Youngest NFL Head Coaches of All Time
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Few positions in professional sports come with as much scrutiny and pressure as being an NFL head coach. There's no grace period. There's no room to maneuver.
Either you win or you're fired.
With expectations like that, you can throw age out the window. Whether you're old, young or somewhere in between, nobody cares as long as you win. NFL teams have never shied away from taking a chance on a younger coach if they thought they could turn their fortunes around.
Here's a look at the youngest NFL coaches of time.
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20. Joe Schmidt
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Born: Jan. 19, 1932 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Age when hired: 34 years, 11 months, 28 days
NFL coaching career: Detroit Lions (1967-72)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Joe Schmidt was one of the most decorated players in Detroit Lions history and was hired as an assistant coach for the franchise the moment he retired from his playing career in 1966 — one year later he took over for Harry Gilmer as head coach.
Schmidt's time with the Lions was a rebuilding period for the team. He had an amazing eye for talent, drafting two Pro Football Hall of Famers and eight Pro Bowlers in 1967 and 1968.
The Lions ran out of patience with Schmidt after six seasons and one playoff appearance, though his overall record of 47-43-2 seems pretty solid considering what we've seen of the team over the decades.
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19. Mike Tomlin
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Born: March 15, 1972 (Hampton, Virginia)
Age when hired: 34 years, 10 months, 7 days
NFL coaching career: Pittsburgh Steelers (2007-present)
Coaching highlights: Super Bowl champion (2009)
Bottom line: Mike Tomlin was the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a championship in his second season at only 36 years old. He has never had a losing season in 16 years as the Steelers head coach.
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18. Norm Van Brocklin
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Born: March 15, 1926 (Parade, South Dakota)
Died: May 2, 1983, 57 years old (Social Circle, Georgia)
Age when hired: 34 years, 10 months, 3 days
NFL coaching career: Minnesota Vikings (1961-66), Atlanta Falcons (1968-74)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: One of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, Norm Van Brocklin was hired as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings immediately after the end of his playing career. He had no such success as a head coach — he went 66-100-7 over 13 seasons with the Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.
Van Brocklin also had one of the all-time great quotes from any athlete or coach, ever, after he had a brain tumor removed in 1981 — just two years before his death.
"It was actually a brain transplant," Van Brocklin said. "They gave me a sportswriter's brain, to make sure I got one that hadn't been used."
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17. Jack Christiansen
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Born: Dec. 20, 1928 (Sublette, Kansas)
Died: June 28, 1986, 57 years old (Stanford, California)
Age when hired: 34 years, 9 months, 10 days
NFL coaching career: San Francisco 49ers (1963-67)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Jack Christiansen spent four years as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers before being promoted to head coach in 1963. In five seasons with the 49ers, Christiansen had just one winning season and never made the playoffs. Christiansen was the head coach at Stanford from 1972 to 1976 but never finished more than three games above .500 and never made a bowl game.
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16. Joe Kuharich
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Born: April 14, 1917 (South Bend, Indiana)
Died: Jan. 25, 1981, 63 years old (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Age when hired: 34 years, 8 months, 25 days
NFL coaching career: Chicago Cardinals (1952), Washington Redskins (1954-58), Philadelphia Eagles (1964-68)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Former Notre Dame and NFL offensive lineman Joe Kuharich used an unbeaten season as head coach at the University of San Franciso in 1951 as a springboard to the rest of his coaching career.
In 11 seasons as an NFL head coach for three different franchises, Kuharich never made the playoffs and had a record of 58-81-3. He returned to his alma mater as head coach from 1959 to 1962, where he never had a winning season and finished with a record of 17-23.
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15. Bill Cowher
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Born: May 8, 1957 (Crafton, Pennsylvania)
Age when hired: 34 years, 8 months, 13 days
NFL coaching career: Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-2006)
Coaching highlights: Super Bowl champion (2006), AP NFL Coach of the Year (1992), two-time Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year (1992, 2004), two-time AFC champion (1995, 2005), eight-time AFC Divisional champion (1992, 1994-97, 2001, 2002, 2004), ESPY Best Coach/Manager (2006)
Bottom line: Bill Cowher spent six seasons as a linebacker and primarily special teams player in the NFL. He then spent seven seasons as an assistant coach to Marty Schottenheimer on the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs before the Pittsburgh Steelers hired him as head coach in 1992.
Cowher, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a head coach in 2020, is part of an incredible legacy of Steelers head coaches. Along with Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin, he is one of just three head coaches for the Steelers since 1969 and all three have won Super Bowls.
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14. Jon Gruden
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Born: Aug. 17, 1963 (Sandusky, Ohio)
Age when hired: 34 years, 5 months
NFL coaching career: Oakland Raiders (1998-2001), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-08), Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018-21)
Coaching highlights: Super Bowl champion (2003)
Bottom line: Jon Gruden was an assistant coach for three NFL teams over seven seasons before he was hired by Al Davis to coach the Oakland Raiders in 1998.
Gruden's tenure with the Raiders would have one of the strangest outcomes in NFL coaching history when he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001 for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and $8 million in cash.
In his first season with the Buccaneers, he led the franchise to its first Super Bowl win — over the Raiders. Gruden went into the broadcast booth for a decade before returning to coach the Raiders again in 2018 but resigned midway through the 2021 season when The New York Times revealed seven years of e-mails sent by Gruden that were racist, misogynistic, and homophobic in nature. Gruden returned to the NFL as a consultant with the New Orleans Saints in 2023.
Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders gear.
13. Jim Trimble
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Born: May 29, 1918 (McKeesport, Pennsylvania)
Died: May 23, 2006, 87 years old (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Age when hired: 34 years, 3 months
NFL coaching career: Philadelphia Eagles (1952-55)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Jim Trimble had one of the more interesting post-NFL coaching careers you will ever see. Trimble was fired after four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and a 4-7-1 record in 1955 but within one year was the head coach of the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Trimble spent nine seasons in the CFL, winning a Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1957 and losing in the Grey Cup three more times.
Following his time in the CFL, Trimble created something that would change football on every level forever when he came up with the "Y" shaped goal post with a friend in 1966 — by 1967 it was adopted by every CFL and NFL team. Within a decade, it was used by almost every high school, college and professional team in the world.
Trimble wasn't done there. He returned to the NFL as a scout with the New York Giants in the 1980s and won a Super Bowl with the team in 1987, making him one of just a handful of people to have won both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl. Trimble died in 2006 at 87 years old.
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12. Bob Snyder
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Born: Feb. 6, 1913 (Fremont, Ohio)
Died: Jan. 4, 2001, 87 years old (Sylvania, Ohio)
Age when hired: 33 years, 11 months
NFL coaching career: Los Angeles Rams (1947)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Bob Snyder won three NFL championships as a player with the Chicago Bears in the early 1940s, then won another NFL championship as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Rams in 1945.
Snyder was promoted to head coach of the Rams in 1947 and lasted one season, going 6-6 and resigning just days before the start of the next season because of an "ulcer condition." Snyder was a head coach two more times in his career and lasted just one season each time — at the University of Toledo in 1950 and CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 1953.
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11. Joe Collier
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Born: June 7, 1932 (Rock Island, Illinois)
Age when hired: 33 years, 7 months
NFL coaching career: Buffalo Bills (1966-68)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Joe Collier spent 34 seasons as a football coach and his only time during that stretch as a head coach was three seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 1966 to 1968. Collier led the Bills to the AFL Championship Game in 1966 but was fired after an 0-2 start in 1968. After he was fired by the Bills he spent the next 21 years as the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, remaining in place through four head coaches and helping the team make it to the Super Bowl three times.
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10. Al Davis
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Born: July 4, 1929 (Brockton, Massachusetts)
Died: Oct. 8, 2011, 82 years old (Oakland, California)
Age when hired: 33 years, 6 months
NFL coaching career: Oakland Raiders (1963-65)
Coaching highlights: AFL Coach of the Year (1963)
Bottom line: One of the most influential people in the history of pro football, Al Davis became much better known as the owner of the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders from 1966 through his death in 2011, but he got his start in coaching. Davis was an assistant coach in college and the pros from 1950 until he was hired by the Oakland Raiders in 1963, where he went 23-16-3 over three seasons before spending one season as AFL commissioner. He then returned to the Raiders in an ownership and management role, helping guide the team to three Super Bowl victories.
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9. Don Shula
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Born: Jan. 4, 1930 (Grand River, Ohio)
Died: May 4, 2020, 90 years old (Indian Creek, Florida)
Age when hired: 33 years, 4 days
NFL coaching career: Baltimore Colts (1963-69), Miami Dolphins (1970-95)
Coaching highlights: NFL champion (1968), two-time Super Bowl champion (1973, 1974), four-time AP NFL Coach of the Year (1964, 1967, 1968, 1972), Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (1993), Lamar Hunt Award (2013), NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team
Bottom line: Perhaps the greatest football coach of all time, Don Shula holds the record for most wins by an NFL head coach (347) and won two Super Bowls as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, including as the coach of the only undefeated team in NFL history in 1972. Shula died in 2020, at 90 years old.
Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders gear.
8. John Madden
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Born: April 10, 1936 (Austin, Minnesota)
Died: Dec. 28, 2021, 85 years old (Pleasanton, California)
Age when hired: 32 years, 10 months
NFL coaching career: Oakland Raiders (1969-78)
Coaching highlights: Super Bowl champion (1977), AFL Coach of the Year (1969)
Bottom line: Arguably the most famous NFL head coach of all time, John Madden was the defensive coordinator at San Diego State when he was hired as the linebackers coach for the Oakland Raiders in 1967. Two years later, he was promoted to head coach by owner Al Davis.
Madden coached the Raiders for 11 seasons, made the playoffs eight times, and won a Super Bowl in 1977 before retiring from football to go into the broadcast booth. Madden was the NFL's preeminent color commentator for the next 30 years, winning 16 Emmy Awards while also lending his name to "Madden NFL" — the best-selling football video game franchise of all time.
Check out the latest Las Vegas Raiders gear.
7. Josh McDaniels
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Born: April 22, 1976 (Canton, Ohio)
Age when hired: 32 years, 8 months
NFL coaching career: Denver Broncos (2009-10), Las Vegas Raiders (2022-present)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Few coaches have been as successful as an assistant coach and terrible as a head coach as Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels won six Super Bowls as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick from 2001 to 2021. But he was fired after two seasons as head coach of the Denver Broncos in 2009 and 2010 and has been the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders since 2022 — he's yet to have a winning season and was 17-28 as an NFL head coach heading into the 2023 season.
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6. David Shula
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Born: May 28, 1959 (Lexington, Kentucky)
Age when hired: 32 years, 7 months
NFL coaching career: Cincinnati Bengals (1992-96)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: The son of legendary NFL head coach Don Shula, David Shula had one of the worst tenures of any head coach in NFL history over five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time there, Shula went 19-52 and was fired midway through the 1996 season. Shula left coaching after he was fired and went to work for his father's chain of steakhouses.
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5. Raheem Morris
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Born: Sept. 3, 1976 (Newark, New Jersey)
Age when hired: 32 years, 4 months
NFL coaching career: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009-11)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Raheem Morris was hired as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Jon Gruden was fired in 2009. Morris started his career by going 3-13 in 2009, including going 0-7 to start the season. He went 17-31 over three seasons before he was fired. Morris also went 4-7 as interim head coach for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.
He has won two Super Bowls as an assistant. He was the defensive quality control coach with the Buccaneers in 2003 and as the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
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4. John Michelosen
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Born: Feb. 13, 1916 (Ambridge, Pennsylvania)
Died: Oct. 17, 1982, 66 years old (San Diego, California)
Age when hired: 32 years, 2 months
NFL coaching career: Pittsburgh Steelers (1948-51)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: John Michelosen won two national championships as the quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh in 1936 and 1937. He spent four seasons as an NFL assistant before he was hired as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1948.
Michelosen was fired after four seasons and a 20-26-1 record. Four years later, he was hired by his alma mater's head coach. Michelson lasted 11 seasons at Pittsburgh, where his teams finished ranked in the AP Top 25 four times.
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3. Harland Svare
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Born: Nov. 15, 1930 (Clarkfield, Minnesota)
Died: April 4, 2020, 89 years old (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)
Age when hired: 31 years, 11 months
NFL coaching career: Los Angeles Rams (1962-65), San Diego Chargers (1971-73)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Harland Svare was named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams midway through the 1962 season and went 14-31-3 over the next three-and-a-half seasons. He got another chance as head coach of the San Diego Chargers, where he went 7-17-2 over three seasons. He then spent another three seasons as general manager.
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2. Lane Kiffin
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Born: May 9, 1975 (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Age when hired: 31 years, 8 months
NFL coaching career: Oakland Raiders (2007-08)
Coaching highlights: None
Bottom line: Former Fresno State backup quarterback Lane Kiffin was born into a coaching family — his father, Monte Kiffin, is widely considered to be one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time.
Lane Kiffin was the youngest NFL head coach in history when he was hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007 but was fired after just 20 games and a 5-15 record.
Since then, Kiffin's coaching career has been solely on the college level — he's been the head coach at Tennessee, USC, Florida Atlantic, and Ole Miss since 2020.
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1. Sean McVay
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Born: Jan. 24, 1986 (Dayton, Ohio)
Age when hired: 30 years, 11 months
NFL coaching career: Los Angeles Rams (2017-present)
Coaching highlights: Super Bowl champion (2022), AP NFL Coach of the Year (2017)
Bottom line: Sean McVay isn't just the youngest head coach in NFL history — he's also the youngest head coach to reach the Super Bowl (33 years old) and the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl (36 years old).
What more is there to say about McVay other than his coaching career could end much quicker than anyone would anticipate? McVay could command as much money as he makes coaching the Rams — $14 million per year — if he decided to become a television analyst.
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