 thru 2001-02 | 258 | 64 |
| 6. | Roy Williams* | .7988 | TOTAL | 683 | 172 | |
| Kansas | 1988-89 thru 2002-03 | 418 | 101 | |||
| North Carolina | 2003-04 thru Current | 265 | 71 | |||
| 7. | Thomas Kibler | .7962 | TOTAL | 125 | 32 | |
| Ohio State | 1908-09, 1909-10 | 22 | 2 | |||
| Washington College | 1913-14 thru 1916-17, 1919-20 thru 1924-25 | 103 | 30 | |||
| 8. | Mark Few* | .7950 | Gonzaga | 1999-00 thru Current | 353 | 91 |
| 9. | Ralph Jones | .7918 | TOTAL | 194 | 51 | |
| Butler | 1903-04 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Wabash | 1904-05 thru 1908-09 | 75 | 6 | |||
| Purdue | 1909-10 thru 1911-12 | 32 | 9 | |||
| Illinois | 1912-13 thru 1919-20 | 85 | 34 | |||
| 10. | Jerry Tarkanian | .7902 | TOTAL | 761 | 202 | |
| Long Beach State | 1969-70 thru 1972-73 | 99 | 17 | |||
| UNLV | 1973-74 thru 1991-92 | 509 | 105 | |||
| Fresno State | 1995-96 thru 2001-02 | 153 | 80 | |||
| 11. | Al McGuire | .7867 | Marquette | 1964-65 thru 1976-77 | 295 | 80 |
| 12. | James Freeman | .7830 | TOTAL | 184 | 51 | |
| St. John’s (NY) | 1927-28 thru 1935-36 | 177 | 31 | |||
| Scranton | 1947-48 | 7 | 20 | |||
| 13. | Francis Schmidt | .7818 | TOTAL | 258 | 72 | |
| Tulsa | 1915-16, 1916-17, 1918-19 thru 1921-22 | 73 | 26 | |||
| Arkansas | 1923-24 thru 1928-29 | 113 | 22 | |||
| Texas Christian | 1929-30 thru 1933-34 | 72 | 24 | |||
| 14. | Student Coaches | .7813 | Bucknell | 1895-96 thru 1907-08 | 100 | 28 |
| 15. | John Calipari* |
.7792 | TOTAL | 554 | 157 | |
| UMass | 1988-89 thru 1995-96 | 193 | 71 | |||
| Memphis | 2000-01 thru 2008-09 | 252 | 69 | |||
| Kentucky | 2009-10 thru Current | 109 | 17 | |||
| 16. | Dean Smith | .7758 | North Carolina | 1961-62 thru 1996-97 | 879 | 254 |
| 17. | Thad Matta* | .7739 | TOTAL | 332 | 97 | |
| Butler | 2000-01 | 24 | 8 | |||
| Xavier | 2001-02 thru 2003-04 | 78 | 23 | |||
| Ohio State | 2004-05 thru Current | 230 | 66 | |||
| 18. | Jack Ramsay | .7647 | Saint Joseph’s | 1955-56 thru 1965-66 | 234 | 72 |
| 19. | Frank Keaney | .7638 | Rhode Island | 1920-21 thru 1947-48 | 401 | 124 |
| 20. | Mike Krzyzewski* |
.7632 | TOTAL | 938 | 291 | |
| Army | 1975-76 thru 1979-80 | 73 | 59 | |||
| Duke | 1980-81 thru Current | 865 | 232 |
Thanks to sports-reference.com for the source data.
Photo: beyondthebets.com
Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and the Greatest Coaches in NBA History
Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich, Two of the Greatest Coaches in NBA History
Forbes has busted out with another fiscal list of theirs, this time it’s the highest paid coaches in American sports.
So I’m flipping through this top ten, and there he is, Gregg Popovich, the sixth highest paid coach.
He’s also one of the greatest coaches in basketball history.
The under-the-national-radar Popovich has four rings and is looking for his fifth this postseason. He’s third all time in winning percentage, too. That’s all for real and all with one team: the San Antonio Spurs.
Phil Jackson, of course, reigns supreme, not just in rings (11), but also percentage.
Here are the top 20 coaches with the highest winning percentage in NBA history (based on a fair minimum of 500 games coached).
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| COACH | YRS | W | L | W-L PCT | TEAM(S) | |
| 1. | Phil Jackson | 20 | 1155 | 485 | .704 | Chicago Bulls (89-90 thru 97-98) |
| L.A. Lakers (99-00 thru 10-11) | ||||||
| 2. | Billy Cunningham | 8 | 454 | 196 | .698 | Philadelphia 76ers (77-78 thru 84-85) |
| 3. | Gregg Popovich | 16 | 847 | 399 | .680 | San Antonio Spurs (96-97 thru Current) |
| 4. | K.C. Jones | 10 | 522 | 252 | .674 | Capital/Washington Bullets (73-74 thru 75-76) |
| Boston Celtics (83-84 thru 87-88) | ||||||
| Seattle SuperSonics (90-91 thru 91-92) | ||||||
| 5. | Red Auerbach | 20 | 938 | 479 | .662 | Washington Capitols (46-47 thru 48-49) |
| Tri-Cities Blackhawks (49-50) | ||||||
| Boston Celtics (50-51 thru 65-66) | ||||||
| 6. | Stan Van Gundy | 8 | 371 | 208 | .641 | Miami Heat (03-04 thru 05-06) |
| Orlando Magic (07-08 thru 11-12) | ||||||
| 7. | Pat Riley | 24 | 1210 | 694 | .636 | L.A. Lakers (81-82 thru 89-90) |
| N.Y. Knicks (91-92 thru 94-95) | ||||||
| Miami Heat (95-96 thru 07-08) | ||||||
| 8. | Tom Heinsohn | 9 | 427 | 263 | .619 | Boston Celtics (69-70 thru 77-78) |
| 9. | Jerry Sloan | 26 | 1221 | 803 | .603 | Chicago Bulls (79-80 thru 81-82) |
| Utah Jazz (88-89 thru 10-11) | ||||||
| 10. | Rick Adelman | 21 | 971 | 656 | .597 | Portland Trail Blazers (88-89 thru 93-94) |
| Golden State Warriors (95-96 thru 96-97) | ||||||
| Sacramento Kings (98-99 thru 05-06) | ||||||
| Houston Rockets (07-08 thru 10-11) | ||||||
| Minnesota Timberwolves (Current) | ||||||
| 11. | Rick Carlisle | 10 | 479 | 325 | .596 | Detroit Pistons (01-02 thru 02-03) |
| Indiana Pacers (03-04 thru 06-07) | ||||||
| Dallas Mavericks (08-09 thru Current) | ||||||
| 12. | George Karl | 24 | 1074 | 731 | .595 | Cleveland Cavaliers (84-85 thru 85-86) |
| Golden State Warriors (86-87 thru 87-88) | ||||||
| Seattle SuperSonics (91-92 thru 97-98) | ||||||
| Milwaukee Bucks (98-99 thru 02-03) | ||||||
| Denver Nuggets (04-05 thru Current) | ||||||
| 13. | Chuck Daly | 14 | 638 | 437 | .593 | Cleveland Cavaliers (81-82) |
| Detroit Pistons (83-84 thru 91-92) | ||||||
| New Jersey Nets (92-93 thru 93-94) | ||||||
| Orlando Magic (97-98 thru 98-99) | ||||||
| 14. | Larry Costello | 10 | 430 | 300 | .589 | Milwaukee Bucks (68-69 thru 76-77) |
| Chicago Bulls (78-79) | ||||||
| 15. | John Kundla | 11 | 423 | 302 | .583 | Minneapolis Lakers (48-49 thru 58-59) |
| 16. | Bill Sharman | 7 | 333 | 240 | .581 | San Francisco Warriors (66-67 thru 67-68) |
| L.A. Lakers (71-72 thru 75-76) | ||||||
| 17. | Al Cervi | 9 | 326 | 241 | .575 | Syracuse Nationals (49-50 thru 56-57) |
| Philadelphia Warriors (58-59) | ||||||
| 17. | Jeff Van Gundy | 11 | 430 | 318 | .575 | N.Y. Knicks (95-96 thru 01-02) |
| Houston Rockets (03-04 thru 06-07) | ||||||
| 19. | Joe Lapchick | 9 | 326 | 247 | .569 | N.Y. Knicks (47-48 thru 55-56) |
| 20. | Fred Schaus | 7 | 315 | 245 | .563 | L.A. Lakers (60-61 thru 66-67) |
Photo: thetruthsports.com / thatnbalotterypick.com
NHL: Scotty Bowman and Coaches with the Most Stanley Cups
Scotty Bowman Led 9 Teams to the Stanley Cup Championship, Most for Any Coach
With the NHL vying for the Stanley Cup for almost 100 years (since the 1917-18 season), several coaches have taken their teams to several titles.
Fourteen coaches, led by Scotty Bowman and his nine, have won the Cup more than once.
Bowman is also the only coach to win it all with three different teams. He’s joined by Dick Irvin and Tommy Gorman as the only multiple-team title winners.
These are the NHL coaches who have hoisted the Cup more than once…
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| COACH | STANLEY CUPS | TEAMS (YEARS) | |
| 1. | Scotty Bowman | 9 | Montreal Canadiens (1973, 1976-1979) |
| Pittsburgh Penguins (1992) | |||
| Detroit Red Wings (1997, 1998, 2002) | |||
| 2. | Toe Blake | 8 | Montreal Canadiens (1956-1960, 1965, 1966, 1968) |
| 3. | Hap Day | 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1942, 1945, 1947-1949) |
| 4. | Dick Irvin | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1932) |
| Montreal Canadiens (1944, 1946, 1953) | |||
| 4. | Punch Imlach | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1962-1964, 1967) |
| 4. | Al Arbour | 4 | N.Y. Islanders (1980-1983) |
| 4. | Glen Sather | 4 | Edmonton Oilers (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988) |
| 8. | Jack Adams | 3 | Detroit Red Wings (1936, 1937, 1943) |
| 8. | Tommy Ivan | 3 | Detroit Red Wings (1950, 1952, 1954) |
| 10. | Pete Green | 2 | Ottawa Senators (1921, 1923) |
| 10. | Lester Patrick | 2 | N.Y. Rangers (1928, 1933) |
| 10. | Cecil Hart | 2 | Montreal Canadiens (1930, 1931) |
| 10. | Tommy Gorman | 2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1934) |
| Montreal Maroons (1935) | |||
| 10. | Fred Shero | 2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1974, 1975) |
Photo: bestsportsphotos.com
