
12 Coaches Who Are Rock Stars Right Now
While athletes are the ones who, more often than not, get the most pub, there's no denying that some head coaches have stepped into the spotlight themselves.
Sure, they'll never get as much love from the fans as the players do, but having a coach who is a rock star can help in plenty of ways.
Whether that's by bringing attention to a program in college or attracting a big-name free agent on the pro level, here are the guys who, when they walk into a room, absolutely own it—because they are rock stars.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
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Duke Blue Devils men's hoops coach Mike Krzyzewski is about to embark on an accomplishment that has never before done at the collegiate level on the men's side—reach 1,000 career victories.
Sitting just a handful of wins below a grand, Coach K has built a legacy like no other coach, winning on both the collegiate and international levels while developing relationships on and off the floor with some of the world's greatest ballers.
The respect and praise that Krzyzewski gets from all-timers like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James—who only played under him for Team USA—speaks volumes to how much of an OG the guy really is.
Bruce Bochy, San Francisco Giants
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While there aren't any indications that San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy is ready to call it quits, it has to be nice to know that he most likely has a spot in Cooperstown waiting for him whenever he does.
Leading two different teams to a total of four World Series appearances—including three in the past five years with his current Giants squad—Bochy has ended any debate as to which manager is the best in baseball. And for those who doubt him, he'll just show off three very shiny rings.
Cool under pressure, to put it bluntly, Bochy is one of the best ever at managing when fall hits.
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
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A certain former head coach in Knoxville, Tennessee would say otherwise, but in my opinion, there's no better women's college hoops coach than UConn's Geno Auriemma.
That's because the guy has made his Huskies program the preeminent place to play for the top women's talent in the country, winning a record nine national titles since overtaking the program back in 1985.
With just one losing season—his very first in Storrs, which saw him go 12-15—Auriemma has proved to be the face of women's basketball, as he coached Team USA from 2009-14 and led them to two world championships and one Olympic gold medal.
When a high school girl commits to the Huskies, that typically means she'll win at least one national title, and quite possibly go on to play in the WNBA—and it's all because of Auriemma.
Jose Mourinho, Chelsea
4 of 12Man, those European soccer coaches sure do know how to dress, don't they?
But let's be honest, it doesn't hurt that current Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho can coach just a little bit, too.
After leading famed Portuguese club Porto to two Primeira Liga titles and, surprisingly, a Champions League win in 2004, Mourinho moved to one of the most historic teams in European soccer, Chelsea.
In two different stints with the Blue Lions, he has won two Premier League trophies, numerous individual coaching honors and currently has the team sitting atop the EPL for another title run.
While all of that sounds successful, Mourinho also coached Real Madrid for three seasons, winning La Liga and Copa del Rey titles under his guidance, making him a manager whose tactics work no matter what part of the globe he's coaching in.
Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals
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The Arizona Cardinals' season might have come to an end this past weekend in the NFL playoffs, but that shouldn't take away anything from the coaching job that Bruce Arians did in 2014.
While the team can't be happy about losing five of their last seven games to end the year, the franchise has to be excited about the way Arians has brought his cool and calming demeanor to his players, helping them play loose and be themselves.
And with some of the best swag of any coach in any sport—have you seen him rocking those Kangol hats in press conferences?—Arians is someone who his players love to suit up for.
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
6 of 12Want to know what's cool for a coach to talk about? Championship rings.
And while San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich might not have the most ever, he has the most of any current coach in the NBA, making him quite the rock star.
Yes, the guy comes off as surly and, at times, rude. But Pop is all about winning, making him someone who guys like longtime Spurs Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili rave about playing for while helping their coach continue to build his legacy.
A Hall of Famer once he does call it quits, Gregg Popovich has made adjustments to keep his Spurs in title contention for 18 seasons, which is just absurd.
Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich
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Sure, the guy looks like a damn GQ magazine cover on the sideline, but there's more to Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola than just his style—because the guy can coach.
After enjoying a fairly successful career himself for clubs like Barcelona and Roma during '90s and early 2000s, Pep stepped off the pitch and saw instant success from the sidelines, elevating his name up the coaching ranks quickly to get to where he is now.
While coaching his former club Barcelona from 2008-12, Guardiola earned a club record 14 trophies, including three La Liga championships and two Champions League titles.
Upon leaving the Spanish club, he took over German power Bayern Munich in 2013, which, thus far, has gone well, as evidenced by his 65-9-8 record in the 82 matches he has coached them.
Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors
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Who knew that being a first-time head coach would bring such early success, huh?
Contrary to his former teammate Dennis Rodman's opinion, new Golden State Warriors head man Steve Kerr has indeed coached up the young squad and helped them improve on both sides of the ball.
Sure, it's still early on in the NBA season, but the Dubs have gotten off to a fast start, going 27-5 as of Jan. 5 and sitting atop the standings in the difficult Western Conference, showing that the team has all the elements of a serious title contender.
Helping stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continue their offensive dominance while improving their all-around game, Kerr is the leading candidate for Coach of the Year.
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
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Say what you want to about the guy, but new Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh knows how to coach.
That's usually the consensus when a guy takes his team to three straight NFC title games, which included a trip to the Super Bowl, and has a reputation of building programs.
From his time at the University of San Diego, Stanford, the NFL's San Francisco 49ers and now Michigan, Harbaugh has proved to be a winner, so Wolverine fans should be excited that he'll do what he can to return the Maize and Blue to national prominence.
It's why the school is going to pay him $40 million over the life of his first deal.
John Calipari, Kentucky
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Sure, I'm a graduate of the University of Kentucky, but there's no bias when it comes to just how polarizing men's hoops coach John Calipari is.
Since taking over the post in Lexington prior to the 2009-10 season, Cal has gone 165-37, earning three trips to the Final Four and two to the national title game—with one victory.
And thanks to his honest approach to his team—which promotes competition and inspires his players to stay grounded—it's pretty simple to see why Calipari routinely gets the top players in the country to suit up for him.
Oh, and seeing how most of his guys end up as first-round picks doesn't hurt, either.
Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech
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It's OK, fellow dudes, go ahead and admit that you have a little man crush on Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Sure, he might not have the same successes as a few of the other coaches on this list—he's just 12-13 overall in his time in Lubbock—but Kingsbury is about as big of a star as any of them.
Generally regarded as Ryan Gosling's doppelganger, Kingsbury drives the ladies crazy with his looks while making it cool to be a coach with his hip style that bucks the trend of traditional guys.
Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
12 of 12The absolute king of cool when it comes to coaching circles, Seattle Seahawks leader Pete Carroll has, somehow, managed to stay hip even as he ages.
Whether it was him turning the Southern Cal Trojans back into a powerhouse while he was in Los Angeles or taking his 'Hawks to the playoffs since heading up to the Northwest, Carroll has seen both success and a swagger that he filtrates to his players.
Plus, the dude can throw a football further than most of us can—and he's 63 years old.

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