The Most Famous

COACHES from United States

This page contains a list of the greatest American Coaches. The pantheon dataset contains 471 Coaches, 10 of which were born in United States. This makes United States the birth place of the 9th most number of Coaches behind Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary American Coaches of all time. This list of famous American Coaches is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of American Coaches.

1. Phil Jackson (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 59.94, Phil Jackson is the most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages on wikipedia.

Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, Jackson was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998, leading them to six NBA championships. He then coached the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011; the team won five league titles under his leadership. Jackson's 11 NBA titles as a coach surpassed the previous record of nine set by Red Auerbach. He holds numerous other records as a coach, such as most postseason wins (229), and most NBA Conference titles (13). Jackson is known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that was influenced by Eastern philosophy, garnering him the nickname "Zen Master". Jackson cited Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life. He also applied Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book Sacred Hoops. He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies. In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, as part of celebrations for the NBA's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history. Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and joined the Knicks as an executive in March 2014. He was dismissed as the Knicks' team president in 2017.

2. Gregg Popovich (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 58.72, Gregg Popovich is the 2nd most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Popovich has been a member of the Spurs organization since 1994, as president of basketball operations and general manager before taking over as coach of the Spurs in 1996. Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in the NBA as well as all other major sports leagues in the United States. Nicknamed "Coach Pop", Popovich has the most wins of any coach in NBA history, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Popovich led the Spurs to a winning record in his first 22 full seasons as head coach, surpassing Phil Jackson for the most consecutive winning seasons in NBA history. During his tenure, the Spurs have had a winning record against every other NBA team, being a key figure of the sustained success of the Spurs throughout the 1990s, the 2000s, and most of the 2010s. Popovich has led the Spurs to all five of their NBA titles, and is one of only five coaches in NBA history to have won five titles. He was also the head coach of the U.S. national team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, leading the team to a gold medal. In 2023, Popovich was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

3. Richard Williams (b. 1942)

With an HPI of 53.42, Richard Williams is the 3rd most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Richard Dove Williams Jr. (born February 14, 1942) is a former American tennis coach and the father of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams.

4. John Madden (1936 - 2021)

With an HPI of 45.42, John Madden is the 4th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL/AFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI. Never having a losing season, Madden holds the highest winning percentage among NFL head coaches who coached at least 100 games. As of the end of the 2023 season, Madden has the most wins as head coach in Raiders history with 103 wins. After retiring from coaching, Madden was a color commentator for NFL telecasts from 1979 to 2009 and won 16 Sports Emmy Awards. Madden appeared on all four major American television networks, providing commentary for games broadcast by CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. He also lent his name, expertise, and commentary to the Madden NFL video game series, which became the best-selling American football video game franchise. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

5. Bill Belichick (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 45.22, Bill Belichick is the 5th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American football coach who is the head football coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for a record eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. A renowned American football historian, Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game" with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position. During his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick was a central figure as the head coach and de facto general manager during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019. Belichick is a descendant of the Bill Parcells coaching tree. He began his coaching career in 1975 as an assistant for the Baltimore Colts and became the defensive coordinator for New York Giants head coach Bill Parcells by 1985. Parcells and Belichick won two Super Bowls together before Belichick left to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991. He remained in Cleveland for five seasons but was fired following the team's 1995 season. Belichick rejoined Parcells, first in New England where the team lost Super Bowl XXXI, and later with the New York Jets. After being named head coach of the Jets, Belichick resigned after only one day on the job to accept the head coaching job for the Patriots on January 27, 2000. In 24 seasons under Belichick, the Patriots won 17 AFC East division titles, made 13 appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and appeared in nine Super Bowls, with a record six wins. Overall, Belichick has won eight Super Bowl titles (the most of any individual in NFL history) and finished as runner-up four times from his combined time as an assistant and head coach. At the time Belichick left the Patriots, he was the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach. Belichick has the most playoff coaching wins all-time with 31 and ranks third in regular season coaching wins in the NFL with 302. He is also in second place for combined regular season and postseason wins, and also second place for most regular season coaching wins with one franchise. Belichick is one of only three head coaches who have won six NFL titles. He was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year for the 2003, 2007, and 2010 seasons. Belichick has also been selected to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, as well as the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.

6. Bob Knight (1940 - 2023)

With an HPI of 44.28, Bob Knight is the 6th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Robert Montgomery "Bobby" Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", he won 902 NCAA Division I men's basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement and sixth all-time record at the time of his death. Knight was the head coach of the Army Black Knights (1965–1971), the Indiana Hoosiers (1971-2000), and the Texas Tech Red Raiders (2001–2008). While at Army, he led the Black Knights to four post-season tournament appearances in six seasons, winning two-thirds of his games along the way. After taking the job at Indiana, his teams won three NCAA championships, one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship, and 11 Big Ten Conference championships. His 1975–76 team won the 1976 NCAA tournament, and is the last men's team in Division I college basketball to go undefeated during an entire season (32–0). They remain, as of the end of the 2023–24 season, the last team to be undefeated national champions. In the seven full seasons that he coached at Texas Tech, his teams qualified for a post-season tournament five times. He retired partway through the 2007–2008 season and was replaced by his son Pat Knight at Texas Tech. He later worked as a men's college basketball studio analyst at ESPN. Knight sparked controversy with his outspoken nature and his volatility. He once threw a chair across the court during a game and was once arrested following a physical confrontation with a police officer. He was accused of choking an Indiana player during practice in an incident that was recorded on video, prompting the university to institute a "zero tolerance" policy for him. Following a subsequent run-in with a student, he was fired by Indiana University in the fall of 2000. Knight was one of college basketball's most successful and innovative coaches, having popularized the motion offense. He received national coach of the year honors four times and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors eight times. He was also successful on the international stage, winning gold medals at both the 1979 Pan American Games and the 1984 Summer Olympics with the U.S. men's national team. He is one of only three basketball coaches to win an NCAA title, an NIT title, and an Olympic gold medal. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.

7. Bob Bradley (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 44.21, Bob Bradley is the 7th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach. A native of New Jersey and graduate of Princeton University, Bradley coached in the American college game and Major League Soccer (MLS), managing the Chicago Fire, MetroStars, and Chivas USA over nine seasons. In 2006, he was appointed manager of the United States men's team, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007 and finishing runner-up in 2009 and 2011 as well as in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. His team also reached the last 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He subsequently managed the Egyptian national football team for two years. He then became the first American to manage a team in a European first division with Stabæk of Norway in 2014. He moved on to French club Le Havre and Welsh side Swansea City, becoming the first American to manage a Premier League club, but was fired less than three months later. He returned to MLS, managing Los Angeles FC and Toronto FC.

8. Flip Saunders (1955 - 2015)

With an HPI of 36.46, Flip Saunders is the 8th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders (February 23, 1955 – October 25, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards.

9. Michael Malone (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 36.05, Michael Malone is the 9th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Michael Malone (born September 15, 1971) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He had also been the head coach of the Sacramento Kings in 2013–2014. Malone previously served as an assistant coach of the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, and Golden State Warriors.

10. Steve Sampson (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 35.40, Steve Sampson is the 10th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mark Stephen Sampson (born January 19, 1957) is an American soccer coach. He is also the former head coach of both the United States men's national team and the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer.

People

Pantheon has 15 people classified as American coaches born between 1936 and 1974. Of these 15, 12 (80.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living American coaches include Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Richard Williams. The most famous deceased American coaches include John Madden, Bob Knight, and Flip Saunders. As of April 2024, 5 new American coaches have been added to Pantheon including Richard Williams, Michael Malone, and Quin Snyder.