Rex Ryan and the 20 Most Foul-Mouthed Head Coaches Ever
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan made headlines two weeks ago for his foul-mouthed rant during the debut episode of HBO's Hard Knocks.
Ryan instantly became the focal point for profanity in the workplace by NFL head coaches and coaches in general. Yet, whether sports outsiders are willing to admit it to themselves or not, profanity has long been a part of sports and will not change any time soon.
Sports is a testosterone-infused, attitude-laced culture where men are going to let expletives fly. In that culture live(d) these 20 head coaches who are as well-known for their sharp tongue as anything they accomplished as a leader of a team.
WARNING: Some slides may contain expletive language, so look out for your bosses and co-workers.
Rex Ryan
1 of 20
As mentioned, we saw it during the debut of Hard Knocks. Jets head coach Rex Ryan likes to curse and likes to curse a lot apparently. The Jets are going to f***ing do this and f***ing do that. Regardless of Rex's message, don't expect much of the Queen's English during his motivational locker room talks.
Buddy Ryan
2 of 20
Where do you think Rex got it from? He's a chip off the old block from his father who famously orchestrated the Chicago Bears' 1985 defense, got into a sideline fight with then-Oilers coach Kevin Gilbride and was a head coach for the Eagles and Cardinals.
He was one of the most intense men who ever stepped on a gridiron, a place which did not lend itself to censorship for Ryan.
Mike Leach
3 of 20Former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach is known as a fiery guy. It was obvious from the amount of gum-flapping and spit-flying barking he did while on the Red Raiders sideline. However, all his profanity became stuff of legends when this post-game, ahem, pep talk surfaced on the internet.
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Diego Maradona
4 of 20Diego Maradona was tabbed as Argentina's head coach for the 2010 World Cup and came with it the pressure of taking his team far into the tournament. However, it appeared that Maradona wanted everyone in the room to know just what he thought of his critics following Argentina's victory over Uruguay in qualifying last fall.
Jon Gruden
5 of 20
Jon Gruden keeps his cool in the booth for Monday Night Football, but when on the sidelines leading the Raiders and Buccaneers, Gruden was anything but a cool customer. The combination of his red face, Chucky-like stare and lack of filter made Gruden one of the most entertaining and colorful coaches during his time in the league.
No player wanted to cross Gruden for if he did, the combination death stare/curse-out was enough to make even the biggest lineman feel small on the bench.
Earl Weaver
6 of 20No argued better, no one argued longer, no one argued with more expletives than former Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver. He is the gold standard when it comes to managers arguing and getting throw out of games. We can only thank the internet for allowing Weaver's tirades to live on such as this now infamous example.
Ozzie Guillen
7 of 20As much as Ozzie Guillen's profanity probably makes MLB commissioner Bud Selig lose whatever hair he has left, the White Sox manger's willingness to curse and use whatever language he wants adds entertainment value to today's game. At the very least, he makes the job very, very entertaining for Chicago beat writers.
Lou Piniella
8 of 20Lou Piniella is hanging it up for good, but Sweet Lou will live on in baseball lore not just for his winning but for his arguing. Whether is was a chest-to-chest screaming match, a dirt-kicking hoe-down, a hat-kicking frenzy or first-base throwing tirade, the 23-year manager gave baseball fans everything he had when it came to getting himself thrown out of games.
Bill Parcells
9 of 20
The Tuna may be more docile since his move to the front office, but when Bill Parcells was on the sidelines he was going to give everyone a piece of his mind whether they liked it or not. Parcells wore his New Jersey attitude on his sleeve and did not care what microphone was around to pick up what came out of his mouth.
Still, Parcells backed it up by taking the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, the Patriots to their second Super Bowl in franchise history and the Jets to the AFC Championship Game during the first three stops of his career.
Urban Meyer
10 of 20
Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer can come across in a smooth and cool manner at times, but we're still talking about a coach who was in the news for dropping too much profanity at a coaching clinic in Pennsylvania in 2009.
Meyer's ranting at that clinic offered an insight to what can only be an exponential increase in profanity in Gators practice or on game days.
Tom Coughlin
11 of 20
You don't need a video to know that Giants head coach Tom Coughlin likes to use expletives. Just watch any Giants game for more than five minutes and you'll get a good lip-read on exactly what Coughlin says when he's angry. In fact, Coughlin sometimes gets so tongue-tied by his own screaming that his gum will fly out of his mouth.
Brent Sutter
12 of 20
Sutter got his first NHL coaching job in 2007 when the New Jersey Devils added him to their bench. While Sutter didn't lead the Devils out of the first round of the playoffs in two seasons, he did become known for his forked tongue which he constantly used to give the referees, players or anyone else a piece of his mind.
Mike Keenan
13 of 20
Keenan famously won the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers in 1994 in addition to bouncing around the league for the last two decades. However, his inability to hang on to a coaching job can be attributed to his steely behavior which created constant conflict with his players and his management.
Keenan wasn't exactly steady when it came to holding back his emotions and often generated headlines throughout the multiple stops in his career due to his mouth.
Barry Melrose
14 of 20
Barry Melrose coaching career lasted four seasons in over a decade. He coached the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first season (or simply held the reins while Gretzky pulled the wagon) but was even more popular for his mullet and his mouth.
Melrose was never shy about giving anyone a piece of his mind while on the ice and that included a mouth that often didn't know when to quit.
Billy Martin
15 of 20Former Yankees manager Billy Martin was actually a very mild-mannered guy off the field, but when on the diamond he had a tongue sharp enough to break glass. Frankly, it's tough to get tossed out of a game this quickly unless you really are dropping expletive bombs.
Jerry Glanville
16 of 20
Glanville was considered a "cowboy" during his time as head coach of the Houston Oilers and the Atlanta Falcons, and it wasn't just because of the boots and large belt buckle he wore on the sidelines. Glanville's attitude and mouth was enough to make him one of the more unsavory characters.
Coaches and analysts question his style, his temperament and his habit of saying anything that came to his mind even if he was flagrant and sometimes off the wall.
Jim Mora
17 of 20Perhaps the most famous rant in NFL history (in video) came from former Saints and Colts head coach Jim Mora. Yes, in this video he censors himself but that was only in some small consideration for the cameras. Otherwise, Mora was dropping f-bombs and expletives like it was his job--and in some cases, it was.
Bob Knight
18 of 20Bobby Knight loves to curse. LOVES it. He loves it so much he went into in-depth detail about why he loves using the f-bomb so much.
More Bob Knight
19 of 20Oh why not? Bob Knight after all provides some of the greatest profanity-infused tirades in sports history.
Mike Ditka
20 of 20
Ditka. The name alone can become synonymous with anything that involves intensity. It was Ditka's attitude and willingness to say whatever he damn well pleased during his days in Chicago which, combined with a Super Bowl ring, made him and icon and keeps him one to this day.
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