Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

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74_75_78_79_
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Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

Starting with that 'de facto' title game in 1932, here's the list to pick from...(apologies in-advance for any errors)...

Ralph Jones - '32 Bears
Potsy Clark - '35 Lions
Hunk Anderson/Luke Johnsos - '43 Bears
Adam Walsh - '45 Rams
Jimmy Conzelman - '47 Cardinals
Joe Stydahar - '51 Rams
Jim Lee Howell - '56 Giants
George Wilson - '57 Lions
Buck Shaw - '60 Eagles
Blanton Collier - '64 Browns
Hank Stram - '69 Chiefs
Don McCafferty - '70 Colts
John Madden - '76 Raiders
Mike Ditka - '85 Bears
Barry Switzer - '95 Cowboys
Mike Holmgren - '96 Packers
Dick Vermeil - '99 Rams
Brian Billick - '00 Ravens
Jon Gruden - '02 Buccaneers
Bill Cowher - '05 Steelers
Tony Dungy - '06 Colts
Mike Tomlin - '08 Steelers
Sean Payton - '09 Saints
Mike McCarthy - '10 Packers
John Harbaugh - '12 Ravens
Pete Carroll - '13 Seahawks
Gary Kubiak - '15 Broncos
Doug Pederson - '17 Eagles

A real, REAL tough exercise ahead!
BD Sullivan
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by BD Sullivan »

Conzelman
Shaw
Collier
Madden
Vermeil
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

BD Sullivan wrote:Conzelman
Shaw
Collier
Madden
Vermeil
Madden, Vermeil, and Collier were my first thoughts actually. But thought of Cowher and Holmgren next to round things out only to replace the latter with Dungy instead. But then I thought of Shaw, who's resume isn't too un-parallel with Vermeil. Conzelman I didn't think of until I read your list, but perhaps I should have. A bit journeyman-like but of course in a (better than) good way! Practically everywhere he went, albeit as a player/HC or strictly a HC, he did rather well.

Pete Carroll not a bad thought either (razor-close to being a back-to-back champ). Only had that one year with Jets, timing couldn't have been worse following Tuna in NE (better stint than Belichick with Browns, though), but we get to truly see him in Seattle and he can only build his legacy further if he sticks around enough. John Harbaugh...the best may be yet to come for him as well.
lastcat3
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by lastcat3 »

Bwhahahahaha…...Barry Switzer is on that list.
Saban1
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by Saban1 »

Conzelman
Shaw
Collier
Vermeil
Cowher
SixtiesFan
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by SixtiesFan »

I recall reading about John Madden being seen during his Raider tenure as a lightweight as a head coach. On the Raiders Madden had no say on who "comes and goes." Al Davis decided drafting, trades, free agent signings, and who was cut.

On the other hand, Madden had to handle in the locker room more head cases than a shrink. On balance, John Madden probably doesn't make this list on his coaching alone.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

I’ll go with Madden, Vermeil, Shaw, Collier, and Cowher.

Yes, Al had quite the heavier hand in things but what all else Madden had to do, and that was to coach-up who he had, he had an undeniably remarkable run. “Just one” Ring, but it was the likes of Shula’s very best Dolphin teams and Noll’s Steelers (and Stram’s Chiefs in the very beginning) that made it... “just one”. Such real thick competition in the AFC during his time yet left with quite the win %age, and plenty of AFCC-berths! Franco & Rocky out in ’76? Yes, it at least deserves mere mention but even as a Steeler-fan I feel the Raiders winning anyway wouldn’t be a surprise. They were due that year plus it’s not as if Steelers beat them decisively every time they played them up until that very AFCC. From the ’72 opener going into that game, the ’Burgh was up just 4-3; with Raiders of course beating them in the ’76 opener.

EDIT - actually, it was Pitt up 5-3. Either way, still a real even series of games with many that easily could have gone the other way.
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Bryan
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by Bryan »

Vermiel is a bit different in that he rebuilt three different franchises into 'winners'...Eagles, Rams, Chiefs.
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TanksAndSpartans
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by TanksAndSpartans »

I like Potsy Clark for the top 5. When he took over the Spartans, he only kept a handful of players from the losing 1930 team and challenged for the title in '31 (Without playoffs, the Spartans didn’t get to play the champion Packers and finished second - they actually felt they had a game set up to close the season, but the Packers felt otherwise). In ’32, they played for the title and lost. They were also very good in ’34. I guess the argument against him would be he wasn’t successful with a different team.
BD Sullivan
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Re: Top-5 HCs to win just one championship game?

Post by BD Sullivan »

Saw a local TV show last night in which Brian Sipe was being interviewed. He indicated that it was Blanton Collier (who was working with QB's in training camp after his retirement) who was one of his biggest supporters--considering he entered the 1972 camp as a 6-foot 13th round pick. The Browns put Sipe on the taxi squad that year, but he managed to stay with the team and eventually took over after Mike Phipps plateaued.

I recall reading years ago that Collier wasn't too enamored with Phipps, who he believed didn't want to put in the time to improve. In Phipps' defense, the Browns did crater in 74-75 and he got injured in the 76 opener and never saw the field again (I think) for the Browns before being traded to the Bears.
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