List of West Virginia Mountaineers head football coaches
The West Virginia Mountaineers college football team represents West Virginia University in the Big 12 Conference (Big 12). The Mountaineers competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 35 head coaches since it began play during the 1891 season. Since January 2019, Neal Brown has served as West Virginia's head coach.[1]
Through the end of the 2022 season, the Mountaineers have competed in 1,336 games and compiled an overall record of 771 wins, 520 losses, and 46 ties. In that time, 12 coaches have led the Mountaineers in postseason bowl games: Clarence Spears, Marshall Glenn, Dudley DeGroot, Art Lewis, Gene Corum, Jim Carlen, Bobby Bowden, Don Nehlen, Rich Rodriguez, Bill Stewart, Dana Holgorsen, and Brown. Seven of those coaches also won conference championships: Lewis captured five, Corum two, and Carlen one as a member of the Southern Conference; Rodriguez captured four and Nehlen, Stewart, and Holgorsen each captured one as a member of the Big East Conference.
Nehlen is the leader in seasons coached and games won, with 149 victories during his 21 years with the program. Harry E. Trout has the highest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .857. Thomas Trenchard has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with .333. Of the 35 different head coaches who have led the Mountaineers, Spears, Ira Rodgers, Greasy Neale, Bowden, and Nehlen have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Key[edit]
| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage[A 4] | ||||
Coaches[edit]
| No. | Name | Season(s) [A 6] |
GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick Lincoln Emory | 1891 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | F. William Rane | 1893–1894 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Harry McCrory | 1895 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.833 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Thomas Trenchard | 1896 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | George Krebs | 1897 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.550 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Harry Anderson | 1898 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0.857 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 & 9 | Lewis Yeager | 1899 1901 |
10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | John Ethan Hill | 1900 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Harold J. Davall | 1902 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0.636 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 11 | Harry E. Trout | 1903 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 12 | Anthony Chez | 1904 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 13 | Carl Forkum | 1905–1906 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0.684 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 14 | Clarence W. Russell | 1907 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 15 | Charles Augustus Lueder | 1908–1911 | 33 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 0.561 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 16 | William P. Edmunds | 1912 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 17 | Edwin Sweetland | 1913 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.444 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 18 | Sol Metzger | 1914–1915 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0.618 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 19 | Mont McIntire | 1916–1917 1919–1920 |
39 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 20 | Clarence Spears† | 1921–1924 | 39 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 0.808 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 21 & 26 | Ira Rodgers† | 1925–1930 1943–1945 |
80 | 41 | 31 | 8 | 0.563 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 22 | Greasy Neale† | 1931–1933 | 31 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 0.435 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 23 | Charles Tallman | 1934–1936 | 29 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 0.552 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 24 | Marshall Glenn | 1937–1939 | 29 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 0.534 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 25 & 27 | Bill Kern | 1940–1942 1946–1947 |
48 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 0.510 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 28 | Dudley DeGroot | 1948–1949 | 23 | 13 | 9 | 1 | 0.587 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 29 | Art Lewis | 1950–1959 | 98 | 58 | 38 | 2 | 0.602 | 33 | 9 | 0 | 0.786 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Gene Corum | 1960–1965 | 61 | 29 | 30 | 2 | 0.492 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0.804 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 31 | Jim Carlen | 1966–1969 | 41 | 25 | 13 | 3 | 0.646 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0.929 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 32 | Bobby Bowden† | 1970–1975 | 68 | 42 | 26 | 0 | 0.618 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 33 | Frank Cignetti Sr. | 1976–1979 | 44 | 17 | 27 | 0 | 0.386 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 34 | Don Nehlen† | 1980–2000 | 246 | 149 | 93 | 4 | 0.614 | 39 | 29 | 1 | 0.572 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1988) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1988) AFCA Coach of the Year (1988) |
| 35 | Rich Rodriguez | 2001–2007 | 86 | 60 | 26 | — | 0.698 | 34 | 14 | — | 0.708 | 2 | 3 | — | 4 | 0 | — |
| 36 | Bill Stewart | 2008–2010 | 40 | 28 | 12 | — | 0.700 | 15 | 6 | — | 0.714 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 37 | Dana Holgorsen | 2011–2018 | 102 | 61 | 41 | — | 0.598 | 38 | 32 | — | 0.543 | 2 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 38 | Neal Brown | 2019–present | 60 | 31 | 29 | — | 0.517 | 20 | 24 | — | 0.455 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
Notes[edit]
- ^ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played.[2]
- ^ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
- ^ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since.[3]
- ^ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss.[4]
- ^ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
- ^ West Virginia did not field teams for the 1892 and 1918 seasons.
References[edit]
- ^ Schlabach, Mark (January 4, 2019). "Mountaineers hire Neal Brown to be new coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- ^ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.