Coaches hold sports teams together, help them improve their game, and give them the constant motivation they need to take home a win. While there have been countless coaches over the years, some coaches have proven to be better than the rest. Not only have they brought in significant wins throughout their seasons, but they have fostered rookies to legends and made a name for themselves in their sports. Here are the best coaches in sports throughout history:
Casey Stengel
The New York Yankees have graced baseball’s history books many times. One of the main reasons the Yankees have found such greatness over the years is because they have had some of the greatest coaches in history. Casey Stengel was a coach for the Yankees from 1949-60 and was a big reason for nine championships during that time, two of which he was a player. Although it has been over 40 years since his death, Casey Stengel is still noted as an important member of Yankee history and regarded as one of the best coaches in all of sports history.
Scotty Bowman
While hockey isn’t one of the most popular sports around the world, this does not mean it is short of some of the greatest coaches of all time. Among these phenomenal coaches is Scotty Bowman. Bowman was the former coach of the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings. He is known as one of the greatest coaches of all time because he holds the record for the most wins in NHL history and has the second most Stanley Cups as a coach, player, and executive.
Bear Bryant
College football was forever changed by Bear Bryant, the esteemed Alabama coach who won six national championships and 13 total conference championships. By the time Bryant went into retirement in 1982, his 323 victories labeled him as the NCAA’s winningest football coach of all time. There has not been a coach like him since and many still look up to him to this day. With his plaid suits, fedoras, and signature lean against the goalposts before kickoff, Bear Bryant will forever be remembered as the greatest coach in college football history.
Red Auerbach
Red Auerbach is a legend in the NBA. Without Auerbach, there would be no Phil Jacksons and Greg Popovichs, or other incredible NBA coaches. Auerbach won nine championships with the Boston Celtics and was named Coach of the Year in 1965. He possessed a team-first mentality that remains a reference point for many coaches today. As an executive, Red Auerbach was also a seven-time NBA champion which further solidified his status as one of the most impactful people to ever grace the NBA.