Super Bowl Coaches: Every Head Coach Appearance from 1967 to 1980
Part 1 of 4
The sheer spectacle of the Super Bowl can sometimes overshadow just how hard it is for a team and its coaching staff to get ready to play on Super Bowl Sunday. It is a huge achievement in modern sports just to reach the Super Bowl, let alone win it. There are exceptional NFL coaches who never got the chance to coach on Super Bowl Sunday. A coach’s ability to reach the Super Bowl makes up so much of his story. If anyone is discussing a specific NFL coach’s legacy, they ought to start with his jewelry.
How many rings does he have? How many times has that coach been there? Who did he lose to, or who did he beat?
Evaluating a coach and his team’s potential gives you an advantage when making a futures bet on a team’s odds of making the Super Bowl. There are many NFL bets to choose from and with that in mind, let’s take a look at the winning and losing coaches for every Super Bowl since Super Bowl I. Part one starts here with a look at the coaches in the first fourteen Super Bowls.
Super Bowl I (1967)
On January 15, 1967, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
Winning coach: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers.
It is safe to say that the Packers ended up winning this Super Bowl I game with relative ease, but do not forget that Lombardi had to conquer the Dallas Cowboys in the infamous Ice Bowl game to advance to the first-ever Super Bowl.
It seems poetic that the coach many would agree is the greatest football coach of all time is also the coach who won the first Super Bowl. Lombardi built a dynasty in his ten seasons in Green Bay, and he has been the gold standard ever since.
Losing coach: Hank Stram, Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite being beaten handily in this game, Stram and the Chiefs were a great team and had a bright future. They were 11–2–1 in the season going into Super Bowl Sunday and were only down four points at halftime. This would, of course, not be his only shot at a Super Bowl ring. Like Lombardi, Stram and the Chiefs had already won titles in their respective league before the creation of the Super Bowl – with AFL championship titles in 1962 and 1966.
Super Bowl II (1968)
On January 14, 1968, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders 33-14.
Winning coach: Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers.
And another Super Bowl for Lombardi and the Packers. Over ten seasons, Lombardi’s record as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers was an astonishing 105-35-6.
Not only did he win the first two Super Bowls, but Lombardi also had three NFL titles before the creation of the Super Bowl (1961, 1962, 1965). He won championships in five of the ten years he coached. Keep in mind, the season before he took the head coaching job, the Packers were an NFL-worst 1–10–1.
Losing coach: John Rauch, Oakland Raiders. This Raiders team was 13–1 coming into the Super Bowl and had just smashed the Houston Oilers by 33 points in the AFL Championship game. Super Bowl Sunday proved that the Packers were just too much for Rauch and the Raiders.
Super Bowl III (1969)
On January 12th at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL, the New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7.
Winning coach: Weeb Ewbank, New York Jets.
Ewbank and the Jets surprised the football world by winning Super Bowl III. The Colts were heavily favored in the Super Bowl betting Odds. Still, New York quarterback Joe Namath carried them to victory after personally guaranteeing he would do so a couple of days prior. Winning Super Bowl III with the Jets made Weeb Ewbank the only coach to win titles in the NFL and the AFL (Baltimore 58’-59’).
Losing coach: Don Shula, Baltimore Colts.
The Colts may have been favored in this game and lost, but Don Shula wouldn’t give up on winning a Super Bowl. He coached for an astounding 33 seasons and won 347 games as a head coach. He was also the only coach to lead two different teams to their first Super Bowl appearance.
Super Bowl IV (1970)
On January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, LA, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated Minnesota Vikings 23-7.
Winning coach: Hank Stram, Kansas City Chiefs.
Stram had an incredible career as a coach – winning 131 games, two AFL titles (1962, 1966), and Super Bowl IV. Winning this game handily, helping erase the memory of their Super Bowl I loss to the Packers. It also marked the second year in a row that bettors won big by taking the underdog on the Super Bowl moneyline.
Losing coach: Bud Grant, Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings entered this one with the best record in the league at 12-2, but the Chiefs were just too much. Grant never won a Super Bowl ring but had a winning record as the Viking coach from 1967 to 1985.
Super Bowl V (1971)
On January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, FL, the Baltimore Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys 16-13.
Winning coach: Don McCafferty, Baltimore Colts.
McCafferty had big coaching shoes to fill when Don Shula left Baltimore, but he made quick work of the position and won a Super Bowl. He did so without Johnny Unitas in the second half and not having the lead going into the fourth quarter.
McCafferty’s coaching career was short by comparison, only coaching two and half seasons and finishing his career 28-17-2 overall and 4-1 in the playoffs.
Losing coach: Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys.
This was a game the Cowboys should have won, but Landry would be back to redeem himself. After all, this was just one of his five Super Bowl appearances as coach of the Cowboys.
Super Bowl VI (1972)
On January 16, 1972, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at Tulane Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-3.
Winning coach: Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys returned to the Super Bowl the following year with a mission and accomplished it with Landry leading the charge. This was the first of two Super Bowl rings Landry would win as a coach. The man, and his hat, had an important hand in building the Cowboys into America’s team.
He won 250 games as an NFL coach and 20 in the playoffs.
Losing coach: Don Shula, Miami Dolphins.
Shula and his Dolphins were no match for the Cowboys during this championship game. The speed with which he brought Miami to the Super Bowl was noticed by the NFL and its fans; however, they were still a new franchise, and it showed.
Super Bowl VII (1973)
On January 14, 1973, in Los Angeles, CA, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7.
Winning coach: Don Shula, Miami Dolphins.
Just like that, Shula won his first Super Bowl and led the Dolphins to their first franchise title. They became the first team to go undefeated during the NFL regular season and the only team to go undefeated in the season and win the Super Bowl. It had only been three years since he took the Baltimore Colts to the Super Bowl, and now he had taken two different teams to the NFL Championship Game in a three-year window.
Shula won 328 games as an NFL coach – the most ever. He is likely your favorite coach’s favorite coach.
Losing coach: George Allen, Washington Redskins.
Sadly, George Allen never won a Super Bowl ring, but he certainly got close. In seven years as the head coach for the Washington Redskins, Allen had a winning record in all seven seasons. In fact, he never had a losing season as a head coach.
His overall record was 67-30 when he retired. He ranked 10th in all-time wins and is a well-deserved member of the Hall of Fame.
Super Bowl VIII (1974)
On January 13, 1974, in Houston, TX, at Rice Stadium, the Miami Dolphins defeated the Minnesota Vikings 24-7.
Winning coach: Don Shula, Miami Dolphins.
In a rare turn of events for the NFL, Shula and the Dolphins won a second-straight Super Bowl. Don Shula should be discussed with the likes of Lombardi and Belichick – he coached a perfect season, and he has the most wins of any coach in NFL history. NFL bookies are lucky there was no online Super Bowl betting back then, as the Dolphins easily covered the 6½ points
Losing coach: Bud Grant, Minnesota Vikings.
The Dolphins were heavily favored going into this game, so the result was not a surprise. Fran Tarkenton and the Vikings put up a good fight but were no match for Miami.
Super Bowl IX (1975)
On January 12 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at Tulane Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings 16-6.
Winning coach: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Super Bowl IX was the first title for the franchise and marked the beginning of The Steel Curtain dynasty for the Steelers organization. Noll put together a seriously talented team. Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense did not allow Minnesota’s offense to score, and the only Viking points came on a blocked punt from their defense.
Losing coach: Bud Grant, Minnesota Vikings.
Frustrated by losing again in the Super Bowl, Grant voiced himself angrily after the game: “There were three bad teams out there – us, Pittsburgh, and the officials.” The Steelers defense was timeless, but from Minnesota’s perspective, the buck has to stop somewhere. Not getting a single point from your offense does not work. The lack of scoring helped any Super Bowl parlay bettor with the favorite and the under cash in their ticket.
Super Bowl X (1976)
On January 18, 1976, in Miami, FL, at the Orange Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21-17.
Winning coach: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Noll and the Iron Curtain Steelers won again, defending their world champion title. This would be Noll’s second Super Bowl ring, with more to come. Noll’s Steeler teams went to the Super Bowl four times in six years and won all four times.
Noll won 193 games as a head coach and was 16-8 in the playoffs.
Losing coach: Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys.
The Steelers had become a must-watch team. Since the Cowboys are America’s Team, it should come as no surprise that 57.7 million people watched this game, making it the most-watched Super Bowl at the time. Landry and the ‘Boys just did not create any sustainable offense, as their top rusher had only 56 yards.
Super Bowl XI (1977)
On January 9, 1977, in Pasadena, CA, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the Oakland Raiders defeated Minnesota Vikings 32-14.
Winning coach: John Madden, Oakland Raiders.
John Madden coached the Raiders for ten years and averaged ten wins a season. His 103-32-7 overall record makes his winning percentage the second-best in NFL history. Even his playoff record at 9-7 is solid. For how much success Madden had as a coach, it’s almost a surprise he walked away with only one ring.
Losing coach: Bud Grant, Minnesota Vikings.
You have to hand it to Grant; he would not give up. However, letting the Raiders score on three consecutive unanswered positions in the Super Bowl is just not going to get it done. Sadly, he and the Vikings weren’t able to pull it off on that day, nor any other Super Bowl Sunday. Grant remained winless in his Super Bowl appearances, nor did his teams cover the Super Bowl point spread in any of those games.
Super Bowl XII (1978)
On January 15, in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Louisiana Superdome, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos 27-10.
Winning coach: Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys.
This was the second Super Bowl Championship ring for Landry. As a whole, his record in the Super Bowl is 2–3. Of the five he coached, he won both games that took place in New Orleans and lost all three games that took place in Miami.
Losing coach: Red Miller, Denver Broncos.
Red Miller did not have a long NFL coaching career, despite some very early success. He came onboard in 1997 as the Broncos head coach. In 1978 they made it to the Super Bowl. In 1979 they made it to AFC divisional; in 1980, they made it to the wild card playoff game, and then they went 8-8. That got Miller fired. He bounced around the United States Football League (USFL) but never again coached in the NFL.
Super Bowl XIII (1979)
On January 21, 1979, in Miami, Florida, at the Orange Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 35-31.
Winning coach: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers.
This win on Super Bowl Sunday was the third Super Bowl Championship that Noll won with this team in five years. He was not just a great on-field leader; Noll was known and respected for his recruiting and drafting abilities. Those skills played an essential role in building this dynasty organically.
Losing coach: Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys.
This was the last Super Bowl that Landry would see. He never could figure out how to beat Chuck Noll and the Steelers. The quality of his Cowboy teams may have fallen off after this season, but Landry’s career is still a work of art, and he has a well-deserved spot in the Hall of Fame.
The most famous of all Cowboys coaches, he finished his NFL career with 20-straight winning seasons and a total of 260 wins.
Super Bowl XIV (1980)
On January 20, 1980, in Pasadena, California, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19.
Winning coach: Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers.
This was not the prettiest or most dominant win for Pittsburgh, but they did end up covering the NFL spread, and Terry Bradshaw was still awarded the Super Bowl MVP. This sealed the second time that the team won back-to-back Super Bowl championships and the fourth victory for the Noll-led Steelers in six years.
Losing coach: Ray Malavasi, Los Angeles Rams.
The Super Bowl odds heavily favored the Steelers in this one, and the Rams team shocked many people by maintaining a competitive edge in this battle. There were seven lead changes throughout the game, and Los Angeles often looked like the winning team. Malavasi and the Rams led 13-10 at the half and 19-17 at the end of the third quarter, and live Super Bowl betting odds probably favored the Rams at that time.
However, the fourth quarter is where champions are made, and their lead was not enough to defeat the cagey Steeler veterans. Rallying behind Noll and Bradshaw, Pittsburgh never gave in and retained the crown at the end of the game.
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