The legendary Don Shula is the number one coach with the most wins 328 by any NFL coach in their career. He retired in 1995, last team he was leading the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995. George Halas is on number two with 318 wins, but unfortunately both legendary coaches have died.
Bill Belichick is the only coach who is active and can surpass the record of both Shula and Halas. Bill Belichick has 302 wins so far in the 2023 NFL season. He needs only 17 wins to surpass “Papa Bear” and 27 wins to surpass Shula.
Andy Reid is the second legendary coach with more than 250 wins who is active. He is trailing with 44 wins to Belichick. Currently, Reid is the head coach of Chiefs.
Who is the most successful NFL coach in history? Let’s check out the winningest NFL coaches of all time. Here is the list of coaches, we only listed the top 25 coaches.
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#25 Bill Cowher, 149 career wins
Bill Cowher is on number 25 in the list. Bill Cowher, with 149 wins, 90 losses, and 1 tie, held a win percentage of .623 during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1992 to 2006. The coach led Steelers to Super Bowl victory in XL (2005), and was honored as the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 1992. After 2006 he did not coach any NFL team.
#24 Steve Owen, 153 career wins
Steve Owen, with 153 wins, 100 losses, and 17 ties, maintained a win percentage of .605 while coaching the New York Giants from 1931 to 1953. He led the NY Giants to win the NFL Championship in 19934 and 1938. He earned the New York Giants Ring of Honor. He died on May 17, 1964 at the age of 66.
#23 Joe Gibbs, 154 career wins
Joe Gibbs, boasting 154 wins and 94 losses with a win percentage of .621, coached the Washington Redskins from 1981 to 1992 and then returned for another stint from 2004 to 2007. Gibbs led Redskins to Super Bowl championships (XVII, XXII, XXVI) three times, earned NFL Coach of the Year honors twice (1982, 1983), and holds a place on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was recognized in the Washington Commanders Ring of Fame and is part of the Washington Commanders’ 90 Greatest.
#22 Bud Grant, 158 career wins
Bud Grant, with a record of 158 wins, 96 losses, and 5 ties, maintained a win percentage of .621 while coaching the Minnesota Vikings from 1967 to 1983 and again in 1985. Under his leadership Vikings won the NFL championship in 1969 and he was named NFL Coach of the Year in the same year. The coach holds a revered place in the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor and has been recognized among the 50 Greatest Vikings. He was part of both the Minnesota Vikings 25th and 40th Anniversary Teams.
#21 John Harbaugh*, 160 career wins
John Harbaugh, with 160 wins and 99 losses, maintains a win percentage of .618 as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 2008, and he continues in the present. He led the Ravens to earn a Super Bowl title XLVII in 2012. He received multiple Coach of the Year honors in 2019, including the AP NFL Coach of the Year, PFWA Coach of the Year, and Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year. He is a brother of legendary NCAA coach Jim Harbaugh (head coach Michigan Wolverines).
#20 Sean Payton*, 160 career wins
Tied with John Harbaugh, Sean Payton, boasting a record of 160 wins and 98 losses with a win percentage of .620, served as the head coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2011 and then from 2013 to 2021. Currently he is head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2023 to the present. He led the New Orleans Saints to one Super Bowl Championship XLIV in 2009. He earned AP Coach of the Year title in 2006 and 2x of the Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2009.
#19 Mike Holmgren,161 career wins
Mike Holmgren, with a record of 161 wins and 111 losses, maintaining a win percentage of .592, served as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998 and later with the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008. He made the Green Bay Packers a Super Bowl champion XXXI in 1996. He received recognition in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. He earned the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor and was inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
#18 Paul Brown, 166 career wins
Paul Brown, with a record of 166 wins, 100 losses, and 6 ties, his win percentage is of .624, served as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1950 to 1962 and later with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1975. Under his leadership Cleveland Browns won three NFL championships in 1950, 1954, and 1955 and four AAFC championships from 1946 to 1949. He was honored as the AP NFL Coach of the Year in 1970, along with receiving three UPI NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1957, 1969, and 1970. They earned a place on the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He holds esteemed positions in both the Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor and the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.
Unfortunately, he died on August 5, 1991 at the age of 82.
#17 Mike McCarthy*, 167 career wins
Mike McCarthy held a record of 167 wins. He has 102 losses, and 2 ties, maintaining a win percentage of .620, and served as the head coach for the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018. Currently he is head coach for the Dallas Cowboys starting 2020. Under his leadership the Packers won the Super Bowl XLV Championship in 2010. He received recognition as the Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year in 2011.
#16 Tom Coughlin, 170 career wins
Tom Coughlin is number 16 with a record of 170 wins. He had 150 losses, maintaining a win percentage of .531, served as the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 1995 to 2002 and later with the New York Giants from 2004 to 2015. Under his leadership the NY Giants won two Super Bowl Championships in 2007 and 2011. He was named NFL Coach of the Year in 1996 and earned the New York Giants Ring of Honor and the Pride of the Jaguars.
#15 Mike Shanahan, 170 career wins
Mike Shanahan tied with Tom Coughlin with 170 wins. He served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988 to 1989, the Denver Broncos from 1996 to 2008, and the Washington Redskins from 2010 to 2013. He led the Broncos to win two consecutive Super Bowl Championship in 1997 and 1998. He is named as the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.
#14 Pete Carroll, 170 career wins
Pete Carroll’s career wins are 170, served as the head coach for the New York Jets in 1994, the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999, and the Seattle Seahawks from 2010 to 2023. Under his leadership the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl XLVIII Championship in 2013. He was honored by being included in the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
#13 Bill Parcells, 172 career wins
Bill Parcells served as the head coach for the New York Giants from 1983 to 1990, the New England Patriots from 1993 to 1996, the New York Jets from 1997 to 1999, and the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. The NY Giants won 2 Super Bowl titles (XXI and XXV) in 1986 and 1990 under his leadership. He received multiple coaching honors, including two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1986 and 1994, the Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year in 1986, two Pro Football Weekly NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1994 and 1996, the Maxwell Football Club NFL Coach of the Year in 1994, and two UPI NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1986 and 1994. He was also part of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and held esteemed positions in the New York Giants Ring of Honor and the New England Patriots All-1990s Team.
#12 Jeff Fisher, 173 career wins
Jeff Fisher has 173 wins, he served as the head coach for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Titans from 1994 to 2010 and later with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams from 2012 to 2016. He won Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year (2008) and Tennessee Titans Ring of Honor.
#11 Mike Tomlin*, 173 career wins
Tomlin coached the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007 and continues in the present. The Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 under his leadership. He holds the record of Most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career: 17.
#10 Chuck Knox, 186 career wins
Chuck Knox served as the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams from 1973 to 1977 and again from 1992 to 1994. He also coached the Buffalo Bills from 1978 to 1982 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1983 to 1991. He received three AP NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1973, 1980, and 1984, and holds a place of honor in the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor. He died on May 12, 2018.
#9 Dan Reeves, 190 career wins
Dan Reeves served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos from 1981 to 1992, the New York Giants from 1993 to 1996, and the Atlanta Falcons from 1997 to 2003. Unfortunately, He never won a Super Bowl title as head coach. He won 2× AP NFL Coach of the Year (1993, 1998), George Halas Award (1999) and Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. He died on January 1, 2022 at age of 77.
#8 Chuck Noll, 193 career wins
Chuck Noll is known as the greatest head coach of all time. He served as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969 to 1991. Chuck Noll won a total of four Super Bowl titles (IX, X, XIII, XIV) in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was honored as the Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year in 1989 and holds prestigious positions in the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, and NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He won the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor and the Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame. Noll died on June 13, 2014 at the age of 82.
#7 Marty Schottenheimer, 200 career wins
Marty Schottenheimer served as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1984 to 1988, the Kansas City Chiefs from 1989 to 1998, the Washington Redskins in 2001, and the San Diego Chargers from 2002 to 2006. He has the most wins of an NFL head coach to not win a Super Bowl. He died in February 2008 at the age of 77.
#6 Curly Lambeau, 226 career wins
Curly Lambeau coached three different teams, the Green Bay Packers from 1921 to 1949, the Chicago Cardinals from 1950 to 1951, and the Washington Redskins from 1952 to 1953. HE won six NFL championships in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1939, and 1944. He received three Second-team All-Pro honors from 1922 to 1924 and was recognized in the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He won the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame. Lambeau died on June 1, 1965, at age 67.
#5 Tom Landry, 250 career wins
Throughout his entire head coaching career, Tom Landry exclusively served as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988. Landry led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowl titles (VI, XII) in 1971 and 1977. He was honored as NFL Coach of the Year in 1966 and UPI NFL Coach of the Year in 1975. Additionally, they hold a place of distinction in the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team and the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.
#4 Andy Reid*, 258 career wins
Currently, Andy Reid has been the head coach of Kansas City Chiefs since 2013. He was also head coach for Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. Under his leadership the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVII in 2019 and 2022. Andy Reid received AP NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2002 and was recognized three times as Sporting News Coach of the Year in 2000, 2002, and 2018. He earned Pro Football Weekly Coach of the Year in 2002 and four Maxwell Club NFL Coach of the Year awards in 2000, 2002, 2010, and 2018. He is part of the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team.
#3 Bill Belichick, 302 career wins
Bill Belichick served as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995 and coached the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2023, for 14 seasons. He is a living legend, leading the Patriots to win 6 times Super Bowl titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII) in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
Bill Belichick NFL records are:
- Most Super Bowl wins as a head coach: 6
- Most Super Bowl appearances: 12
- Most Super Bowl appearances as a head coach: 9
- Most playoff wins as a head coach: 31
- Most playoff appearances as a head coach: 19 (tied)
- Most divisional championships as a head coach: 17
#2 George Halas, 318 career wins
George Halas coached for the Decatur Staleys/Staleys/Bears for different time spans 1920–1929, 1933–1942, 1946–1955, and 1958–1967. He won eight NFL championships in 1921, 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, and 1963, honored with two AP NFL Coach of the Year awards in 1963 and 1965 and was recognized in the NFL 1920s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and Sporting News 1940s All-Decade Team. His contributions led to the retirement of the Chicago Bears No. 7 and inclusion in the list of 100 greatest Bears of All-Time.
George Halas died on October 31, 1983 at the age of 88.
#1 Don Shula, 328 career wins
Don Shula coached the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1969 and the Miami Dolphins from 1970 to 1995. He led the Miami Dolphins to win two Super Bowl Titles (VII, VIII) in 1972 and 1973. Don Shula holds the record for the most regular season wins as a head coach with 328 victories, most total wins as a head coach with 347 wins, and the only undefeated season through both the regular season and playoffs in NFL history.
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Who is the most successful NFL coach?
According to most wins Don Shula is most successful, but if talk about most Super Bowl championships then Bill Belichick is on number one.
