Greatest Coaches Countdown - #31 Pete Newell

Sport: College Basketball
Stops: San Francisco (1946-1950)
Michigan St. (1950-1954)
California (1954-1960)
Record: 233-123 (.654 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 1 NCAA & 1 Olympic Gold Medal

Fun Facts

1. Newell is one of three men to win an NCAA title, NIT championship and an Olympic gold medal. The others are Dean Smith & Bob Knight
2. After his coaching career ended he ran a world-famous instructional basketball camp and served as a consultant and scout for several NBA teams

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #32 Joe Torre

Sport: MLB

Stops: Mets (1977 - 1981)

Braves (1982 - 1984)

Cardinals (1990 - 1995)

Yankees (1996 - 2007)

Dodgers (2008 - 2010)

Record: 2,326 - 1,997 (.538 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. Torre is the only person to reach 2,000 hits as a player and 2,000 wins as a manager
2. Torre was the NL MVP in 1971

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #35 Walter Alston

2. The Icky Shuffle: Derek Jeter
3. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 5/8/1968

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #33 Bill Parcells

Sport: NFL

Stops: Giants (1983 - 1990) Patriots (1993 - 1996) Jets (1997 - 1999) Cowboys (2003 - 2006)

Record: 172 - 130 - 1(.570 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 2

Fun Facts

1. As an NFL coach and executive, Parcells inherited five losing teams that he helped guide to the playoffs in two seasons or fewer

2. Parcells has an 11 - 8 record in the playoffs

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 1/11/1970

2. The Icky Shuffle: Best by the Numbers - New York Edition

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #34 Tom Osborne

Sport: College Football

Stops: Nebraska (1973 - 1997)

Record: 255 - 49 - 3 (.836 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 3

Fun Facts

1. Osborne ended his career in style, from 1994 - 1997 Nebraska went 49-2 and won 3 National Championships
2. He is the only coach to retire as the reigning national champion
3. From 2001 - 2007 Osborne was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 3rd district

Related Posts:
1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #40 Amos Alonzo Stagg
2. The Icky Shuffle: This Day in Sports History - 1/4/2006

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #35 Walter Alston

Sport: MLB
Stops: Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1954 - 1976)
Record: 2,040 - 1,613 (.558 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. On top of the 7 N.L. pennants he led the Dodgers to, Alston also managed the N.L. to a record 7 All-Star Game wins
2. His number 24 was retired by the Dodgers in 1977
3. In one career at-bat Alston struck out
   

Related Posts:
1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #41 Tony La Russa
2. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #48 Tommy Lasorda

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #36 Bo Schembechler

Sport: College Football
Stops: Miami (OH) (1963 - 1968)
Michigan (1969 - 1989)
Record: 234 - 65 - 8 (.775 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 0

Fun Facts

1. Schembechler went 2-8 in his career in Rose Bowls
2. Schembechler was 11-9-1 against his rival Ohio State

Related Posts:
1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #40 Amos Alonzo Stagg
2. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #44 Ara Parseghian
3. The Icky Shuffle: OSU-Michigan

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #37 Toe Blake

Sport: NHL
Stops: Canadiens (1955 - 1968)
Record: 500 - 255 - 159 (.634 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 8

Fun Facts

1. Of his 8 championships, 5 came in consecutive years to start his coaching career
2. The Canadiens never had a losing season under Blake
   
   
   

Related Posts:

1. The Icky Shuffle: Patrick Roy Tribute

2. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #50 Herb Brooks

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #38 Sparky Anderson

Sport: MLB
Stops: Reds (1970 - 1978)
Tigers (1979 - 1995)
Record: 2,194 - 1,834 (.545 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 3

Fun Facts

1. Anderson was the first manager to win a World Series in both the AL & NL
2. Some of the players who played for Anderson and later went on to become managers include, Pete Rose, Hal McRae, Ray Knight, Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Tony Perez, Larry Rothschild, Pat Corrales amongst others
   

Related Posts:
1. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #41 Tony La Russa

2. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #46 Bobby Cox

3. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #48 Tommy Lasorda

4. The Icky Shuffle: Best by the Numbers - Detrot Edition

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #39 Al Arbour

Sport: NHL
Stops: Blues (1970 - 1973)
Islanders (1973 - 1986, 1988 - 1994, 2007)
Record: 782 - 577 - 248 (.564 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. In 19 seasons with the Islanders Arbour won 4 Stanley Cups. The past 15 seasons the Isles have made the playoffs 4 times
2. Arbour played for 4 teams between the years 1949 - 1971

Related Posts

1. The Icky Shuffle: Brett Hull scores his 500th career goal#links

2. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #43 Dick Irvin

3. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #50 Herb Brooks

4. The Icky Shuffle: Greatest Coaches Countdown - #48 Tommy Lasorda

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #40 Amos Alonzo Stagg

Sport: College Football
Stops: Springfield (1890 - 1891)
Chicago (1892 - 1932)
Pacific (1933 - 1946)
Record: 314-199-35 (.605 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 2

Fun Facts

1. Because of Coach Stagg football has huddles, shifts, motions, reverses, end arounds, fakes, trick plays and numbered uniforms
2. As a student at Yale he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and the secret Skull & Bones society

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #41 Tony La Russa

Sport: MLB
Stops: White Sox (1979 - 1986)
Athletics (1986 - 1995)
Cardinals (1996 - Present)
Record: 2,514 - 2,193 (.534 Winning Percentage) [as of 8/3/09]
Championships: 2

Fun Facts

1. Only Connie Mack & John McGraw have won more games than La Russa, a 3 time Sporting News "Manager of the Year"
2. La Russa began batting his pitcher in the 8th spot instead of the 9th spot in the batting order
3. Had a short playing career accumulating 35 hits in 132 total games played (40 as a starter)
   

Greatest Choaches Countdown - #42 Geno Auriemma

Sport: Women's College Basketball
Stops: Connecticut (1985 - Present)
Record: 696 - 122 (.851 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 6

Fun Facts

1. Before Auriemma arrived, UConn's women had one winning season in 11 years. In his 24 seasons as coach they've had one losing season
2. In 2006 he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
   

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #43 Dick Irvin

Sport: NHL
Stops: Blackhawks (1928 - 1929, 1930 - 1931, 1955 - 1956)
Maple Leafs (1931 - 1940)
Canadiens (1940 - 1956)
Record: 692 - 527 - 230 (.557 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. Irvin led the Blackhawks and Leafs to 8 Stanley Cup Finals from 1930 - 1940
2. Lost in the Finals a record 12 times
3. His son Dick Irvin Jr. is a noted Canadian TV sports announcer

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #44 Ara Parseghian

Sport: College Football
Stops: Miami (Ohio) (1951 - 1955)
Northwestern (1956 - 1963)
Notre Dame (1964 - 1974)
Record: 170 - 58 - 6 (.739 Winning Percentage)
Championship: 2

Fun Facts

1. Parseghian is the first non-Notre Dame alum to coach the Irish and he immediately turned a 2 - 7 team in 1963 into a 9 - 1 squad in 1964
2. In 2007 Notre Dame unveiled a statue in his honor, which depicts players carrying him off the field in triumph following the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic
   

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #45 Chuck Daly

Sport: NBA

Stops: Cavaliers (1981 - 1982)

Pistons (1983 - 1992)

Nets (1992 - 1994)

Magic (1997 - 1999)

Record: 638 - 437 (.593 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 2 NBA Titles & 1 Olympic Gold Medal

Fun Facts

1. When Daly coached the Dream Team to the 1992 gold in Barcelona, the team's average margin of victory was 44 points.
2. Daly's career playoff record was 75 - 51.
3. Between the time he coached the Nets & Magic he worked as a color-commentator for TNT.

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #46 Bobby Cox

Sport: MLB
Stops: Braves (1978 - 1981, 1990 - present)
Blue Jays (1982 - 1985)
Record: 2,377 - 1,902 (.556 Winning Percentage)
Championships: 1

Fun Facts

1. The Sporting News has named Cox manager of the year 8 times. Since 1936 when that award was first given no one else has received it more than 4 times.
2. Cox played with the New York Yankees for a short time and was a teammate to Mickey Mantle in his last season (1968) & Thurman Munson in his first season (1969).
3. Cox currently holds the record for most ejections by a Manager which he set on Aug. 14th 2007 with his 132nd ejection.

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #47 Hank Iba

Sport: College Basketball

Stops: Northwest Missouri State (1929 - 1933)

Colorado (1933 - 1934)

Oklahoma State (1934 - 1970)

Record: 767 - 338 (.694 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 2 NCAA & 2 Olympic Gold Medals

Fun Facts

1. Hank Iba was the first Head Coach to win back-to-back NCAA basketball titles
2. He is the only basketball coach to win two gold medals
3. Many coaches are known for their "Coaching Trees". Some who are in Iba's tree include: Adolph Rupp, John Wooden, Bob Knight, Don Haskins, Eddie Sutton, Bill Self & Billie Gillispie

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #48 Tommy Lasorda

Sport: MLB

Stops: Dodgers (1976 - 1996)

Record: 1,599 - 1,439 (.526 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 2

Fun Facts

1. In 21 seasons with the Dodgers, Lasorda managed nine N.L. rookies of the year - including four straight from 1979 - 1982 and five straight from 1992 - 1996


2. Tommy Lasorda is the godfather of Mike Piazza whom he drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Draft


3. In the 2001 MLB All-Star Game Lasorda was the 3rd Base Coach. Vladimir Guerrero's bat went flying out of his hands and hit Lasorda causing him to flip head over heals
   
   

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #49 Gregg Popovich

Sport: NBA

Stops: Spurs (1996 - Present)

Record: 686 - 330 (.675 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 4

Fun Facts

1. Popovich is one of four NBA coaches who have at least 100 playoff wins. The others are Phil Jackson, Pat Riley & Larry Brown.
2. The '96 - '97 season was the only one of his Spurs coaching career that the Spurs did not make the playoffs.
3. Popovich was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2003.
   
   

Below is a video were Popovich shows off his sense of humor against Shaq & the Phoenix Suns.

Greatest Coaches Countdown - #50 Herb Brooks

Sport: NHL

Stops: New York Rangers (1981 - 1985)

Minnesota North Stars (1987 - 1988)

New Jersey Devils (1992 - 1993)

Pittsburgh Penguins (1999 - 2000)

Record: 219-221-66 (.498 Winning Percentage)

Championships: 1 Gold Medal

Fun Facts

1. Herb Brooks coached Team USA to the "Miracle On Ice" gold in 1980 and a silver in the 2002 Olympics. In the 5 Olympics between, the Americans did not win any medals.
2. Two movies were made of the 1980 Olympic team. In 1981s "Miracle On Ice" Karl Malden portrayed Herb Brooks and in 2004s "Miracle" Kurt Russell played the legendary coach.