What name comes to mind when you think of a great coach in sports, past or present? There are names that come to mind when I think of great coaches in sports and they are, Nick Saban, who has won four national titles at Alabama and is probably the greatest coach in college football history, Bill Belichick and Greg Popovich, who both are other coaches who have won multiple titles at the highest level of competition. You could even throw in a name like Joe Torre.
There are also local Warren County coaches who have flashed greatness over the years, including Bobby Newby and Pedro Paz, who are among several other great coaches that have coached in Warren County.
All of these names I have mentioned, so far, have put, or are still putting in, the time and effort to become the greatest coach they can be. You can say what you want to about all of these coaches but one thing that can’t be questioned is their greatness and how they have made their mark in their respective sports.
There are many other coaches I could think of but I’ve narrowed it down to who I think the greatest players and coaches are in college football, college basketball, NFL and NBA, and why they deserve that honor.
College Football: Nick Saban, head coach of Alabama football (2007-present). Yes, you might dislike him if you’re any other fan of an SEC school, but the facts are simple. Saban is nothing but a winner. Before arriving in Tuscaloosa, Saban won a title in 2004 at LSU and since he has arrived in Tuscaloosa he has a 100-18 record with four national titles, has had two Heisman winners, and has won four SEC titles.
NFL: Vince Lombardi, head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi was as fierce as they come when it came to coaching. He won five titles in his nine years in Green Bay and had several Hall of Fame coaches from his coaching tree, including Dick Lebeau, who is currently an assistant coach on the Titans staff.
NBA: Phil Jackson, head coach of the Chicago Bulls (1991-98) and Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2011). Jackson was an 11-time NBA champion as a coach and won two as a player for the New York Knicks, who had the opportunity to coach legends, such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
College Basketball: John Wooden, UCLA basketball coach (1948-1975). Wooden was a six-time coach of the year and had an overall record of 664-162. He also won 10 national titles while coaching the Bruins, including coaching legendary players Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton.