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Great coordinators who didn't work out as head coaches

Sparty Jones

Well-Known Member
Oct 28, 2004
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Let's get a list going for college and pro of guys who were seen as outstanding offensive or defensive coordinators, but didn't get it done as a head man.

Dave Wannstedt
Charlie Weis
Will Muschamp
Dick Jauron
Bob Davie

what others do you have?
 
The bottom line is almost ALL head coaches were coordinators prior to becoming head coaches.

So essentially this isn't a list of coordinators that didn't work out but RATHER head coaches that didn't work???

Almost every successful head coach was a coordinator (Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Belichick, etc...)
 
Perhaps a better way to phrase it is that in hindsight, who was perfectly suited as a coordinator, but when he became the head man, it was not a good fit at all, and could jump right back in to being a good coordinator?
 
Sparty:

A better list might be those who were college coaches and then became head coaches in the NFL without being a coordinator first. Then failed at the NFL level.

Steve Spurrier comes to mind. He did coach in the USFL but the NFL is what I am talking about. Good Florida Gator coach, 12-20 with the Washington Redskins in the NFL over two seasons after signing a five year $25 million contract. Then back to the college ranks and South Carolina.

He is the most glaring example of a failed college coach sent right to the NFL as a head coach that I can think of at the moment.
 
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