Ranking The Greatest NFL Head Coaches from All 32 Teams

12 of 33

Oct 2, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings helmets sit on the bench prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

#22: Bud Grant (Minnesota Vikings)

Four losses should not define the career of an NFL head coach. Sadly that is the case when all those losses were in the Super Bowl. Bud Grant did so many great things for the game of football and the Minnesota Vikings. He made the playoffs twice as many years as he missed them (12 to 6), built one of the great defenses of all-time in the famed “Purple People Eaters” and turned one of the most undisciplined and listless franchises into one of respect, dignity and doing things the right way every time. That is why he was one of the most consistently successful coaches ever.

It’s amazing to think how different his legacy might be had he won just one Super Bowl ring. He’s already in the Hall of Fame but it stands to reason he’d be a top 10 lock. His teams were dominant in every sense of the word. They just never seemed to bring their A-game when it mattered most. Maybe his conservative nature had something to do with that or maybe it was just bad luck that he had to play the AFC when it was at the height of its powers in the 1970s. Either way, Grant won 168 football games and 11 division titles. There are coaches who won a Super Bowl that never came anywhere close to his legacy of success.

Sad, but a stark reality of the sport.

Next: #21

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