15 Worst Coaches of Championship Teams

Sometimes greatness is achieved when you reach the height of your profession. But winning the big one and having a successful career can sometimes mean two completely different things. 

Whether they never got to the top again or ended up being fired for underperforming, these men can attest to the saying "they never said it was easy."

Here are 15 coaches who were able to win a championship, but didn't have much else going for them besides that.  

15. Dick Vermeil

Vermeil won one Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in 1999, and compiled a 126-114 record as a head coach in the NFL. When it comes to Super Bowl-winning coaches, it would be hard to put Vermeil near the top.  

He is definitely one of the more respected coaches ever to be involved in the game, but never really broke through and was always surrounded by mediocre teams.  

That one extra yard his team didn't give to the Titans in the Super Bowl is the reason Vermeil ended up on this list.  

14. Tubby Smith

Its not that Tubby Smith hasn't been a great coach throughout his career (he has had a 484-203 record), he just never seemed to match the nostalgia of Kentucky basketball.

The Wildcats won the 1998 national championship under Smith, and were very successful during his tenure in Lexington; just not successful enough. Being the head coach at Kentucky and being ousted as the head coach at Kentucky merit different meanings.

He hasn't matched the success at Minnesota, and possibly never will.  

13. Gene Chizik

A 35-29 record as a head coach isn't too flattering, including the atrocious 5-19 tenure he experienced at Iowa State that somehow earned him the Auburn job.  

But he had that one special season with all the pieces in place; a superstar Heisman-winning quarterback (Cam Newton) and a mastermind offensive coordinator (Gus Malzahn) who created magic on the gridiron. 

There is still plenty of time for Chizik to establish himself, but as of now he isn't even considered the top of his conference in terms of coaching.  

12. Rudy Tomjanovich

Tomjanovich's gain was mostly Phil Jackson's loss, as his Houston Rockets won two NBA Championships in the years that Michael Jordan was out of the league playing baseball.

Talk about stealing some thunder.  

Still, Tomjanovich is regarded as one of the best coaches of the 1990s. It is just unfortunate that he had to break up a possible eight-peat for Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan and the Bulls.   

11. Barry Switzer

Switzer is on this list strictly from his tenure with the Cowboys.

He inherited a team that Jimmy Johnson groomed for greatness, and was able to keep them from self-destructing just enough to squeeze out a Super Bowl in the 1995 season.  

His time at Oklahoma wasn't without controversy either, as numerous scandals hit the program hard while he was there. Switzer's college "success" didn't quite transfer to wins in the NFL.  

10. Jim Harrick

When you coach at a school rich in basketball tradition like UCLA, it is hard to live up to some of your predecessors (see: John Wooden).  

Harrick had a nice time in Los Angeles, coaching the team to a 32-1 record and national championship in 1995, but ended his time there on bad terms by lying to school investigators.  

If the only other coach to win a national championship at your school happened to win 10 championships, you get held to the same standards on and off the court.  

9. Jim Leyland

Leyland caught lightning in a bottle during his time with the Marlins, winning a World Series in 1997. Aside from that, the teams Leyland has managed have usually been terrible.  

The Detroit Tigers have made a resurgence under Leyland, and a few more good seasons with the team would leave him a better legacy.  

8. Tom Coughlin

You have got to give it to Coughlin for winning two Super Bowls, but why can't his team be more consistent in the regular season?

The Giants have rarely shown dominance throughout a whole season, and Coughlin has found himself on the hot seat on more than one occasion.

Well Giants, it is time to step up and support your coach by having a season better than 9-7! 

7. Dennis Erickson

Erickson was successful in his time at Miami, but was basically riding the coattails of Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson. 

He won two national championships with the 'Canes and was considered successful, but eventually lost control of the beast that was Miami football. 

He never matched his level of success in the NFL or with his other college teams. Miami was a dominant program which Erickson played a part in, just not as big a part as Jimmy Johnson.  

6. Bob Brenly

It wasn't that Brenly was a bad manager, but he only managed one MLB team for three years.

This was a team destined for greatness with future Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in the rotation, and the Diamondbacks won the World Series in 2001.  

His success was short-lived, as he was ousted in 2004 for not performing up to standards.  

5. Bruce Bochy

Bochy won a World Series in 2010, but aside from that has had a pretty mediocre career as a manager.

His Giants have managed to win only one NL West title, a division that is considered one of the weaker divisions in baseball. His most successful season with the San Diego Padres was a World Series appearance in 1998.

If Bochy can't win games with the young talent he has in San Francisco, he may not be welcomed in the Bay Area much longer.  

4. Ozzie Guillen

When you think of Ozzie Guillen, surely the first thing that comes to mind isn't his 2005 World Series win with the Chicago White Sox. Joe Crede and AJ Pierzynski don't rank high when it comes to World Series heroes, and for good reason.

The White Sox finally got tired of Guillen's shenanigans and canned him after the 2011 season. So far he has compiled a 678-617 managerial record, but he has a chance to continue his legacy with a fresh start with the Miami Marlins.  

3. Larry Coker

Coker had much success in his time at Miami, including a 2001 national championship over Nebraska.

 He recruited many blue-chip players, but was also the main culprit involved in running the Miami football program into the ground.  

The tension boiled over as Coker's record was getting worse and worse (and his players' behavior was too). Coker now coaches at upstart UTSA, looking to revitalize his career.  

2. Brian Billick

Billick won perhaps the most boring Super Bowl in history when his Trent Dilfer-led Ravens beat the Giants 34-7. He is currently retired from coaching with an 85-67 overall record, and 5-3 in the postseason.  

Billick was an offensive-minded coach who happened to stumble upon a very good defense during his time in Baltimore. He fit a square peg in a round hole for a season, but aside from that didn't seem to have the right coaching mindset for the Ravens.  

1. Paul Westhead

Paul Westhead had a 183-224 record coaching in the NBA, and won a championship in his first year in the league with the Lakers. His success was short-lived, though, and he was ousted in only his third season with Los Angeles.  

Westhead was never in favor with his players, and when Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have more pulling power than the coach it usually doesn't work out.