This is a list of college football head coaches with non–consecutive tenure, meaning that an individual was a head coach at a college or university for a period, departed, and then returned to the same college or university in the same capacity.
This list includes only head coaches. This list does not include head coaches whose break in tenure was due to a temporarily suspended football program for the Second World War and with no other coach during the break in tenure. It also does not include coaches that left and returned into an administrative capacity in the title of "head coach" but did not coach any games, such as when Tom Osborne temporarily named himself head coach while Athletic Director for the Nebraska Cornhuskers until Bo Pelini was hired in 2007.[1]
Head Coach | School/Team | Tenure | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Eli Abbott | Alabama | 1893–1895, 1902 | |
A. A. Abraham | Alcorn State | 1936, 1938, 1941–1942 | |
Hobbs Adams | Kansas State | 1940–1941, 1946 | |
George E. Allen | Maine | 1941, 1946–1948 | |
William Allen | Washington State | 1900, 1902 | |
Carl "Swede" Anderson | Western Kentucky | 1929, 1934–1937 | |
Eddie Anderson | Holy Cross | 1933–1938, 1950–1964 | |
Iowa | 1939–1942, 1946–1949 | ||
Phillip Arbuckle | Rice | 1912–1917, 1919–1923 | |
Chris Ault | Nevada | 1976–1992, 1994–1995, 2004–present | |
D. M. Balliet | Purdue | 1893–1895, 1901 | |
Laurence Bankart | Colgate | 1910, 1913–1916 | |
T. L. Bayne | Tulane | 1893, 1895 | |
Matty Bell | Southern Methodist | 1935–1941, 1945–1949 | |
John R. Bender | Washington State | 1906–1907, 1912–1914 | |
Christie Benet | South Carolina | 1904–1905, 1908–1909 | |
Hugo Bezdek | Oregon | 1906, 1913–1917 | |
Dana X. Bible | Texas A&M | 1917, 1919–1928 | |
Bernie Bierman | Minnesota | 1932–1941, 1945–1950 | |
Bill Bloss | Oregon State | 1893, 1897 | |
Branch Bocock | Virginia Tech | 1909–1910, 1912–1915 | |
William & Mary | 1928–1930, 1936–1938 | ||
Stanley Borleske | North Dakota State | 1919–1921, 1923–1924, 1928 | Co–head coach with Casey Finnegan in 1928 |
Jimmy Bradshaw | Fresno State | 1936–1942, 1946 | |
Chester Brewer | Michigan State | 1903–1910, 1917, 1919 | |
Arthur Briggs | Missouri State | 1912, 1914–1917, 1919–1933 | |
Reuben Bronson | Idaho State | 1915–1916, 1919 | |
John Brown | Alabama State | 1943, 1945–1948 | |
Matthew Bullock | Massachusetts | 1904, 1907–1908 | |
Henry Butova | American International | 1948, 1952–1955 | |
Perrin Busbee | North Carolina State | 1892, 1896–1897 | |
Johnny Cain | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1937–1941, 1946 | |
Walter Camp | Stanford | 1892, 1894–1895 | |
V. M. Campbell | Memphis | 1917, 1919 | |
Jack Cannell | Dartmouth | 1921–1922, 1929–1933 | |
Gilbert Carson | Eastern Illinois | 1936–1937, 1939–1941 | |
Bill Church | Georgetown | 1899, 1901 | |
George Clark | Nebraska | 1945, 1948 | |
Louis Clark | Dayton | 1913, 1917–1918 | |
Tom Clark | Catholic | 1994–2000, 2004–2005 | |
Dean Cromwell | Southern California | 1909–1910, 1916–1918 | |
H. P. Cross | Stanford | 1896, 1898 | |
Mark Dean | Indiana State | 1951–1954, 1956 | |
James DeHart | Washington & Lee | 1922–1925, 1931–1932 | |
Hugh Devore | Notre Dame | 1945, 1963 | |
Marvin D. Dickinson | Georgia | 1903, 1905 | |
Chet Dillon | Samford | 1919, 1927–1928 | |
Jacksonville State | 1938–1939, 1945 | ||
Mike Donahue | Auburn | 1904–1906, 1908–1922 | |
Charles Dudley Daly | Army | 1913–1916, 1919–1922 | |
Moon Ducote | Spring Hill | 1919, 1921–1922, 1933–1934 | |
E. C. Duggins | Appalachian State | 1947–1950, 1952–1955 | |
John Dunlop | Boston College | 1897–1899, 1901 | |
Ron Dupree | Kansas Wesleyan | 1979–1980, 1996 | |
Schubert R. Dyche | Montana State | 1928–1935, 1938–1941 | |
Thomas Eck | Massachusetts | 1945, 1947–1951 | |
George R. Edwards | Kansas Wesleyan | 1914, 1917 | |
Harry Ely | Fordham | 1892, 1903 | |
Rex Enright | South Carolina | 1938–1942, 1946–1955 | |
Dennis Erickson | Idaho | 1982–1985, 2006 | 21 years between coaching periods |
Jack Faber | Maryland | 1935, 1940–1941 | |
Dave Fagg | Davidson | 1970–1973, 1990–1992 | |
Don Fambrough | Kansas | 1971–1974, 1979–1982 | |
Wells Farley | Maine | 1901, 1903 | |
Don Faurot | Missouri | 1935–1942, 1946–1956 | |
Doug Fessenden | Montana | 1935–1941, 1946–1948 | |
Fred Folsom | Colorado | 1895–1899, 1901–1902, 1908–1915 | |
Ted Forbes | California–Davis | 1949–1953, 1955 | |
Dixon Foster | South Carolina | 1917, 1919 | |
Red Floyd | Middle Tennessee | 1917, 1935–1938 | |
Dennis Franchione | Texas State | 1990–91, 2011–present | 20 years between coaching periods |
J. A. Gammons | Brown | 1902, 1908–1909 | |
Mike Gardner | Tabor | 2004–2005, 2010–present | |
Frank Gargan | Fordham | 1916, 1922–1926 | |
Rufus Gilbert | Kalamazoo | 1905, 1907–1908 | |
Ralph Graham | Wichita State | 1942, 1946–1947 | |
Ernest Graves, Sr. | Army | 1906, 1912 | |
James Griffin Sr. | Hampton | 1941–1942, 1947–1948 | |
John G. Griffith | Idaho | 1902–1906, 1910–1914 | |
Tom Hamilton | Navy | 1934–1936, 1946–1947 | |
Pittsburgh | 1951, 1954 | ||
A. G. Harbaugh | Montana State | 1901, 1905 | |
Jack Harding | Miami (Fla.) | 1937–1942, 1945–1947 | |
Walter Hargesheirner | Massachusetts | 1941–1942, 1946 | |
Harvey Harman | Rutgers | 1938–1941, 1946–1955 | |
Lyle W. Hare | Black Hills State | 1906, 1911–1919 | |
L. Harris | Alcorn State | 1937, 1939–1940 | |
Dick Harlow | Harvard | 1935–1942, 1945–1947 | |
Harry Hartsell | North Carolina State | 1917, 1921–1923 | |
Fred Hess | Wyoming | 1892, 1894, 1898 | Hess was co–head coach with Justus Soule in 1894. |
Nick E. Hinch | Eastern Washington | 1908, 1912 | |
Tony Hinkle | Butler | 1926, 1935–1941, 1946–1969 | |
Bill Hollenback | Penn State | 1909, 1911–1914 | |
George Hoskins | Bucknell | 1899–1906, 1909 | |
Henry B. Hucles | Virginia Union | 1919–1920, 1926–1942 | |
Harry W. Hughes | Colorado State | 1911–1941, 1946 | |
Claude J. Hunt | Washington | 1917, 1919 | |
John Hunthausen | Carroll College | 1957, 1959–1961 | [2] |
Edward Jackson | Delaware State | 1933–1936, 1939, 1941–1942, 1945, 1953–1956 | |
A. R. Kennedy | Washburn | 1903, 1916–1917 | |
William C. Kenyon | Maine | 1942, 1944–1945 | |
Bill Kern | West Virginia | 1940–1942, 1946–1947 | |
Eddie Kimball | Brigham Young | 1937–1941, 1946–1948 | |
Philip King | Wisconsin | 1896–1902, 1905 | |
James Kitts | Virginia Tech | 1941, 1946–1947 | |
Harl Lahar | Colgate | 1952–1956, 1962–1967 | |
Charles Lantz | Eastern Illinois | 1911–1917, 1919–1934, 1944 | |
Frank Leahy | Notre Dame | 1941–1943, 1946–1953 | |
John Lee | Fordham | 1891, 1893 | |
George Little | Miami (Ohio) | 1916, 1919–1921 | |
Will Lotter | California-Davis | 1954, 1956–1957, 1959–1963 | |
Johnny Majors | Pittsburgh | 1973–1976, 1993–1996 | |
Oliver Mann | Rutgers | 1903, 1905 | |
Wally Marks | Indiana State | 1927–1930, 1933–1941, 1946–1948 | |
Charles Mayser | Franklin & Marshall | 1919–1914 1924–1925 1944–1945 |
|
William McAvoy | Delaware | 1908–1916, 1922–1924 | |
Sam P. McBirney | Tulsa | 1908, 1914–1916 | |
Dan McCann | Duquesne | 1970–1983, 1988–1992 | |
Jack McClairen | Bethune-Cookman | 1961–1972, 1994–1997 | |
Sam McCorkle | Livingston/West Alabama | 1985–1990, 2004–2005 | |
Dan McGugin | Vanderbilt | 1904–1917, 1919–1934 | |
Tuss McLaughry | Dartmouth | 1941–1942, 1945–1954 | |
Westminster College | 1915–1916, 1918, 1921 | Co–head coach with Park in 1915 | |
Jack McKay | Butler | 1907–1908, 1910 | |
Tripp Merritt | Davidson | 2005–2007, 2009–present | |
Dennis Michie | Army | 1890, 1892 | |
John O. Miller | New Mexico State | 1899, 1901–1907 | |
Alfred Miles | Middle Tennessee | 1913–1916, 1919–1923 | |
T. R. Mobley | Louisiana-Lafayette | 1916, 1919, 1921–1930 | |
Jim Moore | Murray State | 1941, 1946–1947 | |
Edward Morrison | Howard | 1920–1924, 1928 | |
Ray Morrison | Southern Methodist | 1915–1916, 1924–1934 | |
Vanderbilt | 1918, 1935–1939 | ||
David C. Morrow | Washington & Jefferson | 1908–11, 1919–20, 1924–25 | [3] |
Moon Mullins | Saint Ambrose | 1940, 1947–1950 | [4] |
Frank Murray | Marquette | 1922–1936, 1946–1949 | |
Denny Myers | Boston College | 1941–1942, 1946–1950 | |
Howdy Myers | Johns Hopkins | 1946–1949, 1979 | Myers had a 30–year break in tenure at Johns Hopkins[5] |
Robert Neyland | Tennessee | 1926–1934, 1936–1940, 1946–1952 | |
Ralph Nichols | Washington | 1895–1896, 1898 | |
Harvey O'Brien | The Citadel | 1916–1918, 1920–1921 | |
Maynard O'Brien | Eastern Illinois | 1946–1950, 1952–1955 | |
Howie O'Daniels | Cal Poly | 1933–1941, 1946–1947 | |
Frank "Buck" O'Neill | Colgate | 1902, 1904–1905 | |
Syracuse | 1906–1907, 1913–1915, 1917–1919 | ||
Tex Oliver | Oregon | 1938–1941, 1945–1946 | |
Wallace Parker | Central Michigan | 1921–1923, 1926–1928 | |
Willie Parker | Alabama State | 1973–1975, 1984, 1986 | |
Mike Pecarovich | Loyola Marymount | 1928, 1939 | |
Bo Pelini | Nebraska | 2003, 2008–present | Pelini coached the final game (the Alamo Bowl) of the 2003 season after Frank Solich was fired. |
Marty Peters | Benedictine | 1937–1941, 1946–1947 | |
Alvin Pierson | Fresno State | 1945, 1949 | |
Boozer Pitts | Auburn | 1923–1924, 1927 | |
Frank Potts | Colorado | 1940, 1944–1945 | |
Irving Pray | Louisiana State | 1916, 1919, 1922 | |
Percy S. Prince | Louisiana Tech | 1909–1915, 1919 | |
Eddie Reed | Loyola (LA) | 1926, 1935–1936 | |
Red Reese | Eastern Washington | 1930–1941, 1946 | |
William Reid | Harvard | 1901, 1905–1906 | |
John Richards | Wisconsin | 1911, 1917, 1919–1922 | |
Walter Riggs | Clemson | 1896, 1899 | |
Mike Riley | Oregon State | 1997–1998, 2003–present | |
Eddie "Robbie" Robinson | Brown | 1898–1901, 1904–1907, 1910–1925 | |
John Robinson | Southern California | 1976–1982, 1993–1997 | |
Merton Robinson | Howard | 1908, 1918–1919 | |
Harry Rockafeller | Rutgers | 1927–1930, 1942–1945 | |
Ira Rodgers | West Virginia | 1925–1930, 1943–1945 | |
George Rogers | The Citadel | 1913–1915, 1919 | |
Frederick Bushnell "Jack" Ryder | Ohio State | 1892–1895, 1898 | |
Elton Rynearson | Eastern Michigan ("Michigan State Normal College" at the time) | 1917, 1919–1920, 1925–1948 | No season in 1944. |
Henry Russell Sanders | Vanderbilt | 1940–1942, 1946–1948 | |
Don Salls | Jacksonville State | 1946–1952, 1954–1964 | |
Herb Schmalenberger | California–Davis | 1958, 1964–1969 | |
Clark Shaughnessy | Maryland | 1942, 1946 | |
Tulane | 1915–1920, 1922–1926 | ||
Clarence A. Short | Delaware | 1902, 1906 | |
Fred Smith | Fordham | 1901, 1904, 1906–1907 | Smith was co–head coach with Maurice McCarthy in 1901. |
Warren W. Smith | Oregon | 1901, 1903 | |
Carl Snavely | North Carolina | 1934–1935, 1945–1952 | |
Norm Snead | Apprentice | 1977–1984, 1988–1989 | |
Bill Snyder | Kansas State | 1989–2005, 2009–present | |
Frank Spaziani | Boston College | 2006, 2009–present | Spaziani coached the final game (the Meineke Car Care Bowl) of the 2006 season after Tom O'Brien left. |
J. W. Stephenson | Jacksonville State | 1920–1921, 1929–1930 | |
Roy Stewart | Murray State | 1932–1940, 1942, 1944–1945 | |
Tony Storti | Montana State | 1952–1953, 1956–1957 | |
Arthur Strum | Indiana State | 1923–1926, 1932, 1942 | |
Fred Sullivan | Ohio | 1899, 1903 | |
Jim Sweeney | Fresno State | 1976–1977, 1980–1996 | |
Charles Tambling | Central Michigan | 1902–1905, 1918 | |
Jim Tatum | North Carolina | 1942, 1956–1958 | |
Buddy Teevens | Dartmouth | 1987–1991, 2005–present | |
Jesse Thomas | Western Kentucky | 1933, 1946–1947 | |
Mike Toop | Davidson | 2001–2004, 2008 | |
Merchant Marine | 2005–2007, 2009–present | ||
Thomas Trenchard | North Carolina | 1895, 1913–1915 | |
Washington & Lee | 1899, 1902 | ||
Otto D. Unruh | Bethel Threshers | 1919–1942, 1967–1969 | 25 years and nine other head coaches held the post between times of service, including his son David Unruh[6] |
Johnny Vaught | Mississippi | 1947–1970, 1973 | |
Wallace Wade | Duke | 1931–1941, 1946–1950 | |
Bill Walsh | Stanford | 1977–1978, 1992–1994 | |
W. Rice Warren | Virginia | 1913, 1920–1921 | |
Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner | Cornell | 1897–1898, 1904–1906 | |
Carlisle | 1899–1903, 1907–1914 | ||
Bob Williams | Clemson | 1906, 1909, 1913–1915 | |
C. H. Williams | Hampton | 1914–1917, 1919–1920 | |
Jimmy Wilson | Buffalo | 1932–1933, 1950–1951 | |
Edgar Wingard | Susquehanna | 1916–1917, 1919, 1924–1925 | |
Frank N. Wolf | Waynesburg | 1921–1922, 1928–1941 | |
James J. Yeager | Colorado | 1941–1943, 1946–1947 | |
Louis Yeager | West Virginia | 1899, 1901–1902 | |
Donzell Young | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | 1973–1975, 1984–1986 | |
Fielding H. Yost | Michigan | 1901–1923, 1925–1926 | |
Don Young | Black Hills State | 1948–1950, 1953–1958, 1967 |