Famous American Coaches

Retired basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a legendary NBA champion and its all-time leading scorer. Known for his trademark skyhook shot, he achieved remarkable feats during his career. Later, he pursued a successful writing and acting career and was even selected U.S. global cultural ambassador. The NBA star is also the proud recipient of the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Phil Jackson is a former professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association and won the NBA championships in 1970 and 1973 when he was with New York Knicks. Later, he coached the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers and led them both to numerous championships and league titles and is considered one of the greatest basketball coaches ever.

Jim Harbaugh is a former football player and coach. He currently serves as the head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. As a player, he played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2000. After that, he took up coaching and has coached several teams, including Stanford Cardinal and San Francisco 49ers. 

Urban Meyer is an American football coach who is currently serving as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars which competes in the NFL. He has also coached college football teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes, helping the team win its maiden Big Ten Conference title. He has also worked as an analyst for popular TV networks like Fox Sports.

Basketball coach Gregg Popovich currently serves as the head coach and president of the NBA team San Antonio Spurs. Known as Coach Pop, the three-time NBA Coach of the Year has scored the most wins NBA wins, leading the Spurs to 22 season wins, including five NBA titles.

Mike Krzyzewski is a men's basketball coach currently affiliated with Duke University. He played basketball in the United States Military Academy and served as an officer in the United States Army for a few years. He later joined the coaching staff at the Indiana Hoosiers. He has been with Duke University since 1980 and plans to retire soon. 

Tyronn Lue is an American basketball coach currently serving as the head coach for the popular team Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. Previously, he coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, which won the 2016 NBA Finals under his guidance. During his playing career, Tyronn Lue helped the Los Angeles Lakers win two NBA championships.

Dabo Swinney is an American football coach. The highest-paid coach in college athletics history, Dabo Swinney helped the Clemson Tigers of the Clemson University win two national championships; he is the second-most successful head coach in Clemson history, only behind Frank Howard.

Ed Orgeron is a former football player turned coach. He currently serves as the head football coach at Louisiana State University (LSU). He played college football at LSU and Northwestern State University. He began his coaching career in the 1980s and has coached the teams at the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern California (USC). 

Lane Kiffin is a football coach and former player. At present, he is affiliated with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as their head football coach. He played college football and later joined the coaching staff of the USC Trojans football team. He was once the head coach of Oakland Raiders and the University of Tennessee Volunteers college football team.  

Pat Riley is a former coach and player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Currently, he is a professional basketball executive and has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995. He is considered one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time and is a recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Football coach, Vince Lombardi, is best known for being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers during the 1960s. Beginning his career as a high school coach, he eventually started coaching  National Football League (NFL) teams. As a head coach in the NFL, he never had a losing season. He died of cancer in 1970.

Jerry Krause was a sports scout and executive. He served as the general manager of the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for several years, from 1985 to 2003. He won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice. He died in 2017 and was posthumously inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame later that year. 

Jordan Rodgers is a sports commentator. He began his career as a professional football quarterback and has played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins. He began his broadcasting career in 2016. He participated in and won season 12 of the reality TV show The Bachelorette. His brother Aaron Rodgers is a popular football quarterback. 

Doc Rivers is a former American basketball player, who in his thirteen seasons played primarily for Atlanta Hawks and was known for his defence. After retirement, he picked up coaching responsibilities for Orlando Magic and in his first year was awarded NBA Coach of the Year. Later, he led Boston Celtics to NBA championship. He is currently the coach of Philadelphia 76ers.

Chip Kelly is a football coach who is currently the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. In the past, he led the Oregon Ducks to four consecutive BCS bowl game appearances and gained much prominence. He began his career as a player and eventually moved on to coaching. He is well known for his unorthodox strategies and unique coaching philosophy.

College football player, athletic director, and coach, Joe Paterno, is best remembered for being the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2011. In his extensive coaching career, he registered 409 victories. His career ended abruptly when he was dismissed as a result of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal. He died shortly after.

Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach, currently serving as the head coach of the Greece national basketball team. Previously, Pitino has served as the head coach of many teams in NCAA Division I. He has the distinction of being the only coach to lead three different schools to a Final Four.

Former American football player and coach, Tony Dungy, currently works as an advisor for the professional football team, The Houston Texans. An evangelical Christian, Dungy has been an integral part of several community service organizations over the years. Also a writer, Dungy claims that his memoir Quiet Strength has touched the lives of many.

Lou Holtz has been the head football coach of teams such as the New York Jets. He led Notre Dame to be the national champions. Holtz became the only coach to guide four programs to the final top 20. The College Football Hall of Famer later became an ESPN analyst.

Bear Bryant was an American football player who represented the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. Bryant is remembered for his illustrious career as a coach. He served as the head coach of the Crimson Tide for 25 years, during which he helped his team win six national championships. He is regarded as the greatest college football coach ever.

Erik Spoelstra, who is of Filipino descent, created history when in 2008 he became the head basketball coach of Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, making him the first Asian-American head coach of the four major North American sports leagues. When Miami Heat won in 2012, he became the first Asian-American head coach to win a NBA championship.