Nick Saban did not need to win a seventh national championship to have his name on the list of the best active coaches in American sport, although his most recent title guarantees him to be considered the best of the best.
Saban and Alabama’s Crimson Tide beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 to win the 13th title in their history on Monday night, the sixth time they’ve been crowned in the last 12 years under Saban’s command. . The championship left Saban one above another legendary Alabama coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, for the most number one coach in the AP poll era (since 1936).
Saban took over the reigns of the Crimson Tide for the 2007 season, creating a modern dynasty in unprecedented collegiate football. His status as one of the best coaches of all time is unquestionable, but he’s not the only one to leave his mark in recent times when it comes to sports and his best coaches.
With this in mind, we offer a ranking of the best current coaches in American sport, adding European football as a means of comparison between the skills that the Spanish-speaking fan is passionate about.
1. Bill Belichick
We can’t talk about the biggest dynasties since the turn of the century not to mention Bill Belichik’s New England Patriots, who won six Super Bowls since 2001 to tie the Steelers by the most in history.
In the period, Belichik and the Patriots only stayed out of the postseason on three occasions, including the current season when they were affected by the departure of Marshal Tom Brady and the details created as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Either way, the Belichik site you know as one of the best coaches in NFL history, setting the guidelines today as number one on the list.
2. Nick Saban
Maintaining excellence in professional sport is a huge challenge for any coach, but it goes hand in hand with the decisions and vision that the management of the franchise in question has. In collegiate sports the story is different, and no coach plays the recruiting game like Saban, who has turned the Crimson Tide into an elite NFL title machine and factory.
The six Alabama championships in 12 seasons equate to the shortest lapse to win six national titles in collegiate football, surpassing the previous 19-season mark set by Alabama from 1961-1979, and Saban is the first coach in Alabama. towards winning a national championship in 3 different decades (2000, 2010, 2020).
In 14 seasons in Alabama, Saban has an 881 win percentage with six national titles, seven SEC titles, finishing nine times in the top 5 of the AP poll In the period.
3. Jurgen Klopp
No coach has left his mark recently at a club like Klopp in Liverpool, leading the team back to glory after a lethargy that saw them give way to English, and European football in general, to several of the his staunchest rivals.
Champions League and Premier League titles in consecutive seasons sealed his place as a major figure in Reds history, those still in a position to win more in 2021 despite a series of injuries that affected his performance in the first part of the current season.
4. Geno Auriemma
With respect to Saban and Alabama, when we talk about recent dynasties in the major collegiate sports, nothing compares to Auriemma’s achievements at the helm of the Connecticut Lady Huskies in women’s college basketball.
Under Auriemma, the Huskies have won 11 national titles, including six in a span of eight seasons from 2009-2016 when Auriemma beat John Wooden (11-10) by the most titles from a coach in the history of the United States. ‘basketball school (men’s and women’s) and the Huskies made history as the Division’s first women’s team and won four consecutive national championships.
During these years, several of the best players in history such as Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles have passed through Storrs. Let’s not forget the three Olympic medals (Sidney 2000, London 2012 and Rio 2016) in front of the powerful American squad.
5. Mike Krzyzewski
While Auriemma has left her mark on the women’s side of college basketball, Coach K has excelled in the men’s branch not only as one of the best today, but perhaps as the best at doing so in history, possibly sharing the throne with the legendary wooden UCLA.
Since 1980, no team has won more collegiate championships (5) or appeared in more Final Fours (12) than Duke. During this time, Krzyzewski became the first coach to achieve 1,000 Division I victories, earning the respect and adoration of thousands of players in the process, including those in the NBA who led the gold in three editions of the Olympic Games (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 the one chosen by the vast majority to run their respective clubs if money and competition were not factors.
Guardiola currently has the double motivation to achieve European success in the Champions League that Manchester City so longs for, as well as regaining the scepter of the Premier League that Liverpool took in 2019-20 after winning consecutive championships in 2017 -2019.
7. Diego Simeone
No coach in the world would be more valuable to his club than Cholo Simeone to Atletico Madrid. During his time as coach of the Mattresses, 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 of Real Madrid and Barcelona, despite a much lower budget, which is a remarkable feat in itself.
Atlético reached two Champions League finals under Simeone, falling both times in a close against their Madrid rivals in matches that were very close to winning, and his best moment in 2020 was to eliminate the reigning champions Liverpool in the eighth round of final. As Simeone evolves into the tactics of the offensive game, the club’s defense remains the best in Europe, ensuring that Cholo and his team will be in a position to compete for titles in 2021.
8. Gregg Popovich
While Pop had a contemporary who many think is the best coach in NBA history to Phil Jackson, the San Antonio Spurs coach’s summary speaks for itself about his impact and legacy in the game .
Pop worked with a double hat from management on the court to help create and sustain the impressive stretch that saw the Spurs qualify for the postseason in 22 consecutive seasons, winning five titles in the process. This consistency is unmatched in the NBA, and it helped him earn the admiration of a generation of players who place him in his own class among the best coaches today.
9. Terry Francona
Although for many Francona is best remembered as the manager of the Red Sox who finally put an end to the ‘Curse of the Baby’, it is his time at the Cleveland front that solidified his case as one of the best in sports.
Francona has made adjustments to his philosophy and game moves with the intention of placing his players in the best position to win. He led Cleveland to the postseason in five of his eight seasons, remaining on a win to win the World Series in 2016, despite the ups and downs of players that characterize the small market team. With that in mind, 2021 will be a big challenge for Francona and her squad, following the recent exchange she brought to the face of the franchise, Puerto Rican Francisco Lindor, at the Mets.
10. José Mourinho
Although the Portuguese coach’s greatest triumphs seem to fall further into the past with each passing season, his media presence on and off the field is unrivaled in European football.
Mourinho accepted the challenge of leading Tottenham in November 2019, replacing another prominent Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. Mou thus threw his hat in the middle in the English fight that his rivals Guardiola and Kloop dominate the last few campaigns. And while the path to Hotspur’s glory is not guaranteed, Mourinho’s figure gives them a presence that transcends sport to headline their project at a time when the bet is not safe in one way or another. another.