Bill Belichick is attempting to do what few other football coaches mostly known for their NFL experiences have done, and that’s achieve success in college.
Only that the other coaches who made the move from the pros to college had some college experience, and usually as a head coach. Not Belichick. He’s been a pro guy since day one, until last December when North Carolina hired him to replace Mack Brown.
And naturally, with Belichick making this move after winning six Super Bowls as head man of the New England Patriots, it’s sparked discussions about how other pro-to-college coaches have done. We did the digging, and here is some history of coaches more known for their pro time and success that later went to college:
Bill Walsh
NFL Record: 92-51-1 with 49ers (1979-1988)
---Won 3 Super Bowls
College Record: 17-17-1 at Stanford (1992-1994, second stint only)
Walsh is the closest example to Belichick for any coach that has tried making this move. He put together a 17-7 record over two seasons in his first time around at Stanford but the 49ers hired him away and there he became a legend.
Walsh retired after winning Super Bowl XXIII following the 1988 season. Three seasons later, he went back to Stanford at age 61 and produced a 10-3 campaign before two poor seasons leading him to retire once and for all.
Jim Harbaugh
NCAA record: 144–52
---29-6 in 3 seasons at FCS U. San Diego
---29-21 in 4 seasons at Stanford
---86-25 in 9 seasons at Michigan
*He won an Orange Bowl at Stanford and a national championship at Michigan
NFL record: 55-25-1
---44-19 in 4 seasons with the 49ers
---11-6 in one season with the Chargers
*He led San Francisco to a Super Bowl loss and 2 NFL championship game appearances
One could argue Harbaugh is the best active coach in the college and professional ranks. He wins wherever he goes and is one of few to do it at a high level in both levels. Harbaugh is currently 61, the same age as Walsh when he went back to Stanford, and he’s 12 years younger than Belichick, who turned 73 in April.
Pete Carroll
NCAA Record: 97-19 in 9 seasons at Southern Cal
NFL Record: 170-120 in 18 seasons
---6-10 in 1 season with the Jets
---27-21 in 3 seasons with the Patriots
---137-89 in 14 seasons with the Seahawks
---Currently in first year with the Raiders
Carroll is seven months older than Belichick but was 49 when hired by USC. However, he already had 11 years of experience as a college assistant coach, including from 1980-82 as defensive coordinator at NC State.
Carroll won a national championship at USC and a Super Bowl with the Seahawks.
John Robinson
NFL Record: 75-68 in 9 seasons with the Rams
---Made the playoffs 6 times in 7-year stretch
---Reached 2 NFC championship games
NCAA Record: 132-77-4
---67-14-2 in 7 seasons at USC (1976-82)
---39-21-2 in 5 seasons at USC (1993-97)
---28-43 in 6 seasons at UNLV
Robinson had success at both levels and was awfully close to winning one or more national titles at USC. In his first stint there, the Trojans won three Rose Bowls and finished ranked No. 2 each of those seasons. In his second stint at Southern Cal, he won a Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
He was 58 when USC brought him back. Ironically, Robinson’s first game back was against North Carolina, and the Tar Heels won 31-9 in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic played in Anaheim, CA. That was also the first game of Mack Brown’s sixth season at the helm of the Heels.
Dave Wannstedt
NCAA Record: 43-32 in 6 seasons at Pittsburgh
NFL Record: 84–90
---40-56 in 6 seasons with the Bears
---42-31 in 5 seasons with the Dolphins
*He was fired after a 1-8 start in his final season there
Bill O’Brien
NCAA Record: 22-13 in 3 seasons
---15-9 in 2 seasons at Penn State
---7-6 last season at Boston College
NFL Record: 52-48 in 7 seasons with the Texans
*He was fired after an 0-4 start in his seventh season with the Texans
Lovie Smith
NCAA record:17–39 in 5 seasons at Illinois
NFL record: 92–100–1
---81-63 in 9 seasons with the Bears
---8-24 in 2 seasons with the Buccaneers
---3-13 in 1 season with the Texas
Smith’s second game as a college head coach, and first against an FBS program, was a 48-23 loss at home to UNC. He took the Bears to a Super Bowl, and lost, and took them to an NFL championship game another time and lost.
Herm Edwards
NCAA record: 18-20 in 5 seasons at Arizona State
---He was fired 3 games into the 2022 season
NFL record: 56–78
---39-41 in 5 seasons with the Jets
---15-33 in 3 seasons with the Chiefs
Edwards was 63 when Arizona State hired him. He ended up getting a Show Cause by the NCAA because of recruiting violations.
NOTE: There are many other coaches, but the main point here was coaches that started either returned to college or got their first college job after spending plenty of time in the NFL.
