Top Ten All Time Ram HEAD COACHES

[Roman Snow]

I completed the player Top Ten lists, and was having so much fun, I said to myself, "Self, what is the next, most logical course of action?

So after I finished scratching myself, I decided, "I think I will make a list of Best Ram Head Coaches!" :yess:
So I set about studying our 26 head coaches, (27, if you include Chuck Knox 2.0) in search of greatness. It was very interesting. We had great players that turned out to be lousy coaches, (Dutch Clark, Bob Waterfield) and we had coaches with great success in some years, wiped out by lousy years.

I also took into consideration 2 phenomena:

1. Some coaches came in on the coat-tails of others success, riding good teams into successive seasons, (Tommy Prothro. Ray Malavasi, John Robinson, Mike Martz) and rode the wave. Did they keep the team successful, or run it in the ground?
2. Some coaches came in to resurrect the team, after a train-wreck. (Adam Walsh, George Allen, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Fisher) How did they respond? Did they build the team into a winner?

I will Note the coaches that won Coach of the Year Awards (5) as well as Hall of Fame Coaches (2).
Interesting notes:

• Only 3 coaches had a winning playoff record, with Dick Vermiel (3-0) being the best.
• 4 coaches had consistent playoff appearances: -Chuck Knox, 5 Division Tittles in a row. - Ray Malavasi 3 of 5 years, including taking the team to Super Bowl XIV. -John Robinson an impressive 6 years out of 7 during the Niners seeming dominance of the '80's. -and Mike Martz, taking the team back to the Super Bowl in the 2001 season, and 4 years out of 6 overall.
• John Robinson has the most wins in team history (75) as well as the most playoff wins. (A paltry 4!)
• Chuck Knox 1.0 had the best winning percentage (.778) :yess:although his second go around was horrible in the waning days before the move to St. Louis.

I had a really tough time quantifying success. The "best" coaches are really not that clear.

• Is it Vermiel first, because of the tittle?. Yeah but he was overall .458 winning %.
• What about Knox, for all those division tittles? But he never made it to The Show.
• Allen? also a great winning percentage, .728 and a Hall of Famer. But 0-2 in the playoffs? How is that possible? (Pre-modern playoff structure).
• Robinson? He had the most wins, and some playoff success.

Ultimately, my list is subjective, but I believe fair. I set a bar of minimum 20 games coached. (Sorry Joe Vitt fans) I also noted year of Coach of the Year in parenthesis. Enjoy.opcorn:

The Top Ten All Time Ram Head Coaches of All Time:

1. Dick Vermiel '97-99. Anybody else have a Lombardi trophy? He took a horrible team, built it into a winner, and made them believe they were winners. COTY ('99)
2. Chuck Knox. '73-77. FIVE (and then ultimately under Malavasi 7) division tittles in a row. We never got to the Super Bowl under "ground Chuck" but never embarrassed ourselves. (Well, except that one time against the Cowpukes) COTY ('73)
3. George Allen "66-70. Much of his Hall of Fame resume' was as Foreskins coach. But, he won consistently, and like Vermiel, was a very emotional motivator. COTY ('67)
4. John Robinson '83-91. Took a successful team and kept it competitive. The team played 10 playoff games in his tenure, 2 more than Knox.
5. Ray Malavasi '78-82. Three playoff runs and the Rams first Super Bowl appearance.
6. Adam Walsh '45-46. Brief time with Cleveland Rams resulted in Championship. COTY ('45)
7. Mike Martz '00-05. "Mad Mike" was innovative and the author of the GSOT, and the author of it's demise.:heh:
8. Joe Stydahar '50-52. Brief time include LOS ANGELES Rams first (Not Last!) tittle.
9. Hamp Pool '52-54. No chlorine necessary!:snicker: He won COTY( '52)
10. Jeff Fisher '12-Forever! Sorry. :fighting:Just to tweak you Fisher-phobes. He took a dumpster fire and is building something exciting. Bold prediction: he will be re-signed, and climb this list.

There you have it gentlemen. Any of your favorites missing?

Next list: All time Ram Jacksons, Johnsons and Jones'. We be Jonesing!!:rockon:alm::cheers:

 

[-X-]

Call me crazy, and going STRICTLY off of the poll question, I think I'd want Fisher coaching the team in a Super Bowl.

 

[Roman Snow]

Call me crazy, and going STRICTLY off of the poll question, I think I'd want Fisher coaching the team in a Super Bowl.

Atta boy X ! :yess: We'll get there yet.

 

[Mikey Ram]

As would be expected, Vermeil leads...My only reason not to vote for him was that his SB was a matter of the perfect storm situation...Good football players and the once in a lifetime cheap shot hit from Harrison that gave Kurt Warner a chance to become, well, Kurt Warner...I'm not sure Trent Green takes the Rams all the way to the promised land (although I certainly can't say he wouldn't have)

 

[CGI_Ram]

I don't think any coach was more loved by his players than Vermeil in 1999.

I honestly think that was his prime.

He was always an exceptional coach, but that year he learned to balance the hard work with hard play.

 

[den-the-coach]

I believe my vote is quite obvious, but for the record I'd take John Robinson over Jeff Fisher right now, Fisher needs to get the Rams to post season before I feel differently.

 

[jap]

Call me crazy, and going STRICTLY off of the poll question, I think I'd want Fisher coaching the team in a Super Bowl.

Yeah, we need to see Johnny Hekker completing a TD pass at the Show so he can brag about having the Horns' highest Super Bowl QB rating.

 

[DaveFan'51]

George Allen is, has been, and always well be my personal favorite Rams coach!!:yess:illowfight:
But I too believe IF Fisher gets us their the Rams well Win it!!

 

[Roman Snow]

I believe my vote is quite obvious, but for the record I'd take John Robinson over Jeff Fisher right now, Fisher needs to get the Rams to post season before I feel differently.

Yeah. I almost included Robinson in my poll, but...you know, had to do the smart-ass Spags entry.

Just a note: John Robinson graduated from my high school. Proud ...but so did 2 Ram killer Super Bowl MVPs- Brady and Lynn Swann. Balances out right? Uh, maybe not.