Nick Saban did not need to win a seventh national championship to have his name on the list of the best active coaches in American sport, although his latest title guarantees him to be considered the best of the best.
Saban and Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Ohio State Buckeyes 52-24 to win the 13th title in their history on Monday night, the sixth time they have been crowned under Saban in the past 12 years. The championship put Saban ahead of another legendary Alabama coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, mostly by a coach at the time of the AP poll (since 1936).
Saban took over the reins of the Crimson Tide for the 2007 season, creating a modern dynasty in college football without precedent. His status as one of the greatest coaches of all time is undeniable, but he is not the only one who has made his mark lately when it comes to sports and his best coaches.
Given this, we offer a ranking of the best current coaches in American sports, adding European football as a means of comparison between the competitions that Spanish-speaking fans are passionate about.
1. Bill Belichick
We can’t talk about the greatest dynasties of the turn of the century without mentioning Bill Belichik’s New Belgium Patriots, who have won six Super Bowls since 2001 to tie the Steelers for most of history.
During this time, Belichik and the Patriots missed the postseason only three times, including this season, when they were affected by the departure of quarterback Tom Brady and the details created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Either way, Belichik’s place is certainly one of the best coaches in NFL history, currently setting the bar as number one on the list.
2. Nick Saban
Maintaining excellence in professional sports is a huge challenge for any coach, but it goes hand in hand with the decisions and vision of the franchise management in question. In college sports, the story is different and no coach plays the recruiting game like Saban, who turned the Crimson Sea into a title car and factory of elite NFL players.
Alabama’s six 12-season championships are the shortest time to win six national titles in college football, surpassing Alabama’s previous 19-season record of 1961-79, and Saban is the first head coach to win a championship. nationally in 3 different decades (2000, 2010, 2020).
In 14 seasons in Alabama, Saban has a 0.881 winning percentage with six national titles, seven SEC titles, finishing nine times in the top 5 in the AP poll in that interval.
3. Jurgen Klopp
No manager has recently made his mark on a club like Klopp in Liverpool, bringing the team back to glory after a lethargy that saw them give way in English football and, in general, in Europe, to some of their fiercest rivals.
The Champions League and Premier League titles in the back-to-back seasons have sealed their place as an important figure in the history of the Reds, who remain in a position to win more in 2021, despite a series of injuries that have affected them. performance in the first. part of the current season.
4. Geno Auriemma
As for Saban and Alabama, when it comes to recent dynasties in larger college sports, nothing compares to Auriema’s accomplishments that led Lady Huskies of Connecticut to women’s basketball.
Under Auriemma, the Huskies have won 11 national titles, including six in eight seasons from 2009-2016, when Auriemma took on John Wooden (11-10) for the most titles by a coach in college basketball history ( men and women) and the Huskies made history as the first Division I women’s team to win four consecutive national championships.
In those years, some of the best players in history went through Storrs such as Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Tina Charles. Let’s not forget the three Olympic medals (Sidney 2000, London 2012 and Rio 2016) that lead the strong American team.
5. Mike Krzyzewski
While Auriemma left her mark on the women’s side of college basketball, Coach K excelled in the men’s side not only as one of the best today, but perhaps also the best to do so in history, sharing possibly the throne with the legendary. UCLA wood.
Since 1980, no team has won more collegiate championships (5) or appeared in more Final Fours (12) than Duke. During that time, Krzyzewski became the first coach to score 1,000 wins in Division I, earning the respect and adoration of thousands of players in the process, including those in the NBA who led gold in three editions of the Olympic Games (Beijing). 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016).
6. Pep Guardiola
For many, the Catalan language is still the standard when it comes to the best technicians in the world. Innovative and imitated, Guardiola would have been chosen by the vast majority to run those clubs if money and competition were not factors.
Currently, Guardiola has a double motivation to achieve European success in the Champions League that Manchester City longs for, in addition to recovering the Premier League scepter that Liverpool snatched in 2019-20 after winning consecutive championships from 2017 to 2019.
7. Diego Simeone
No coach in the world would be more valuable to his club than Cholo Simeone to Atlético Madrid. During his time as coach of the mattresses, Simeone won seven titles, including a LaLiga title in 2013-14, and each year presents a quality team that competes with the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, despite a budget. very inferior, which is a remarkable feat in itself.
Atlético reached two Champions League finals under Simeone, falling twice against their rivals in Madrid in matches that were very close to winning, and their best moment in 2020 was the elimination of the champion Liverpool in the eighth. As Simeone evolves into offensive playing tactics, the club’s defense remains the best in Europe, ensuring that Cholo and his team will be able to compete for titles in 2021.
8. Gregg Popovich
While Pop had as a contemporary one that many consider the greatest coach in NBA history in Phil Jackson, the San Antonio Spurs coach’s resume speaks for itself about its impact and legacy on the game.
Pop has doubled from driving to court to help create and sustain the impressive stretch that made Spurs qualify for the postseason in 22 consecutive seasons, winning five titles in the process. This consistency is unmatched in the NBA and has helped him gain the admiration of a generation of players who have put him in his own class as one of today’s best coaches.
9. Terry Francona
While Francona is best remembered by many as the manager of the Red Sox, who finally put an end to the “Curse of the Child,” his time in charge of Cleveland strengthened his case as one of the best in the sport.
Francona changed his philosophy and movements in order to place his players in the best position to win. He led Cleveland to the postseason in five of its eight seasons, falling to a single World Series win in 2016, despite the back-and-forth of the players that characterize the small market team. Come to think of it, 2021 will be a big challenge for Francona and her team, following the recent trade that brought the franchise, Francisco Lindor, to the Mets.
10. José Mourinho
Although the greatest triumphs of the Portuguese manager seem to be further away in the past with each passing season, his presence in the media and off the field is unmatched in European football.
Mourinho accepted the challenge to coach Tottenham in November 2019, replacing another remarkable one in the Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. Mou threw his hat in the middle in the English competition, so that his rivals Guardiola and Kloop dominate the last campaigns. And, although the path to Hotspur’s glory is not guaranteed, Mourinho’s figure gives them a presence that transcends sport to lead their project at a time when the bet is not safe in one way or another.