Hoke-a-Mania and College Football's 15 Best Coaches' Nicknames of All-Time

Fans are allowed to have a little fun in college football, and many time that fun results in some great nicknames for their coaches.

Some of the names are positive, pointing out how tough the coach is compared to his colleagues or their aggressive nature.

However, other names have a negative connotation and reflect on prior mistakes in a coach's career.

Here are some of the best nicknames of all time given to college football coaches.

15. Mad Scientist: Mike Leach

Although Mike Leach is a successful coach, he seems to make the news more often for the things he does off the field.

From the cheerful admiration of pirates, to the scandal surrounding Adam James, Leach is no stranger to headlines.

He became the "mad scientist" thanks to his trickiness in the offensive playbook, and will take his wisdom to Washington State next season.

14. The Ol Ball Coach: Steve Spurrier

Steve Spurrier has been known as both the "Ol' Ball Coach" and the "Head Ball Coach."

His nickname stems from his humble roots, saying he does not worry about anything else besides being a ball coach.

He has made plenty of enemies due to some of his banter towards other teams and coaches, but he has made up for it with on-the-field success.

13. Riverboat Gambler: Tommy Tuberville

Tommy Tuberville took over for Mike Leach at Texas Tech after leaving Auburn in 2008.

He has had an up-and-down career, and his nickname could not be more relevant.

The "riverboat gambler" was known to make some questionable decisions on the field, and has had some good years and bad to show for it.

Bobby Bowden was also referred by this at times, but he definitely won more bets than he lost.

12. Shug: Ralph Jordan

Ralph Jordan was the head coach of Auburn from 1951-1975, where he tallied 176 career wins and a national championship in 1957.

He gained the nickname "Shug" as a child thanks to his love of sugar cane.

It reminds me of Suge Knight, who otherwise would never be mentioned in the same sentence as the former football coach. 

11. Urban "Liar" Meyer

Not every coach is proud of the nicknames bestowed upon them.

Urban Meyer has been a hot commodity as a head coach thanks to his ability to win everywhere he goes.

Unfortunately, every time he goes to a new school he leaves a former team with bitter feelings.

Meyer explained that he would not leave Utah, until he left to go to Florida. Then, he said he would not coach anywhere but Florida, but now took a job at Ohio State.

It seems that Urban Meyer is a liar.

10. The Vest: Jim Tressel

There are many things one can notice about Jim Tressel.

He led Ohio State to three national championship games, winning one of them over the heavily favored University of Miami.

He was involved in controversy last year that led to his resignation after failing to notify proper authorities of wrongdoing.

Despite all of this, I still cannot think of Tressel without thinking about a sweater vest. 

9. The Fridge: Ralph Friedgen

The originally "fridge" was William Perry, but Ralph Friedgen has an equal claim to the name.

This nickname is good for two reasons. He has a similarly sounding last name, and also has an enormous stature. 

Ralph Friedgen is still bitter about being fired by Maryland, but the offensive specialist should find a landing spot soon enough.

8. JoePa: Joe Paterno

Until the recent Jerry Sandusky scandal, Joe Paterno was head coach of the Penn State football team for 46 years.

In that time he amassed 409 wins, the most in FBS history.

His nickname, JoePa, is not only a play on his name, but the feeling that the Penn State faithful had for him. Paterno was like a father figure for the entire program, and everyone looked up to him.

Unfortunately, recent events have changed his image forever.

7. Cholly Mac: Charles McClendon

Charles McClendon had a very solid career as the head coach of the LSU Tigers.

From 1962-1979, McClendon totaled 137 career wins with a 7-6 record in bowl games. In 1986, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

His was known as Cholly Mac, which simply sounds like a drunk person trying to say his name. Lucky for us, he embraced the nickname.

6. Big Game Bob: Bob Stoops

Bob Stoops earned the nickname of "Big Game Bob" after an enormous amount of early success with Oklahoma.

The Sooners won the national championship in just his second year with the team, and have won seven Big 12 titles since arriving on campus in 1999.

This label is starting to wear off among Oklahoma fans who have come to expect more from Stoops. The team has lost five of the last six BCS games it has been in, including two national championship games.

Still, his success over the past decade has been hard to replicate.

5. Coach February: Mack Brown

Not all of these nicknames are as relevant today as they were when first created.

When Mack Brown started coaching at Texas in 1998, the coach quickly earned a reputation as a great recruiter.

Unfortunately, many fans felt that he was not that successful as a coach when he needed to win the important games.

People would start to call Brown "coach February," since he was at his best during the important recruiting month.

Since then, Brown has shed this nickname with a national championship in 2005.

4. The Madhatter: Les Miles

Les Miles has been very successful in his coaching career, but it has not been without taking a few risks.

The head coach of LSU has already won one national championship and is attempting to win another next month.

His nickname, the Madhatter, came from his risky play-calling in key situations. So far the risks have paid off for the coach.

3. Hoke-a-Mania: Brady Hoke

Michigan fans were very excited when Brady Hoke stepped in as head coach this offseason, replacing Rich Rodriguez after several unsuccessful years.

With the new coach came a great new nickname: Hoke-a-mania.

The name is a reference to the golden age of Hulk Hogan with Hulk-a-mania.

Hoke has caused a real excitement in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines will play in their first BCS bowl in five years.

2. Bear Bryant: Paul Bryant

Paul Bryant was one of the best head coaches in college football history, and he earned one of the best names to go along with it.

Legend has it that he once wrestled a bear when he was younger, earning the nickname of "Bear" Bryant.

Regardless of where the nickname came from, it portrays a man who was tough and wanted his players to be as tough as he was.

His success proved that he got his point across.

1. Bull Cyclone: Bob Sullivan

Bob Sullivan was a little known head coach for East Mississippi Junior College in the '50s and '60s.

Sports Illustrated called him the "toughest coach that ever was," recalling stories from former players that turned into legends.

With a name like Bull Cyclone, it is a shame he was not a more prominent member of the college football universe.