As a huge fan of college football, I'm curious about the coaches. Which college football coach holds the record for the most wins?
The record for the most wins by a college football coach is currently held by John Gagliardi. He was the head coach at St. John's University in Minnesota. During his career, which spanned from 1953 to 2012, Gagliardi amassed an impressive 489 wins. This is the most by any coach in college football history, regardless of division.
It's also worth noting that the coach with the most wins in Division I football is Joe Paterno, who coached at Penn State from 1966 until 2011. He recorded 409 wins during his career. However, due to NCAA sanctions stemming from a scandal, 111 of Paterno's wins were initially vacated; they were later reinstated, bringing his official total back to 409.
So, if you're counting all divisions of college football, John Gagliardi has the record, and if you're looking at Division I only, Joe Paterno holds the record.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.