High School Coaches With the Most Career Wins Heading in to the 2022 Season
The second-winningest coach of all time has a chance to close the gap to No. 1 in 2022.
J.T. Curtis, the second-winningest coach at any level of football, won his 600th game in 2021. Curtis has coached at John Curtis Christian School (River Ridge, LA), founded by his father, since 1969.
Curtis will head into 2022 with a record of 603-75-6 — just 18 wins behind the winningest coach of all time, John McKissick (pictured above). McKissick, a legendary figure at Summerville High School (SC), retired in 2015 with 621 wins — more than any other coach at any level of football. He passed away in 2019 at age 93.
Last year, Hampton (Virginia) High School’s Mike Smith surpassed 500 wins. He retired at the end of the 2021 season with a lifetime mark of 506-100-2, third on the all-time wins list.
Related: The High School Football America 100 National Rankings
The 500 win club could welcome a new member this year. St. Mary’s Springs (WI) Robert Hyland enters this season with a lifetime mark of 493-109-2. He's led the school to nine state championships.
Phil Danaher, who's No. 5 on the total victories list, also retired at the end of last season. Danaher stepped-down from Calallen High with 490 lifetime wins and two Texas state championships.
Top 75 Winningest Coaches in High School Football
*Active head coach in 2022
|
Rank/Name |
School/State(s) |
Record |
|
No. 1 John McKissick |
South Carolina |
621-156-13 |
|
*No. 2 J.T. Curtis |
John Curtis - Louisiana |
603-75-6 |
|
No. 3 Mike Smith |
Virginia |
506-100-2 |
|
*No. 4 Robert Hyland |
St. Mary's Springs - Wisconsin |
493-109-2 |
|
No. 5 Phil Danaher |
Texas |
490-118-4 |
|
No. 6 Larry Campbell |
Georgia |
477-85-3 |
|
*No. 7 Jim Roth |
Southern Columbia - Pennsylvania |
471-64-2 |
|
No. 8 (tied) Charles "Corky" Rogers |
Florida |
466-84-1 |
|
*No. 8 (tied) Philip Haywood |
Belfry - Kentucky |
466-147 |
|
*No. 8 (tied) Gary Rankin |
Boyd-Buchanan - Tennessee |
466-78 |
|
*No. 11 Bill Castle |
Lakeland - Florida |
459-97 |
|
No. 12 George Curry |
Pennsylvania |
455-99-5 |
|
*No. 13 Jerry Sinz |
Edger - Wisconsin |
450-89 |
|
*No. 14 (tied) Jim Hightower |
St. Thomas More - Louisiana |
448-133-1 |
|
*No. 14 (tied) C.J. Hamilton |
Kansas |
448-97 |
|
No. 16 Jack Henzes |
Pennsylvania |
444-168-8 |
|
No. 17 John Herrington |
Michigan |
443-112-1 |
|
*No. 18 Tom Knotts |
Dutch Fork - South Carolina |
438-65 |
|
*No. 19 Larry "Bud" Wright |
Sheridan - Indiana |
436-207-2 |
|
*No. 20 Jerry Pezzetti |
Ankeny Centennial - Iowa |
435-173-1 |
|
No. 21 Dick Tighe |
Iowa |
432-167-8 |
|
No. 22 Al Francassa |
Michigan |
431-117-7 |
|
No. 23 (tied) David Gentry |
North Carolina |
426-197 |
|
*No. 23 (tied) Randy Allen |
Highland Park - Texas |
424-92-6 |
|
No. 23 (tied) G.A. Moore |
Texas |
426-92-9 |
|
*No. 26 (tied) Bill Hurst |
Centreville Academy - Mississippi |
418-135 |
|
No. 26 (tied) Curt Bladt |
Iowa |
418-63 |
|
No. 26 (tied) Dave Gutshall |
South Carolina |
418-146 |
|
No. 29 Jack Holley |
North Carolina |
412-96-9 |
|
*No. 30 (tied) Alan Chadwick |
Marist - Georgia |
409-75 |
|
*No. 30 (tied) Dudley Hilton |
Bell County - Kentucky |
409-130 |
|
No. 32 Jim Render |
Pennsylvania |
406-141-6 |
|
*No. 33 (tied) Ken Leonard |
Sacred Heart-Griffin HS - Illinois |
405-81 |
|
No. 33 (tied) Pete Adkins |
Missouri |
405-60-4 |
|
No. 33 (tied) Bob Milloy |
Maryland |
405-124-1 |
|
No. 36 Robert Paroli |
North Carolina |
403-206-13 |
|
*No. 37 (tied) Reno Saccoccia |
Steubenville - Ohio |
401-80 |
|
No. 37 (tied) Ricky Black |
Mississippi |
401-79 |
|
No. 37 (tied) Jim France |
Ohio |
401-129-4 |
|
No. 40 Bob Ladouceur |
California |
399-25-3 |
|
No. 41 (tied) Gordon Wood |
Texas |
394-93-15 |
|
No. 41 (tied) Sid Otton |
Washington |
394-131 |
|
No. 43 Ron Stolski |
Minnesota |
389-183-5 |
|
*No. 44 (tied) Gary Swenson |
Valley - Des Moines, Iowa |
384-116 |
|
*No. 44 (tied) Herb Brogan |
Lumen Christi - Michigan |
384-91 |
|
No. 46 Willie Varner |
South Carolina |
383-132-10 |
|
No. 47 (tied) Bob Lutz |
Ohio |
381-91-5 |
|
No. 47 (tied) Ron Holtman |
Missouri |
381-103-4 |
|
No. 49 (tied) Mike Snyder |
Seminole - Oklahoma |
379-127 |
|
No. 49 (tied) Howie Vogts |
New York |
379-128-10 |
|
No. 51 Frank Lenti |
Illinois |
374-77 |
|
No. 52 Joe Bradshaw |
Alabama/Mississippi |
371-120-4 |
|
No. 53 Tom Mach |
Michigan |
370-94 |
|
*No. 54 (tied) Chuck Kyle |
St. Ignatius - Ohio |
368-104-1 |
|
No. 54 (tied) Jerry Brewer |
Indiana |
368-105-2 |
|
No. 54 (tied) Frank McCleelan |
Mississippi/Arkansas |
368-77-4 |
|
No. 54 (tied) Ken Netherland |
Tennessee |
368-131-3 |
|
No. 58 (tied) Alton "Red" Franklin |
Louisiana |
367-76-7 |
|
No. 58 (tied) Bob Shore |
Missouri |
367-98 |
|
No. 60 (tied) Bruce Hendrickson |
Oklahoma |
364-100-2 |
|
No. 60 (tied) Warren Wolf |
New Jersey |
364-129-11 |
|
No. 62 (tied) Victor Paternostro |
New Jersey |
363-67-5 |
|
No. 62 (tied) Dick Basham |
Wisconsin |
363-90 |
|
No. 64 Mike Boyd |
Michigan |
361-116-1 |
|
No. 65 Elbert Wright |
Texas/Mississippi |
361-126-17 |
|
No. 66 (tied) Terry Malone |
Ohio |
360-117-8 |
|
No. 66 (tied) Bob Raczek |
Wisconsin |
360-165-2 |
|
No. 68 Bob Sanger |
Iowa |
358-160 |
|
No. 69 Charles Lenahan |
New Hampshire |
356-70-1 |
|
No. 70 Carlton Flatt |
Tennessee |
354-68-3 |
|
No. 71 Dewey Sullivan |
Oregon |
352-84-2 |
|
No. 72 Julius "Pinky" Babb |
Georgia |
346-86-24 |
|
No. 73 (tied) Dan Pitts |
Georgia |
346-109-4 |
|
No. 73 (tied) Tom Brown |
North Carolina |
346-111-7 |
|
No. 73 (tied) Buddy Anderson |
Alabama |
346-160 |
Photo: AP/Stephen Morton
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- High School Football
- Coaching
