Joe Paterno and the Most Influential Coaches of the Last 50 Years

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Today, a legend of college football has passed away.

Joe Paterno, the man who coached Penn State to glory year in and year out for 45 years, has died of complications from lung cancer this morning. College football and Penn State will not be the same without him.

And, by the same token, he has changed college football and helped mold it into what it is today.

So today as we honor and remember the accomplishments of "JoePa," let us look at his place among the greatest coaches of any sport. Paterno certainly has earned a place with these legends of athletics, both professional and college.

Who are these coaches? Read on.

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

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Though many trip over his name, Mike "Coach K" Kryzewski's name is known around the world for basketball genius.

During his tenure at Duke, Coach K has been to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament every year since 1984 (except the 1994-95 season where Coach K was sick...), and has won the whole thing four times.

And that doesn't even get to his Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and National Championship Game appearances.

And he's one of the few that the College Basketball Hall of Fame inducted without waiting for him to retire.

Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wings

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Scotty Bowman has won nine Stanley Cups at three separate clubs. 

How many coaches in any sport can say anything like that?

At his final job in Detroit, the Red Wings went to the NHL Playoffs every single year, won five division titles, played for Lord Stanley's Cup five times and won it three times.

And that doesn't even mention his success at Montreal and Pittsburgh...

Pat Riley, Miami Heat

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Pat Riley is a miracle worker, and there's no greater evidence of that than the 2005-06 season.

Riley, who had retired and moved into the management of the Heat, rode to the rescue after Stan Van Gundy had stepped aside to be with his family. Before Riley took over, the Heat were just barely over 0.500 at 11-10.

That year, the Heat would win the NBA Finals.

Amazing what the right coach can do.

Tony La Russa, Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals

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While many on this list built their careers and reputations at a single institution, Tony La Russa built three programs into championship-caliber teams. 

And he's still got it. Just in case you've been living in a cave, La Russa just took his Cardinals from out of nowhere to win the World Series.

Sure, he's retired now, but his legacy will live on at Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis.

Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49rs

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Here's a man who presided over perhaps the best era of NFL greatness that the 49rs have ever had. Names like Steve Young and Jerry Rice remain great even to this day. 

Those three Super Bowl wins have a whole lot to do with it.

And don't forget that every great player has a great coach behind him, and that was certainly the case with Bill Walsh.

Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics

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Red Auerbach changed basketball not only by winning lots of games (938) and championships (9), which assuredly he did. But also he was the first coach to draft an African-American. 

Many of the NBA's greatest, including the legendary Michael Jordan, owe much to the guts and convictions of Auerbach.

His contributions to both the Celtics and the league as a whole shall never be forgotten.

Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers

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The NFL has produced many legendary coaches over the years, but only one coach's name is on the trophy awarded for winning the Super Bowl: Vince Lombardi.

Fitting, seeing that Lombardi won Super Bowl I and II. Indeed, he won five NFL championships between 1961 and 1967. Much of what the NFL is today is due to the efforts of Coach Lombardi.

John Wooden, UCLA

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The "Wizard of Westwood" built an unprecedented and unmatched program at UCLA. Between the 1963-64 season to the 1975-76 season, John Wooden and UCLA won 10 national championships. It was said that the second- and third-string at UCLA could beat the first string of anyone else in the country.

And looking at the talent that he coached over the years, including the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, it's hard to dispute that claim.

Wooden had four undefeated seasons, and most of the legendary coaches of college basketball can't claim even one unbeaten year. 

It's true that players didn't leave early for the NBA as often back then than it happens now, which makes a run like Wooden enjoyed in the '60s and '70s almost impossible these days, college basketball has yet to produce a coach that can claim to be Wooden's equal.

Paul "Bear" Bryant, Alabama

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In the grand history of college football, perhaps no one has had a greater impact or influence on college football than Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant. During his long and illustrious career, the Crimson Tide won 232 games, 14 conference championships and six national championships.

Coaching was his life, and he died shortly after he retired as Alabama's head coach. 

And, of course, there are the thousands of young men he coached over the years whose characters and careers he helped build.

His mark on the sport was so great, the award for the best head coach in college football bears his name.

Joe Paterno, Penn State

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What do you say about a man who defined a program for 45 years?

He has coached tens of thousands of young football players over the years. He is the winningest coach in college football history with a mind-boggling 409 wins.

And now that he has sadly passed away, how will college football and Penn State fare without him?