Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd has developed something of a reputation for some outrageous takes. But an opinion he shared about the greatest coach in football history may be his worst.
Reflecting upon Monday Night Football, Cowherd spoke about the dominant win by the Los Angeles Chargers.
He then went on a slight tangent about Halls of Fame and how for basketball and football there are different structures.
For NBA players, they get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame – along with those who succeed in high school, college, and the women’s game. For the NFL, they get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – while collegiate success is celebrated at the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cowherd then used this as a way to drop his take about who he thinks the greatest football coach in history is.
‘If you combine it like basketball, and it was just there was a football Hall of Fame, you could count college and pro. I would make an argument today, the greatest coach in the history of football is not Bill Belichick or Bill Walsh or Vince Lombardi. It’s Jim Harbaugh, the greatest coach ever,’ the sports talk show host claimed.
Colin Cowherd believes that Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is the best in football history
But Harbaugh’s one title came as he violated multiple rules and he’s never won a Super Bowl
Cowherd continued: ‘Think about this. He’s never failed. He’s five for five. At [the University of] San Diego, Stanford, San Francisco, 49ers, Michigan, and the Chargers, he’s never failed. [Nick] Saban and Urban [Meyer], unbelievable college legends struggled in the NFL.
‘He’s also not tied to a single player. What’s Belichick without Brady? Not great. The only person that compares to him is Jimmy Johnson.’
Where to begin with this one. For one, while Cowherd may claim Harbaugh has ‘never failed’ at any of his above institutions, he has only won a single title in either professional or college football.
Harbaugh led his alma mater, Michigan, to a national championship in 2023 in the midst of a season where he missed multiple games due to recruiting violations as well as a spying scandal.
This summer, the NCAA found that – under Harbaugh – Michigan committed multiple violations. They sanctioned the school with multiple major financial penalties and hit Harbaugh with a ten-year show-cause penalty – keeping him from coaching college football until 2036.
While he did win that national title game, he only put up a record of 3-6 in postseason games. He also only won two games against Michigan’s biggest rival, Ohio State, and never beat the Buckeyes when they were coached by Urban Meyer.
Then there’s his NFL record. In his four seasons with the 49ers, he reached the playoffs three times – losing two NFC Championship games in 2011 and 2013. In the 2012 season, he reached Super Bowl XLVII – losing to his brother, John Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens.
So for Cowherd to claim that Harbaugh is the best all-around football coach in history, despite only winning a single championship (and doing so under dubious circumstances), was a ludicrous claim to make in the eyes of many fans.
Jimmy Johnson (above) is one of three coaches to win both a Super Bowl and a college title
‘This also might be the worst take of all time,’ wrote one user on X. ‘Until 2 years ago, the guy hasn’t won anything more than an [NFC] or conference title. Come on now.’
Another user said, ‘In a career of absolute blithering idiot statements, this is another one.’
‘I’m glad to have the same number of Super Bowl wins as Colin’s greatest coach of all time. What an absolute garbage take,’ read another post.
So who could make a better case? Cowherd name dropped one suggestion at the end of that clip: Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson is one of three people to win collegiate championships and a Super Bowl – joining Barry Switzer (Dallas Cowboys, Oklahoma three times) and Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks, USC twice). While both Switzer and Carroll won multiple college titles and one Super Bowl, Johnson did the inverse.
He won the 1987 national championship with the Miami Hurricanes and then won back-to-back titles with the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII.
But Carrol and Switzer deserve recognition as well – with both coaches creating dynasties at their respective colleges before capturing professional glory.
