Penn State head coach history: Top 5 coaches who made significant contributions to Nittany Lions' football program
The Penn State Nittany Lions have had several coaches make an impact on their program. However, five Penn State head coaches stand out among the 16 that have led the program so far.
While there is no debate for the top spot, take a look at the five top coaches in program history below.
#1 Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno has a case for the greatest coach in college football history. His 409 wins are the most in Division I history, while his 24 wins in bowl games are also an NCAA record.
Paterno, who was the Penn State head coach from 1966 until 2011, has an all-time record of 409-136-3. He has a record of 24-12-1 in bowl games, while being the first coach to ever win each of the four major bowl games.
Paterno led the Nittany Lions to two national championships and an additional four unbeaten seasons. He also won a plethora of coaching awards and was named the 1986 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. He remains the only college football coach to ever receive such honors.
Paterno was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
#2 Rip Engle
Rip Engle was the Penn State head coach directly before Joe Paterno, who worked on his staff, leading the program from 1950 until his retirement in 1965.
Engle is the only other Nittany Lions coach to reach the 100 win mark and had a record of 104-48-4. He was also 3-1 in bowl games. Engle was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1973.
#3 Bob Higgins
Bob Higgins was the Penn State head coach from 1930 until his retirement in 1948.
He fell just short of the 100 win mark, ending his career with a 91-57-11 record. Higgins was 0-0-1 in bowl games. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
#4 James Franklin (current Penn State head coach)
James Franklin is now in his 10th season as the Penn State head coach, having taken over the role in 2014. He is just the fifth coach to spend at least a decade in the position. The Nittany Lions have an 84-36 overall record under Franklin, and a 4-4 slate in bowl games.
#5 Hugo Bezdek
Hugo Bezdek coached the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1918 until 1929. He led the program to a 65-30-11 record, as well as an 0-1 record in bowl games. Bezdek was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.