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Every American football coach and player’s dream is to be victorious in their pursuit of NFL glory. Whether it’s achieving a perfect season or winning the NFL Super Bowl, it all stems from coaching the best players by the best staff. We know full well the players get it done on the field, but coaches of each team have to manage hundreds of players, create various playbooks and even analyze potential opponents during some of the hardest games of the season.
We want to give some of the best NFL coaches some credit, which is why we outlined the top 5 most winningest NFL coaches by overall number of wins. Remember that some of the coaches on this list may have slight differences in their win percentages, but to stay consistent, we rank the five most winningest NFL coaches by their win tallies alone.
Coming in first on the list is Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys. Landry, a former WWII veteran, would coach the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 before retiring. Drafted to the New York Giants early in his football career, Landry was special to the game and became an All-Pro in 1954.
With a win percentage of 60.7%, Landry would set a record for the Cowboys being the only NFL team in history to record 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966 to 1985.
He led the Cowboys on a rampant run of Super Bowl victories throughout 1971, 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1979. As the man who single-handedly defined the 4-3 defense formation, Tom Landry would secure one NFL Coach of the Year award, be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and be selected as coach for the NFL 100th anniversary all-time team.
Next up on the list is Andy Reid, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012 and the current Kansas City Chiefs coach since 2013. As the current 2024 Super Bowl title holder for the Kansas City Chiefs, Reid would nurture an impressive overall win rate of 64.1%.
Reid was very analytical and got his first assistant coaching gig with the Green Bay Packers in 1992. Once coach of the Eagles in 1999, he did not win any Super Bowl trophies but inherently improved the overall football nature and playstyle of Philadelphia’s team.
After suffering a major 42-7 loss against the Giants, Reid transitioned his expertise over to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013. Reid is still the coach of the Chiefs to this day, accumulating three Super Bowl wins rapidly in 2020, then back to back in 2023 and 2024, effectively solidifying his status as one of the most winningest NFL coaches ever.
If you’ve heard of Tom Brady, you’ve heard of the legendary Bill Belichick, who coached both the Browns from 1991-1995 and the modern-day New England Patriots coach since 2000. Belichick would be unsuccessful in achieving any Super Bowl titles with the Cleveland Browns but settled with a 64.7% win rate throughout his time at the New England Patriots.
Under Belichick’s rule, the Patriots would be the only team in NFL history to finish the season with 16 games undefeated in 2007, although they fell short in the Super Bowl Championship to the New York Giants. This wouldn’t deter his accomplishments, as Belichick would win 11 AFC Championships and strike fear in the hearts of all future opponents by winning three consecutive Super Bowls in 2004, 2005 and 2006, before winning three more in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
With stats like these (no ties included), Bill Belichick is one of the most winningest NFL coaches, and for good reason.
Early-time Chicago Bears coach George Halas is next up on our list of the top 5 most winningest NFL coaches, finishing his coaching career with an overall win percentage of 68.2%. The former New York Yankees player was nicknamed “Mr. Everything” and even founded the Chicago Bears, managing the team from 1920-1929, 1933-1942, 1946-1955 and 1958-1967.
Back in this era, the NFL Super Bowl wasn’t conducted like today. Since 1933, George Halas and the Chicago Bears would finish 1st in the APFA one time, 1st in the NFL West eight times and first in the NFL National once. It’s so secret that Halas was an extremely successful coach, as he’d help the Bears consistently win the NFL Championship starting in 1921, then again in 1933, 1940, 1941, 1946 and 1963, solidifying his stature as one of the most winningest NFL coaches of all time.
Don Shula, the most winningest NFL coach in history, managed the Baltimore (Indianapolis) Colts from 1963 to 1969, winning one of his Super Bowl trophies in 1968. In 1970, he joined the Miami Dolphins until retiring in 1995. His coaching record is the most prestigious of all time in American Football history and ended his legacy with a 67.7% win rate.
If these numbers aren’t enough already, Shula accumulated three Super Bowl titles consecutively from 1972 to 1974 before winning again in 1983 and 1985. He effectively introduced a new style of offensive coaching, particularly focusing on passing plays to overwhelm the opposition’s defensive lines. The most memorable thing about Shula’s career is most certainly his involvement in leading the Miami Dolphins to a perfect 17-0 season record and winning SuperBowl VII.
Even after his last Super Bowl victory in 1985, Shula would only ever record one losing record, although he’d never again see a Super Game in his career with the Dolphins, but would make his mark as one of, if not the most winningest NFL coach of all time.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.