Nick Saban didn’t have to win a seventh national championship to get his name on the list of the best active coaches in American sport, although his most recent title guarantees him that he is considered the best of the best.
Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 to win the 13th title in their history Monday night, the sixth time they have been crowned under Saban in the past 12 years. The championship gave Saban an edge over another legendary Alabama coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, the most by any coach in the AP poll era (since 1936).
Saban took the reins of the Crimson Tide for the 2007 season, creating a modern college football dynasty that is unprecedented. His status as one of the greatest coaches of all time is indisputable, but he is not the only one who has made his mark in the field of sport and its best coaches in recent times.
With that in mind, we provide a ranking of the best current coaches in American sport, adding European football as a comparison tool among the leagues that Spanish-speaking fans are passionate about.
1. Bill Belichick
We can’t talk about the greatest dynasties since the turn of the century without mentioning Bill Belichik’s New England Patriots, who have won six Super Bowls since 2001 to tie the Steelers the most in history.
During that period, Belichik and the Patriots missed the post-season just three times, including this season when they were hit by the departure of quarterback Tom Brady and the details created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Regardless, Belichik’s place is secure as one of the best coaches in NFL history and is currently setting the bar as number one on the list.
2. Nick Saban
Maintaining excellence in professional sports is a daunting challenge for any coach, but it goes hand in hand with the decisions and vision of the management of the franchise in question. In college sports, the story is different, and no coach plays the game of recruiting like Saban, who turned the Crimson Tide into a title machine and elite player factory for the NFL.
Alabama’s six championships in 12 seasons is the shortest time to win six national titles in college football, surpassing Alabama’s previous 19-season season from 1961-79, and Saban is the first head coach to win a national championship in 3 several decades (2000, 2010, 2020).
In 14 seasons in Alabama, Saban has a .881 win rate with six national titles, seven SEC titles, finishing in the top 5 in the AP poll nine times during that period.
3. Jurgen Klopp
No manager has recently left his mark on a club like Klopp in Liverpool, returning the team to glory after a lethargy that saw them give way to some of their most staunch rivals in English football, and Europe in general.
Champions League and Premier League titles in consecutive seasons sealed their place as an important figure in the history of the Reds, who remain in position to win more in 2021, despite a series of injuries that affected their performance in the first seasons. part of the current season.
4. Geno Auriemma
With regard to Saban and Alabama, when it comes to recent dynasties in larger college sports, nothing compares to Auriemma’s achievements leading the Connecticut Lady Huskies in women’s basketball in college.
Under Auriemma, the Huskies have won eleven national titles, including six in eight seasons from 2009-2016, when Auriemma John Wooden (11-10) won the most titles for the most titles by a coach in the history of college basketball ( men and women) and the Huskies made history as the first Division I women’s team to win four consecutive national championships.
During those years, several of the greatest players in history have passed Storrs, such as Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles. Let’s not forget the three Olympic medals (Sidney 2000, London 2012 and Rio 2016) that lead the mighty US squad.
5. Mike Krzyzewski
While Auriemma has made his mark on the women’s side of college basketball, Coach K excelled in the men’s side, not only as one of the best today, but arguably the best in history, possibly sharing the throne with the legendary. Wooden from UCLA.
Since 1980, no team has won more collegiate championships (5) or played in more Final Fours (12) than Duke. During that time, Krzyzewski became the first coach to achieve 1,000 Division I wins, earning the respect and admiration of thousands of players in the process, including the NBA leading to gold in three editions of the Olympics (Beijing). 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016).
6. Pep Guardiola
For many, Catalan is still the standard when it comes to the best technicians in the world. Innovative and emulated, Guardiola would be chosen by the vast majority to run their respective clubs if money and competition weren’t factors.
Guardiola currently has the dual motivation to achieve the European Champions League success that Manchester City crave, in addition to reclaiming the Premier League scepter that Liverpool stole from him in 2019/20 after winning consecutive championships from 2017 to 2019.
7. Diego Simeone
No coach in the world would be more valuable to his club than Cholo Simeone for Atlético Madrid. During his time as coach of the colchoneros, Simeone has won seven titles, including a LaLiga title in 2013-14, and year after year they present a quality team that competes with the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona despite a limited budget. very inferior, which is a remarkable achievement in itself.
Atlético reached two Champions League finals under Simeone and both times fell tight against their rivals in Madrid in matches very close to victory, and their best moment in 2020 was to knock out defending champions Liverpool in the round of 16. As Simeone evolves in offensive tactics, the club’s defense remains the best in Europe, allowing Cholo and his team to compete for titles in 2021.
8. Gregg Popovich
While Pop was a contemporary who many think is the best coach in NBA history at Phil Jackson, the San Antonio Spurs coach’s resume speaks for itself of his impact and legacy on the game.
Pop double hats from management to court to help create and maintain the impressive play that saw Spurs qualify for the postseason in 22 consecutive seasons, winning five titles in the process. That consistency is unparalleled in the NBA, and it helped him earn the admiration of a generation of players who put him in his own league among today’s best coaches.
9. Terry Francona
While Francona is remembered by many as the Red Sox manager who finally put an end to the ‘Curse of the Bambino’, it is his time at the helm of Cleveland that has solidified his cause as one of the best in the sport.
Francona has adapted his philosophy and game moves to put his players in the best position to win. He led Cleveland to the postseason in five of his eight seasons, one victory away from winning the World Series in 2016, despite playing back and forth from players typical of the small market team. If we think about that, 2021 will be a big challenge for Francona and his squad, following the recent transaction that brought the face of the franchise, Francisco Lindor, to the Mets.
10. José Mourinho
While the Portuguese manager’s greatest triumphs seem to be further in the past each season, his media presence on and off the field is unparalleled in European football.
Mourinho took up the challenge to coach Tottenham in November 2019, replacing another star in Argentina’s Mauricio Pochettino. Mou threw his hat into the middle of the English game that his rivals Guardiola and Kloop have dominated the last campaigns. And while the path to Hotspur’s glory is not guaranteed, the figure of Mourinho gives them a presence that transcends the sport to lead their project at a time when the bet is somehow unsafe.