Super Bowl Winning Coaches
Any discussion of Super Bowl winning coaches would be incomplete without the namesake himself; Vince Lombardi directed the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowl games ever played. After Lombardi’s untimely passing in 1970, the Super Bowl trophy was renamed in his honor. The early years of the Super Bowl were controlled by a litany of legendary coaches: Lombardi’s Packers, Chuck Noll’s Steelers, Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins, and John Madden’s Raiders captured 10 of the first 15 Super Bowl titles. These coaches were archetypal in every sense of the word, from their gruff demeanor to their emphasis on stifling defense and a strong running game. In 1982, Bill Walsh was in just his third year coaching with Joe Montana under center as he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl with their “west coast offense”. In the 1990s, Jimmy Johnson’s charismatic, star-studded Dallas Cowboys dominated the league with three Super Bowl wins from 1993 to 1996. Mike Shanahan wrested control of the NFL away from Johnson in the late 90s, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the help of a veteran John Elway. At the turn of the century, Bill Belichick completely took over the NFL, winning a record six Super Bowls from 2001 to 2019. In 2007, Colts coach Tony Dungy became the first-ever black coach to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, followed shortly after by Mike Tomlin with the Steelers in 2009.
To find out even more Super Bowl history about the best winning Super Bowl coaches and even how to bet on Super Bowl 59 at SB59 sportsbooks that accept players in the US.
Super Bowl Props Odds For Coaches
Super Bowl 59 will even present betting opportunities on the coaches of both teams for things such as the color of Gatorade poured on them, which will be shown first during the National Anthem, and other things pertaining to who they are. Below are some examples of Super Bowl 59 props for betting on winning Super Bowl coaches that you’ll find closer to the game.
Color Of Gatorade Poured On Winning Coach
- Purple +190
- Red +260
- Blue +400
- Lime/Green/Yellow +450
- Orange +550
- Clear/Water +900
- No Liquid To Be Poured On Winning Coach +2000
Shown First During America the Beautiful
- Andy Reid -145
- Kyle Shanahan +110
Shown First During National Anthem
- Andy Reid -130
- Kyle Shanahan +100
Result of First Coaches Challenge
- Play Stands +100
- Play Overturned -130
Team to Make First Coaches Challenge
- Kansas City Chiefs -115
- San Francisco 49ers -115
Will the Sports Drink Liquid Be Poured On The Winning Coach Of Super Bowl 58 before the end of the Game?
- Yes -170
- No +130
Most Super Bowl Victories?
The coaches with most Super Bowl wins cannot be spoken about without Patriots’ coach, Bill Belichick. Belichick has a healthy lead on the rest of the field as one of the best winning Super Bowl coaches, with six total Super Bowl victories. Behind him, Chuck Noll is the only other coach with even four titles. Belichick won his first Super Bowl in 2001 and his most recent (but not necessarily his last) in 2019. The Patriots have been historically dominant since that first Super Bowl season, with a record of 232-72 and an absurd 16 division titles. At 67 years old, Belichick likely won’t be coaching for more than the next year or two, but his tenure with the Patriots has set numerous records that might never be broken. In 2021, the Patriots failed to make the playoffs, meaning Belichick will not be expanding on his lead until at least the 2023-24 season.
How Many Coaches Have Won Multiple Super Bowls?
Currently, there are 14 coaches that won the Super Bowl multiple times. These 14 men have combined for 36 of the league’s 57 championships. Prior to Belichick, the Giants’ Tom Coughlin was the last coach to add his name to the list of multiple time champions. Many of these coaches are noted pioneers of the league.
Lombardi was the model coach the rest of the league tried to emulate for decades. Don Shula brought the concept of the “no-name defense”, or a unit that would be greater than the sum of its parts. He also popularized the use of the 3-4 defense. Tom Landry introduced the 4-3 defense to the NFL, which would become standard alignment for decades. Chuck Noll’s “Steel Curtain” defenses were revolutionary in their ability to control the line of scrimmage with a four-man rush. Bill Walsh’s west coast offenses with Joe Montana became the blueprint of every modern offense in the NFL.
Super Bowl ATS Numbers For Coaches
Of the Super Bowl winning coaches who won multiple titles, Joe Gibbs is one of the few perfect record coaches against the oddsmakers on Super Bowl betting sites that take US players. A shortlist of coaches in NFL history that have led their teams to multiple Super Bowls also includes their ATS numbers.
| Coach: | Super Bowl Wins: | Super Bowl ATS Record |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Reid | 2 | 2-1 |
| Bill Belichick | 6 | 3-6 |
| Chuck Noll | 4 | 3-1 |
| Joe Gibbs | 3 | 3-0 |
| Bill Walsh | 3 | 3-1 |
| Tom Coughlin | 2 | 2-0 |
| Don Shula | 2 | 2-0 |
| Tom Landry | 2 | 2-0 |
| Bill Parcells | 2 | 2-0 |
| Vince Lombardi | 2 | 2-0 |
| Tom Flores | 2 | 2-0 |
| Jimmy Johnson | 2 | 2-0 |
| George Seifert | 2 | 2-0 |
| Mike Shanahan | 2 | 1-1 |
Coaches Who Lost The Super Bowl As A Betting Favorite
Going into the Super Bowl as the betting favorite does not always give the team an upper hand. In fact, the favorites going into the Super Bowl have lost more often than not with 18 favored Super Bowl teams falling to the Underdog. Of the 18 teams that have lost as a favorite, Bill Belichick and Don Shula are the only two coaches to lose the Super Bowl as an underdog on more than one occasion.
| Year: | Super Bowl: | Coach: | Team: | Spread: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | SBLVII | Nick Sirianni | Philadelphia Eagles | -1.5 |
| 2021 | SBLV | Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs | -3 |
| 2018 | SBLII | Bill Belichick | New England Patriots | -4.5 |
| 2016 | SBL | Ron Rivera | Carolina Panthers | -4.5 |
| 2015 | SBXLIX | Pete Carroll | Seattle Seahawks | -1 |
| 2014 | SBXLVIII | John Fox | Denver Broncos | -2 |
| 2013 | SBXLVII | Jim Harbaugh | San Francisco 49ers | -4.5 |
| 2012 | SBXLVI | Bill Belichick | New England Patriots | -2.5 |
| 2010 | SBXLIV | Jim Caldwell | Indianapolis Colts | -5 |
| 2008 | XLII | Bill Belichick | New England Patriots | -12 |
| 2003 | SBXXXVII | Bill Callahan | Oakland Raiders | -4 |
| 2002 | SBXXXVI | Mike Martz | St. Louis Rams | -14 |
| 1998 | SBXXXII | Mike Holmgren | Green Bay Packers | -11 |
| 1991 | SBXXV | Marv Levy | Buffalo Bills | -7 |
| 1988 | SBXXII | Dan Reeves | Denver Broncos | -3 |
| 1983 | SBXVII | Don Shula | Miami Dolphins | -3 |
| 1981 | SBXV | Dick Vermeil | Philadelphia Eagles | -3 |
| 1970 | SBIV | Bud Grant | Minnesota Vikings | -12 |
| 1969 | SBIII | Don Shula | Baltimore Colts | -18 |
Has Any Coach Won the Super Bowl with Different Teams?
No Super Bowl winning coach in the history of the Super Bowl has ever won the with two different franchises. If you want to make a huge stretch (like Michael Jordan versus the Monstars huge), you could argue that Tom Flores won with two separate teams when he won with the Oakland Raiders in 1981 and the Los Angeles Raiders in 1984. But if you make this argument, you’re wrong.
Who Are the Youngest and Oldest Coaches to Win the Super Bowl?
In 2019, Bill Belichick became the oldest Super Bowl winning coach in league history by capturing his sixth Lombardi Trophy at 66 years, 9 months and 18 days old. Belichick led the Patriots back to the postseason this season, and it’s very possible that his coaching career still has something left to give. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is only a few years younger (he will turn 65 in March), but his brilliant offenses in Kansas City have proven that he is still one of the NFL's best coaches.
In 2022, Los Angeles Rams head coach, Sean McVay, became the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl at 36 years and 20 days old beating out Mike Tomlin who was 36 years and 10 months old. McVay almost made history sooner in 2019 when the Rams were in the Super Bowl while he was 32 years old, but they came up on the losing side.
What Coaches Have Won The Super Bowl As A Player And Coach?
The list is short as there are just three of the best winning Super Bowl coaches in NFL history that have won the Super Bowl as both a player on the field and on the sidelines. The first to do it was former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, and head coach of the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, Tom Flores. Flores won Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs as a player and coached the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories at Super Bowl XV and XVIII. Second on the list is the legendary, Mike Ditka. Ditka won the Super Bowl as a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys at Super Bowl VI and as a coach for the Chicago Bears at Super Bowl XX. The final coach/player on this list is Tony Dungy. Dungy first won the Super Bowl as a defensive back for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII and as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLI.
Coaches To Win The Super Bowl As A Wild Card Team
Getting out of the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs is already hard enough, however, winning a Super Bowl from that round takes skill. That being said, the list of Super Bowl winning coaches that have won the Super Bowl as a Wild Card team is only three. The first head coach to do it was former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Bill Cowher, in 2005 at Super Bowl XL. Just two years later in 2007, Tom Coughlin did it with the New York Giants at Super Bowl XLII. In 2010, Mike McCarthy did it with the Green Bay Packers at Super Bowl XLV.
Minority Head Coaches To Win The Super Bowl
In the history of the NFL, there have only been three minority Super Bowl winning coaches to win the Super Bowl. The first was Tom Flores who coached the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders to two Super Bowls in 1980 and 1983. Flores became the first head coach of Hispanic origin to win a Super Bowl. If you are looking for how many black coaches have won the Super Bowl, there are two. In 2006, Tony Dungy became the first black coach to win Super Bowl as the Indianapolis Colts head coach. Two years later in 2008, Mike Tomlin became the second African American head coach to win the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This just goes to show that some of the best winning Super Bowl coaches can have a background from anywhere.
Memorable Super Bowl Coaching Decisions
2021
The Bucs Stop Mahomes: Presenting the blueprint for how to combat Patrick Mahomes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that blitzed at a top-5 rate in the regular season, held back on the blitz in the Super Bowl to stay in cover-2 shells and keep Mahomes in check, which they did, winning 31-9.
2018
The Philly Special: With time running out in the first half facing a 4th and goal on the Patriots’ 1-yard line, Eagles’ rookie head coach Doug Pederson leaves his offense on the field. Rather than run the ball up the middle with LeGarrette Blount, he dials up a trick play. As quarterback Nick Foles pretends to make adjustments to the Eagles’ protection scheme, running back Corey Clement receives a direct snap. He carries the ball left, flips it back to tight end Trey Burton running the other direction, who throws it to a wide-open Foles for the Eagles touchdown. The Eagles go on to win the game 41-33.
2017
The Falcons Stop Running The Ball: One of the most controversial decisions in Super Bowl coaching history is laid at the feet of Falcons Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan. With a big lead, and a great running game, the Falcons went away from the run late in the Super Bowl, which cost them the game.
2015
Pete Carroll Passes on the 1-Yard Line: Down 28-24 and facing a 2nd and goal from the 1 with one timeout left and less than 30 seconds in the game, Pete Carroll elects not to hand the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch—one of the best power backs in football history—and instead throws a surprise slant route to Ricardo Lockette. The ball was played perfectly by Patriots nickelback Malcolm Butler and intercepted on the goal line. This decision gets a worse rap than deserved. Quarterback Russell Wilson had a career-low 4.4% interception rate in 2014, and passing on second down allows for two additional plays in the case of an incompletion, whereas an unsuccessful run would leave the Hawks with only one more attempt with Lynch or force them to pass on third down (a much easier play to anticipate as a defense). Instead, Butler makes the play of his life and Seahawks fans are left wondering “What if?” for the rest of their lives.
2010
Sean Payton’s Surprise Onside Kick: After going into halftime trailing the Colts 10-6 and facing the prospect of giving Peyton Manning the ball to start the second half, Sean Payton decides the Saints needed to do something drastic to steal the Colts’ momentum. On the opening kickoff of the second half, Thomas Morestead surprises the Colts by drilling an onside kick to the left side of the field. The ball bounces off the chest of Colts receiver Hank Bassett, where it is recovered by the Saints’ Chris Reis, a reserve defensive back who played primarily on special teams. The Saints go on to score a touchdown on that drive and win the game 31-17.
2005
Andy Reid Clock Management: Trailing the Patriots by two scores with 5 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, Reid’s Eagles mount an agonizingly slow 4-minute touchdown drive, huddling up after every play and generally behaving like they had a lead. With only a minute and change left, they were forced to kick an onside kick, which the Patriots recovered to seal a 24-21 win.
1997
Bill Parcells Kicks to Desmond Howard: With time winding down in the third quarter, Parcells’ Patriots have just cut the Packers’ lead to 27-21 on a Curtis Martin touchdown run. Rather than kicking the ball out of bounds (in 1997 this would have put the ball at the 35-yard line), Bill Parcells tells kicker Adam Vinatieri to kick it deep to Packers receiver Desmond Howard. Howard turns on the jets on a 99-yard kick return touchdown, and any chance at a Patriots comeback dissolves. This decision is another that gets more criticism than it probably deserves. There were still 18 minutes left in the game and this was the only one of his 368 career kick returns that Howard managed to take the distance.
1991
Marv Levy’s Timid Playcalling: Down 20-19 to the Giants with 2 minutes and 16 seconds remaining, Bills coach Marv Levy decides to go conservative with his play-calling. The Bills throw only three passes on the drive, completing two for a total of 10 total yards. First-team All-Pro running back Thurman Thomas gets only two carries, while noted non-athlete Jim Kelly gets three carries for 16 yards. The entire drive moves at a lackadaisical pace inappropriate for the game-winning drive of a championship game, and Scott Norwood is asked to make a much longer field goal than he realistically should have been. You know the rest: wide right, Bills lose, the Four Falls of Buffalo begin in earnest.