By Jordan Long
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their next Head Coach. Meyer has never coached in the NFL but was one of the most successful coaches in college football history. Meyer coached 17 years in the college game with Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. His teams went an impressive 187-32, a winning percentage of .854. He also ended up in 15 Bowl games with a 12-3 record. His teams won 3 National Championships. The Jaguars hope he can help lead their franchise for years to come. There have been other coaches who have made the jump from college to the NFL game. Some have been very successful while others haven’t been so lucky.
Jimmy Johnson was at the University of Oklahoma State and University of Miami. He coached at the college level from 1979 to 1988 with an outstanding record of 81-34-3. His teams managed to be in 7 Bowl games but they went 3-4. The Dallas Cowboys had an opening after firing legendary Head Coach Tom Landry. Landry was in Dallas for 29 years lasting from 1960 to 1988. The Cowboys advanced to 5 Super Bowls under him while winning 2 of them. New Owner Jerry Jones fired him after a 3-13 season.
The Johnson era didn’t start well. The Cowboys went 1-15 in 1989. Dallas turned things around. He led them to two Super Bowl victories. He was let go following their Super Bowl 27 triumph. Jones and he agreed to part ways. It took him 3 years to earn another NFL head coaching gig when he joined the Miami Dolphins in 1996. He stayed there until 1999. His overall record for both franchises is 80-64 with two Super Bowl rings. Johnson is now part of the FOX NFL pregame show.
Prior to the 2011 season, the San Francisco 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was familiar with the pro game since he had played the game for 14 years with 4 different franchises. These included the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and the then San Diego Chargers.
In 2007 he was the Head Coach for the University of Stanford. During his 4 years, Stanford didn’t have the best record under him at 29-21 but was good enough for him to land the San Francisco Head Coaching job in 2011. The 49ers were a competitive football team with a record of 44-19-1 with one trip to the Super Bowl. He was let go in 2014 when the 49ers ended 8-8. Harbaugh took his talents back to the College game with the University of Michigan where he has been since 2015.
Those are the most recent successful coaches who have made the jump from the college to the NFL. Some would argue Pete Carroll should be on this list for the great job he has done in Seattle. Unfortunately, Carroll was a Head Coach in the NFL before going back to USC. He was with the New York Jets in 1994 and then coached the New England Patriots from 1997 to 1999. Following a successful stint with USC Carroll was back in the NFL with Seattle in 2010. He has been there ever since.
There have been two coaches who will probably be in the College Football Hall of Fame trying their hand in the NFL but were unsuccessful, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban. Spurrier was with Duke and Florida from 1987 to 2001. In 2002 Saban coached in the NFL for Washington. It didn’t work out. Washington was a disappointing 12-20 in his two seasons.
Nick Saban’s time in the college game lasted from 1990 to 2004. In 2005 the Miami Dolphins hired him as Head Coach. It didn’t last that long. In two years the Dolphins were 15-17. Following the 2006 season, Saban went back to College Football with the University of Alabama. Since 2007, Alabama has won 3 BCS Championships and 5 College Football Championships
One final coach who didn’t have success at the NFL level was Bobby Petrino. He had an outstanding record at Louisville. His teams were 77-35. The Atlanta Falcons were hoping he could help turn their franchise into a winner. It was one forgettable season. The Falcons let him go with 3 games remaining. He finished at 3-10.
Meyer has his chance to turn Jacksonville around. History has been a mixed bag but hopefully, he can lead this franchise for years to come.
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