Super Bowl 2011: Power Ranking All 45 Super Bowl Head Coach Matchups
As the Super Bowl approaches, much of the focus usually goes to the players.
And that's deservedly so, because after all, without the players, there would be no game. The players are the ones that people come to see. They're the ones that make the NFL as exciting as it is.
But the coaches are always there too, behind the scenes, planning out every little detail. Winning a Super Bowl is the crowning achievement in any NFL head coach's career. And if you were to manage to win more than one? You're an instant legend.
At Bleacher Report, we thought as we prepare for the 45th edition of the NFL's big game, we'd take a look back at all the coaches who have had the honor of leading their troops into battle at this ultimate contest. What were the best matchups and which ones are the footnotes of history?
Forty-five years of NFL history awaits.
45) Super Bowl XX: Mike Ditka vs. Raymond Berry
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Raymond Berry is a Hall of Famer as a player, but his coaching career lasted just six seasons, only two of which were successful.
In Super Bowl XX, his New England Patriots matched up against the Chicago Bears. The 1985 Bears were one of the most dominant teams in NFL history, marching through the regular season 15-1 and pitching two shutouts en route to the Super Bowl.
Their charismatic head coach, Mike Ditka, was seen around the game as a revelation, combining old school toughness with new school schemes. The result of the mismatch was a lopsided 46-10 final score.
This ranks lowest not because of either coach individually, but because of the mismatch that the matchup was.
44) Super Bowl XXXV: Brian Billick vs. Jim Fassel
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Neither Brian Billick nor Jim Fassel will go down in history as one of the top coaches of all-time.
In 2000, Billick was able to take his Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl on the strength of one of the stingiest defenses in years. Jim Fassel's New York Giants were a very good team, but no match for Ray Lewis and the ballhawking Ravens' defenders.
The final score was 34-7, with the Giants' lone score coming on special teams.
43) Super Bowl XLIII: Mike Tomlin vs. Ken Whisenhunt
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Mike Tomlin's first trip to the Super Bowl two seasons ago resulted in his first victory, and one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all-time.
The Steelers looked to be in control early, but eventually they had to score a late touchdown to provide the final margin, 27-23. Tomlin's future is bright and his stature will only continue to rise with future success.
Whisenhunt, a former Steeler coaching assistant, changed the culture in the desert, but it hasn't been enough to make the Arizona Cardinals consistent winners.
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42) Super Bowl XLIV: Sean Payton vs. Jim Caldwell
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Last year's Super Bowl was a matchup of two first-timers, the Saints' Sean Payton and the Colts' Jim Caldwell.
Indy was the favorite going into the game, and went ahead early, but the Saints clawed back, and eventually won behind a gutsy onside kick call by Payton to start the second half, and a fourth quarter interception that sealed things.
Judging through the prism of history, this match-up might hold more weight in a few years, but as for now, it was two coaches who've never been to the Super Bowl before or since.
41) Super Bowl XXXVII: Jon Gruden vs. Bill Callahan
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Jon Gruden is one of the youngest coaches to win a Super Bowl in NFL history, even though he needed to defeat his old team in order to achieve the feat.
Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers toppled the Oakland Raiders 48-21, to give Gruden some manner of revenge against his old boss, Raiders owner Al Davis.
Bill Callahan lasted just one more season on the Raider sideline, going 4-12 and getting fired. The Raiders haven't been the same since.
40) Super Bowl XXXVIII: Bill Belichick Vs. John Fox
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In his first Super Bowl victory, Bill Belichick's Patriots were the lovable underdogs. This win established them as the NFL's new Evil Empire.
The Patriots defeated John Fox's Carolina Panthers 32-29 in what ended up being a surprisingly competitive game, even though the final outcome rarely seemed in doubt. Fox continued to lead the Panthers until this past season, but was fired after a dismal 2-14 campaign. Maybe he can change things in Denver.
As for Belichick, he's become one of the most respected, feared and hated coaches of this generation. And rest assured, those are all good things.
39) Super Bowl XXXIV: Dick Vermeil Vs. Jeff Fisher
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Dick Vermeil must have felt that he struck gold when Kurt Warner, a stopgap from Arena football, suddenly turned into the second coming of Dan Marino.
It was Vermeil's second chance to win the big one, and he made the most of it. That's not to say it wasn't suspenseful, though. This game still holds my ranking as the most exciting ending to a Super Bowl ever, with "The Tackle" linking St. Louis and Tennessee forever into the future.
Jeff Fisher was the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL until being relieved of his duties just last week. He always seemed to be on the brink of something great, but could never quite get his Titans there. This was their only Super Bowl appearance.
38) Super Bowl XLV: Mike McCarthy Vs. Mike Tomlin
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Hey, it's this year's matchup!
With Tomlin already having one Super Bowl under his belt, and McCarthy's Packers looking like they're going to be quite good for a long time, I have a feeling that when we look back on this game in 10 or 15 years, we'll have a different outlook on both coaches.
For now, they're both still only getting started, really. I want to include the winning coach in all the pictures, but as I don't know which one it's going to be yet, I don't want to be accused of favoring either side. So you get the logo. Deal with it.
37) Super Bowl XXXVI: Bill Belichick Vs. Mike Martz
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Ah yes, the good ol' days, when Bill Belichick was a surly, hoodie-wearing coach with no rings. How much things have changed and how much they've stayed the same in the years since.
This was another of the most exciting Super Bowls to be played, with Adam Vinatieri igniting his legacy as one of the game's great clutch kickers in the Pats final minute, 20-17 win.
Mike Martz inherited the Kurt Warner-led Rams from Dick Vermeil, but couldn't quite climb the mountain with them. He's now an assistant with the Chicago Bears. Maybe he'll eventually get another chance to be a head coach in the future.
36) Super Bowl XXIX: George Seifert Vs. Bobby Ross
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George Seifert and Steve Young are inextricably linked to each other.
Seifert succeeded the legendary Bill Walsh as 49ers head coach and, at around the same time, Young succeeded the equally legendary Joe Montana as the Niners starting quarterback. Both had to get their title to once and for all step out of the very tall shadows of their predecessors.
Well, they got it, in a convincing 49-26 thrashing of the San Diego Chargers. The San Diego coach, Bobby Ross, never had much success after this, failing to ever win another playoff game.
35) Super Bowl XVI: Bill Walsh Vs. Forrest Gregg
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Yes, there was a time before Bill Walsh was a legend.
He was just a guy with a lot of ideas about how to fix a franchise that hadn't seen much success. Well, he fixed it alright, and it started here, at Super Bowl XVI. The Niners 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals gave them their first Super Bowl title and was the start of a dynasty that would make the 49ers the definitive team of the 80s.
Forrest Gregg has a great name, but this was his only successful season as an NFL head coach.
34) Super Bowl XXVII: Jimmy Johnson Vs. Marv Levy I
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The first matchup between Jimmy Johnson and Marv Levy in the Super Bowl was over at halftime.
The Cowboys cruised to a 52-17 manhandling of the AFC-champion Buffalo Bills. The performance cemented Johnson's legitimacy as the successor to the great Tom Landry, and signaled the birth of a new dynasty that would capture three Super Bowls during the early 1990's.
After coming so close in his first crack at a ring, Bills coach Marv Levy seemed to be getting further and further away.
33) Super Bowl XXVIII: Jimmy Johnson Vs. Marv Levy II
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This game was the only time two teams and two coaches have faced off against one another in consecutive Super Bowls.
There were no surprises this time around, and it was a bit more competitive for half the game. Buffalo actually went into the locker room at halftime with a 13-6 lead, and it looked like Levy would finally turn the tables and win one of these, but it was not to be. Dallas outscored Buffalo 24-0 in the second half and won going away, 30-13.
Jimmy Johnson rode off into the sunset after this one. He returned with the Miami Dolphins, but could never re-create the success he had in Dallas. But he will always get credit for taking a 1-15 team, and turning them into back-to-back champions.
32) Super Bowl XXIII: Bill Walsh Vs. Sam Wyche
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How would Bill Walsh's legacy appear today were it not for "The Drive"?
He'd still have been a two-time Super Bowl champion coach, but he wouldn't have had such a perfect ending. As it is, "The Drive" helped him go out on top. He's one of only four coaches with as many as three Super Bowls to his name. He created a movement and has left behind dozens of proteges that have continued to teach the Bill Walsh system.
While 1988 was Sam Wyche's one glorious season in the NFL, it ended painfully, and the Bengals really haven't been the same since.
31) Super Bowl XXX: Barry Switzer vs. Bill Cowher
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This is one matchup where, looking back on it 15 years later, we appreciate the coach who lost the game more than the one who won it.
Barry Switzer inherited the dominant Cowboys of the 90s left behind by Jimmy Johnson and rode them to a Super Bowl title in 1995, his second season at the helm. But he didn't leave behind much of a legacy after that, coaching for just two more seasons.
Bill Cowher, meanwhile, was a young, 38-year-old head coach in just his fourth season after taking over for the legendary Chuck Noll. He lost this game, but it was just the beginning for him. He would go on to lead the Steelers to nine division titles, and finally got his own Super Bowl title a decade later, in Super Bowl XL.
30) Super Bowl XIV: Chuck Noll vs. Ray Malavasi
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Chuck Noll became the first and, to this day, the only coach in NFL history to win four Super Bowls with his Steelers' 31-19 triumph in Super Bowl XIV.
Their opponents that day, the Los Angeles Rams, were led by Ray Malavasi, whose coaching tenure in the NFL lasted just six seasons. He should get a good deal of credit, however, for leading the 1979 Rams to the Super Bowl after a 9-7 regular season.
Noll would continue to coach for another decade, but would never again taste ultimate victory.
29) Super Bowl XLI: Tony Dungy vs. Lovie Smith
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Tony Dungy rode off into the sunset a few years back, satisfied with his body of work, and who can blame him? His win in Super Bowl XLI was the cap on years of success with Tampa Bay and Indianapolis.
After missing the playoffs two of his first three seasons as a head coach, he never missed them again, leading his teams to 10 seasons of double-digit wins in 13 years. He installed a system in Indy that continues to work to this day (admittedly, having Peyton Manning helped).
Lovie Smith is still adding to his coaching resume, but it's already a successful one, with a Super Bowl appearance in 2006, and a conference championship appearance this year. The Bears look to be a contender for the foreseeable future.
This game was also notable for finally providing the NFL with a black Super Bowl winning head coach.
28) Super Bowl XXXIII: Mike Shanahan vs. Dan Reeves
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Dan Reeves got one final crack at adding his name to the list of champions, but it was not to be.
Reeves led the Atlanta Falcons to the Super Bowl in the 1998 season, nine years after he had last taken the Denver Broncos there. He would suffer the same fate as in his prior three appearances, however, dropping a 34-19 decision to the Denver Broncos.
Mike Shanahan became just the fifth head coach to win back-to-back titles, and the first to do it since Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90s.
27) Super Bowl V: Don McCafferty vs. Tom Landry
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This matchup might rank much higher if McCafferty had coached longer. He led the Colts to the win in Super Bowl V in his first season on the sidelines, getting the better of the soon-to-be legendary coach Tom Landry and his Cowboys, 16-13.
As it was, he would last just another season-and-a-half in Baltimore, fired for not benching quarterback Johnny Unitas. And he tragically died after a heart attack in 1974. But he is credited with molding the 1970 Colts into a hard-nosed unit that was greater than the sum of its parts.
Landry would win his first Super Bowl the very next season.
26) Super Bowl XXXIX: Bill Belichick vs. Andy Reid
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Belichick won his third title in four seasons with the Patriots 24-21 triumph in Super Bowl XXXIX. The game firmly established the New England Patriots as a modern dynasty and cemented Belichick's place in the firmament of great coaches.
On the Eagles' sideline, Andy Reid had finally gotten his team over their conference title game hump, but couldn't clear the final hurdle. He's still adding to his legacy, however, and the Eagles are always a threat to get back there. With Jeff Fisher out in Tennessee, Reid is now the longest-tenured current head coach in the league.
25) Super Bowl XXXII: Mike Shanahan vs. Mike Holmgren
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Mike Shanahan ended years of frustration in Denver by leading the Broncos to a dramatic 31-24 win over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The win also ended a 13-year stretch of NFC dominance, and finally got the monkey off of quarterback John Elway's back.
Holmgren was the favorite in the game, leading his defending champion Packers. But Elway's grit, highlighted by a remarkable spinning goal line dive, highlighted the never-say-die attitude that epitomized the Broncos that season.
The game is also notable for being Brett Favre's second-and-final appearance in the Super Bowl.
24) Super Bowl XLII: Tom Coughlin vs. Bill Belichick
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In a game that will forever stand with Super Bowl III as one of the greatest upsets in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants prevented the New England Patriots from finishing off an undefeated season.
Tom Coughlin gets kudos for expertly leading his team through the playoffs, winning three straight road games to get to the Super Bowl, before toppling the Pats, 17-14, behind the strength of a ferocious pass rush and one miracle play.
Bill Belichick's resume, however, should not be stained by this loss. It's still pretty remarkable, with three Super Bowl titles already, and perhaps more still to come in the future.
23) Super Bowl XL: Bill Cowher vs. Mike Holmgren
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Cowher finally got his long overdue title in Super Bowl XL, and he did it against another of the best coaches of the modern era, Mike Holmgren.
Sure, there was controversy around some of the calls in the game that continues to this day, but Cowher simply took advantage of them, which he's supposed to do as head coach. This Super Bowl has served as the springboard to another run of Steelers dominance that sees them now in their third Super Bowl in the last six years.
Holmgren was nearing the end of his run in Seattle, and while he didn't claim the ultimate prize there, he still enjoyed a very successful string of seasons unmatched before or since in Seahawks history.
22) Super Bowl XXVI: Joe Gibbs vs. Marv Levy
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Joe Gibbs reached heights in this game that had only been reached by two other coaches previously, and just one since. He won his third Super Bowl, joining Chuck Noll and Bill Walsh among the truly elite (Bill Belichick would join later).
The 37-24 victory was the second of four straight Super Bowl defeats for Marv Levy's Buffalo Bills. That team still fails to get its full due nearly 20 years later, but Levy expertly guided it through multiple playoff runs when they weren't the favorite.
21) Super Bowl XV: Tom Flores vs. Dick Vermeil
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Flores established himself in this game as a worthy replacement for John Madden, winning the first of two Super Bowl titles of the 80s for the Raiders, 27-10 over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dick Vermeil led the NFC-champion Eagles, and although it would take him quite some time to cement his own legacy in the coaching pantheon, he would, with the 1999 St. Louis Rams.
Coincidentally, this game featured the exact same score, in the exact same stadium, as Super Bowl XII three years earlier.
20) Super Bowl XII: Tom Landry vs. Red Miller
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Red Miller spent four seasons on the sidelines for the Denver Broncos, and is notable for making the Super Bowl in his first season. Unfortunately for him, he went up against the Dallas Cowboys and Tom Landry.
It was a mismatch from the start, and Landry's more experienced squad rolled over Miller's Broncos, 27-10. The win placed Landry among the NFL's truly elite coaches to have won multiple championships, and his presence in this game elevates it in this list.
The Broncos franchise would have to go through many more disappointments before finally breaking through on the ultimate stage.
19) Super Bowl XXIV: George Seifert vs. Dan Reeves
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It was the highest scoring game, and the biggest blowout, in Super Bowl history. The San Francisco 49ers dismantled the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV.
At the time, you could say that Seifert was riding on the coattails of the legendary coach who came before him, Bill Walsh, who built the Niners into the franchise they had become. Seifert simply inherited it. But he would prove himself more than capable in his own right, leading the team to double-digit wins in every season he was at the helm, and even winning another Super Bowl, as well.
Dan Reeves quest to finally get that ring was squashed in this one, his third of four Super Bowl defeats.
18) Super Bowl II: Vince Lombardi vs. John Rauch
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Lombardi's glorious tenure leading the Packers came to an end with this 33-14 victory in Super Bowl II.
The game was the culmination of everything he had taught his team in nine seasons at the helm, and they executed his vision to perfection.
John Rauch's Oakland Raiders had an impossible task on this day, and the matchup wasn't exactly the most compelling. But the stature gets raised simply because of the presence of Lombardi.
17) Super Bowl XXXI: Mike Holmgren vs. Bill Parcells
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One of the best recent coaching matchups in the Super Bowl came at the end of the 1996 season.
Mike Holmgren took the Brett Favre-led Green Bay Packers back to the big game for the first time since the days of Lombardi, when he faced off against Bill Parcells and the New England Patriots. Parcells was making his third Super Bowl appearance with his second team, both feats which Holmgren would eventually achieve as well.
Holmgren would eventually prevail this time, 35-21, in the final year of a 13 season run of dominance for the NFC.
16) Super Bowl III: Weeb Ewbank vs. Don Shula
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Super Bowl III still holds an allure as one of the most memorable in history, not because of how compelling the game itself was, but because of the intrigue surrounding it. Brash young Jets quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a win and followed through, leading his team to a monumental 16-7 upset over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.
The coach of those favored Colts was one Don Shula, in his younger days, before he became everyone's favorite father figure while leading the Miami Dolphins. It was during these seasons in Baltimore that Shula would refine his coaching strategies that he would use the rest of his unparalleled career.
But on this day, Weeb Ewbank would help the Jets establish that the AFL needed to be taken seriously once and for all.
15) Super Bowl IV: Hank Stram vs. Bud Grant
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After years leading the Dallas Texans and Kansas City Chiefs to being one of the model teams of the AFL and AFC, Hank Stram finally climbed the ultimate mountaintop when he led his squad to the win in Super Bowl IV.
The 23-7 victory ended years of almost victories for Stram, who had been denied in the game's inaugural event by Vince Lombardi.
The almost victories were just beginning for Bud Grant, whose Minnesota Vikings would return to the big game three more times in the coming years, but were denied each and every time.
14) Super Bowl XXV: Bill Parcells vs. Marv Levy
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Super Bowl XXV, at the end of the 1990 season, was one of the classic contests in the game's history. It came down to the play that will forever be known as "Wide Right", when Bills kicker Scott Norwood missed a potentially game-winning field goal to let the Giants escape with a 20-19 victory.
It was the final game on the Giants' sideline for Parcells, who would go on to a number of other coaching stints, all relatively successful, but would never again climb to these heights.
Marv Levy, on the other hand, was just starting his run of leading the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances, a feat unmatched in NFL history. Unfortunately, they lost all four.
13) Super Bowl XXI: Bill Parcells vs. Dan Reeves
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Using a stout defense led by Lawrence Taylor, Bill Parcells claimed his first championship as the still dark-haired and somewhat baby-faced coach of the New York Giants budding powerhouse at the end of the 1986 season.
His victims were the Denver Broncos, led by Dan Reeves. Phil Simms had a nearly perfect day throwing the football, and the Giants won going away, 39-20.
It would be the first of many title game disappointments for Reeves. But hey, just getting there is something to be admired.
12) Super Bowl XXII: Joe Gibbs vs. Dan Reeves
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Joe Gibbs won his second title at the end of the 1987 campaign, leading the Redskins over the Dan Reeves-led Broncos in a 42-10 shellacking.
He seemed to do well during strike-shortened seasons, as his first title also came during one. Whatever kind of season it was, though, Gibbs was a good man for the job.
Reeves was forever the bridesmaid but never the bride, leading the Broncos and Falcons to four Super Bowl appearances without winning one. But he's still respected as one of the excellent leading men of his era.
11) Super Bowl XVIII: Tom Flores vs. Joe Gibbs
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Tom Flores' NFL coaching career ended meekly, with three losing seasons in the 90s at the helm of the Seattle Seahawks. But it began with a roar.
As head coach of the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders in the 1980s he carried on the legacy created by his predecessors like John Madden, and kept the franchise as a perennial contender. Super Bowl XVIII was a 38-9 rout over the defending champion Redskins led by Joe Gibbs, and let Flores join the elite ranks of coaches who had won multiple Super Bowls.
Gibbs didn't hang his head after the loss, and would come back to win two more titles himself.
10) Super Bowl XVII: Joe Gibbs vs. Don Shula
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Joe Gibbs was in just his second season as an NFL head coach during the strike-shortened 1982 season. Don Shula was already a legend.
But it was the neophyte who got the better of the matchup in this one, with the Redskins coming out on top, 27-17. Gibbs would, of course, go on to join Shula among the legendary coaching names, and will forever be associated with Washington football.
Shula would get one more crack at winning it all, but could never again clear that final hurdle.
9) Super Bowl VII: Don Shula vs. George Allen
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Super Bowl VII was the culmination of the Miami Dolphins' perfect 1972 season. It was capped by their 14-7 victory over George Allen's Redskins.
Allen is often overlooked due to this having been his lone Super Bowl appearance, but his teams finished with a winning record in every season, and his career .712 winning percentage is the fourth best in NFL coaching history.
Shula, meanwhile, is one of the faces on coaching's Mount Rushmore, and his 328 career wins remain the most all time.
8) Super Bowl XI: John Madden vs. Bud Grant
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John Madden had a short, but undeniably brilliant coaching career. Super Bowl XI was his only Super Bowl appearance, and he made the most of it, leading his Raiders to a 32-14 victory over Bud Grant's perennial runner-up Vikings.
This was the fourth and final Super Bowl loss for Grant, and though he never reached that highest peak, the Vikings' sustained excellence throughout the 70s is a testament to his skill as a coach and motivator.
Madden, on the other hand, firmly established the black-and-silver legacy that echoes to this day. His rough-and-tumble teams played football the way it was meant to be: aggressive and fearless.
7) Super Bowl VIII: Don Shula vs. Bud Grant
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Don Shula's Dolphins were making their third straight Super Bowl appearance, and were going up against Bud Grant's Vikings in their second appearance.
Miami wasn't undefeated in this season like they were the previous year, but they were essentially the same team and, having already accomplished the feat, didn't really need to prove anything else.
Grant's championship misery, meanwhile, would only continue after this game in the following years.
6) Super Bowl IX: Chuck Noll vs. Bud Grant
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The Steelers' and Chuck Noll's legend began with a 16-6 victory over Bud Grant's Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX.
Grant often gets shorted when it comes to credit as a great coach because he never won a Super Bowl, but his teams nevertheless won four conference championships and 11 division titles. The Vikings won 10 or more games seven times in eight years with Grant as coach, and he is owed a good deal of credit for that run.
Noll meanwhile deservedly gets the credit for being one of the primary architects of the dynasty that owned the second half of the 1970's.
5) Super Bowl X: Chuck Noll vs. Tom Landry I
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The first meeting between Noll and Landry would become Noll's second straight title with the Steelers.
The 21-17 win was perfectly suited to the hard-nosed defensive identity that Pittsburgh was trying to establish for itself, and the image would become indelibly linked to those great Steeler teams of the 70s.
Landry had already won and lost a Super Bowl, and would go on to win and lose another one. Both teams obviously had great players, but the men on the sidelines towered above them all.
4) Super Bowl XIX: Bill Walsh vs. Don Shula
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Bill Walsh was one of the most revolutionary coaches in NFL history.
He took a traditional bottom dweller and turned them into one of the league's proudest franchises. Super Bowl XIX came right in the middle of Walsh creating his legendary legacy. It was his second Super Bowl title and firmly established his West Coast offense as a staple for years to come.
Shula's had already been around a long time, but he was still the coaching genius who had led the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 70s. This would be his final appearance in the big game. It was a metaphorical passing of the torch to the new generation of coaches.
3) Super Bowl VI: Tom Landry vs. Don Shula
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Landry's Cowboys had lost the previous Super Bowl, and were looking to make amends for falling short. The Man in the Hat had yet to truly establish his legend, but his methods were beginning to reap rewards.
Shula's Dolphins were on the brink of greatness. This was the year before the perfect season, and Shula's team would go on to win the next two Super Bowls.
But they wouldn't win this one. Landry got his first ring, 24-3.
2) Super Bowl XIII: Chuck Noll vs. Tom Landry II
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This rematch gets the nod over the first Steelers vs. Cowboys Super Bowl because both coaches were that much more renowned by the time 1979 rolled around.
With the event still in its formative years, both Noll and Landry had already won two Super Bowls, the first and only time so far that that has ever happened. They were both already legendary figures, and both franchises were already established as two of the elite in the sport.
The game, as in the first matchup three years earlier, was competitive, with Pittsburgh edging Dallas 35-31. The battle on the sidelines was as intense as the battle on the field.
1) Super Bowl I: Vince Lombardi vs. Hank Stram
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I give this matchup the top honor partly because it was the first, but also because it was fitting to be the first.
Vince Lombardi has gone beyond the status of just a legend and has become almost mythical as a man and a coach. They've even recently opened a Broadway play based on his life. Had the Super Bowl been around during his entire coaching career, he certainly would have won more than two. He's still the model by which all football coaches are measured.
Stram, meanwhile, was no slouch either. He was one of the cornerstones of the Kansas City Chiefs (nee Dallas Texans) being the dominant franchise in the AFL, and playing the kind of football that forced the more established league to take the young upstart seriously, leading to the merger and the Super Bowl in the first place. His franchise won two AFL Championships and a Super Bowl.
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