In the NFL the name of the game is simple on paper. Win games. Unfortunately for all those involved, the process of winning those games is incredibly difficult.
But millions are at stake for NFL owners. And players only have a finite amount of time before Father Time catches up to them.
So every franchise is constantly clawing its way up the mountain as vigorously as it possibly can. Because if you aren’t winning, you aren’t hanging around for long.
But some coaches found the way to crack the NFL code, so to speak. Maybe they were elite gameplanners. Maybe they were excellent motivators. Maybe they surrounded themselves with the brightest minds in the sport.
In any event, it is exceptionally difficult to find success (especially long-term) as an NFL head coach. But that’s what these men did.
Active Longest-Tenured NFL Coaches
There are just three active head coaches who have been with their teams for more than 10 years. And there’s a reason why the NFL is jokingly referred to as the “Not For Long” league. An average NFL head coaching tenure is roughly three years.
Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers (18 years): Hired in 2007, Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher. Cowher won Super Bowl XL in 2006, bringing the Steel City its first Super Bowl that hadn’t been won by Chuck Noll.
So there were big shoes to fill for Tomlin.
Tomlin immediately set a record in his first two seasons, winning 22 games—the most in Pittsburgh history. He then led the Steelers to Super Bowl XLIII, where the team came back against the Arizona Cardinals and won 27-23.
Tomlin has led the Steelers to the playoffs in 11 of his 17 full seasons (we’ll see what happens this year) and is now the second-longest tenured head coach in Steelers history.
John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens (17 years): Harbaugh was hired by the Ravens in 2008, replacing Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick. This made Harbaugh the third head coach in franchise history.
Harbaugh led the Ravens to the AFC Championship Game in his first season as head coach and led the team to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons, winning Super Bowl XLVII.
His 167 wins is good for top 20 all-time among NFL head coaches.
Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs (12 years): Reid was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles after a 4-12 season in 2012. He was then hired by Kansas City and hasn’t had a losing season since.
Reid has won three Super Bowls in Kansas City, including the last two. He’s also the only coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different teams and to win 10 playoff games for two different teams.
The man they call “Big Red” was always a great coach, but one who was criticized for not being able to get over the hump in Philadelphia.
Now, that’s simply not the case as Reid is the best coach in football and is well on his way to leading Kansas City to another Super Bowl.
All-Time Longest-Tenured NFL Coaches
Curly Lambeau, Green Bay Packers (29 years): Lambeau coached Green Bay from 1921 (as a player-coach) until 1949, winning six NFL championships. Lambeau was one of the first coaches to use the forward pass—and did so often.
The team’s offense was revolutionary and his success led him to be named to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team and become the namesake of the Packers' home stadium in 1965 after his death.
Tom Landry, Dallas Cowboys (29 years): Landry led the Cowboys from NFL basement-dweller to America’s Team during his tenure, winning two Super Bowls and five NFC championships. Landry is credited with perfecting the “flex” defense (which we now recognize as the 4-3) and the shotgun offense. His 270 wins (including playoffs) is the fifth-most all time.
Don Shula, Miami Dolphins (26 years): While Lambeau and Landry are largely considered innovators, Shula is a different mold. The man with the most wins in the history of the NFL didn’t revolutionize with new gimmicks. Instead, Shula was a master at evaluating and developing talent and adapting.
A hard-nosed man who would brutalize his Dolphins teams with one, two, three and sometimes even four practices a day in the Miami summer, Shula’s teams took on his persona—tough as nails. Shula won 10+ games in 16 of his first 26 seasons in Miami, leading the team to five Super Bowls (and winning two).
Bill Belichick, New England Patriots (24 years): Belichick is largely considered to be the greatest coach of all time. While he trails Shula by 14 wins, Bellichick’s six Super Bowl victories with the Patriots speak for themselves.
Belichick is a master of X’s and O’s, someone who could easily identify strengths of a player and then put that player in a position to succeed.
Known for his ability to turn veteran underachievers into key championship pieces, Belichick’s preparedness and attention to detail stood out over his quarter-century run as the NFL’s rules changed drastically during his tenure.
Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh Steelers (23 years): Known as one of the league’s premier intellectuals, Noll understood football at a fundamental level. He was excellent at returning players back to basics and developing strong technique.
Noll also emphasized the importance of the college draft, building a roster that could play complimentary football.
He led the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s, creating one of the NFL’s most recognizable dynasties.
Steve Owen, New York Giants (24 years): Owen’s defensive emphasis led the Giants to eight of the first 14 NFL Championship games. He is credited with the creation of the “umbrella” defense—something akin to the Cover 4 which featured four defensive backs, each taking a quarter of the field.
Owen is the winningest coach in Giants history.
George Halas, Chicago Bears (40 years): We’ve included Halas here as a sort of honorable mention, simply because his tenure with the Bears was broken up in the early 1930s and then again during World War II.
However, Halas coached Chicago for an incredible 40 years. A co-founder of the NFL and creator of the Bears, Halas had a winning record in 34 seasons.
He is credited with helping redesign the “T-Formation” offense and turning Chicago into an offensive powerhouse (the system became so popular that it’s even referenced in the Bears' fight song).
Halas also was an innovator for his time. He began making the team practice daily, he used film to analyze opponents and got his team’s games broadcast on the radio.
Win Totals for Longest-Tenured Coaches
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Longest Tenured NFL Coaches (Active and All Time).
