The Most Famous
COACHES from United States
This page contains a list of the greatest American Coaches. The pantheon dataset contains 328 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 (1945 - )
With an HPI of 61.13, Phil Jackson is the most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 36 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 NBA, winning NBA 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 on June 28, 2017.
2. Gregg Popovich (1949 - )
With an HPI of 56.93, Gregg Popovich is the 2nd most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 27 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. John Madden (1936 - 2021)
With an HPI of 49.72, John Madden is the 3rd 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 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 100 games. 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 of all time. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
4. Bob Bradley (1958 - )
With an HPI of 45.10, Bob Bradley is the 4th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.
Robert Frank Bradley (born March 3, 1958) is an American soccer coach who is currently manager of Norwegian club Stabæk. 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 then managed Egypt. 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.
5. Bill Belichick (1952 - )
With an HPI of 41.95, Bill Belichick is the 5th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American football coach. 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 the record of 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, he 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. He 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 New England 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 he left the Patriots, Belichick was the NFL's longest-tenured active head coach. He has the most playoff coaching wins all-time with 31 and ranks third in regular season coaching wins in the NFL with 302. In addition, Belichick is in second place for combined regular season and postseason wins, and also second place for most regular season coaching wins with one franchise. He 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, and is the only active head coach on the latter team.
6. Bob Knight (1940 - 2023)
With an HPI of 38.04, Bob Knight is the 6th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Robert Montgomery Knight (October 25, 1940 – November 1, 2023) was an American men's college basketball coach. Often referred to as Bobby Knight and 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 Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000. He also coached the Texas Tech Red Raiders (2001–2008) and Army Black Knights (1965–1971). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. While at Army, Knight 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 2022–23 season, the last team to be undefeated National Champions. Knight sparked controversy with his outspoken nature and his volatility. He once threw a chair across the court during a game and was ejected, was once arrested following a physical confrontation with a police officer, and engaged in verbal conflicts with members of the press. After Knight was accused of choking an Indiana player during practice in an incident that was recorded on video, the university instituted a "zero tolerance" policy specifically for Knight. Following a subsequent run-in with a student, Knight was fired in the fall of 2000. He went on to coach at Texas Tech, mostly without incident, from 2001 to 2008. In the seven full seasons that Knight coached the Red Raiders, 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. Knight remains "the object of near fanatical devotion" from many of his former players and Indiana fans. Knight was also successful on the international stage. In 1984, he coached the U.S. men's Olympic team to a gold medal, becoming one of only three basketball coaches to win an NCAA title, an NIT title, and an Olympic gold medal. In 2008, Knight joined ESPN as a men's college basketball studio analyst during Championship Week and for coverage of the NCAA Tournament. He continued covering college basketball for ESPN through the 2014–15 season. 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.
7. Billy Donovan (1965 - )
With an HPI of 35.03, Billy Donovan is the 7th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
William John Donovan Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. Before moving to the NBA, he served as the head basketball coach at the University of Florida from 1996 to 2015, and led his Florida Gator teams to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007, as well as an NCAA championship appearance in 2000. Donovan was born and raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island, New York, where he played basketball at St. Agnes Cathedral High School. He was the starting point guard for Rick Pitino's Providence College squad and led the Friars to the 1987 Final Four. As such, he is one of only four men (Dean Smith, Joe B. Hall and Bobby Knight being the others) to appear in the NCAA Final Four as a player and win the NCAA national championship as a coach. After college, Donovan spent the 1987–88 and 1988–89 basketball seasons split between the developmental Continental Basketball Association and the NBA's New York Knicks, who were led by his former college coach, Rick Pitino. Donovan ended his professional basketball career in 1989 and briefly worked as a Wall Street stock broker before following Pitino to his new job at the University of Kentucky. Donovan served as an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball from 1989 to 1993, working his way from an unpaid graduate assistant to top assistant coach and lead recruiter under Pitino. He accepted his first head coaching position at Marshall University in 1994 and led the Thundering Herd to a 35–20 record over two seasons. Donovan was hired to revive Florida's basketball program in 1996. After two losing seasons, while he rebuilt the roster with a national recruiting effort, Donovan's Gators began a streak of sixteen straight 20-win seasons, a period in which his teams appeared in four Final Fours and won two NCAA championships. He is the winningest coach in program history, and he led his teams to more NCAA tournament appearances, NCAA tournament wins, and Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships than all of Florida's other basketball coaches combined. During Donovan's 19 years at Florida, he was often rumored to be a candidate for various NCAA and NBA head coaching positions. In June 2007, after leading the Gators to their second consecutive national title, he accepted an offer to become the head coach of the NBA's Orlando Magic. However, he immediately had second thoughts, and after a week, he persuaded the Magic to release him from his newly signed contract and allow him to return to Florida, where he remained for eight more seasons, and wouldn't make an NBA return until 2015. After 19 years at Florida, Donovan accepted an offer to coach the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder in April 2015. In his first season with the team, the Thunder were division winners and reached the Conference finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in seven games after building a 3–1 series lead. In subsequent seasons under Donovan, the Thunder finished with winning records and never missed the playoffs but were unable to progress past the first round. He was named the NBA Coach's Association Coach of the Year after the 2019–20 season, but after a discussion with the Thunder front office regarding the "future direction of the team", he left by mutual agreement and accepted an offer to coach the Chicago Bulls in September 2020.
8. Flip Saunders (1955 - 2015)
With an HPI of 34.11, 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. Steve Sampson (1957 - )
With an HPI of 32.57, Steve Sampson is the 9th 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.
10. Fred Hoiberg (1972 - )
With an HPI of 23.17, Fred Hoiberg is the 10th most famous American Coach. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg (born October 15, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played college basketball at Iowa State University in Ames where he earned the nickname "The Mayor". He was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) where, over his ten year career, he played for the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota Timberwolves. After retiring as a player, he served as vice president for basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves before beginning his coaching career at his alma mater, Iowa State University. He was there from 2010 to 2015 before going on to coach in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls from 2015 to 2018.
Pantheon has 10 people classified as coaches born between 1936 and 1972. Of these 10, 7 (70.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living coaches include Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Bob Bradley. The most famous deceased coaches include John Madden, Bob Knight, and Flip Saunders. As of April 2022, 3 new coaches have been added to Pantheon including John Madden, Bob Knight, and Billy Donovan.
Living Coaches
Go to all Rankings
Phil Jackson
1945 - Present
HPI: 61.13
Gregg Popovich
1949 - Present
HPI: 56.93
Bob Bradley
1958 - Present
HPI: 45.10
Bill Belichick
1952 - Present
HPI: 41.95
Billy Donovan
1965 - Present
HPI: 35.03
Steve Sampson
1957 - Present
HPI: 32.57
Fred Hoiberg
1972 - Present
HPI: 23.17
Deceased Coaches
Go to all RankingsNewly Added Coaches (2022)
Go to all RankingsJohn Madden
1936 - 2021
HPI: 49.72
Bob Knight
1940 - 2023
HPI: 38.04
Billy Donovan
1965 - Present
HPI: 35.03
Which Coaches were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Coaches since 1700.
