Ranking every head coach in New York Jets history takes us on a 60-year journey highlighted by Weeb Ewbank.
It’s Weeb’s world and everybody else is simply living in it. Courtesy of the only championship in organization history, Weeb Ewbank is the greatest New York Jets head coach of all-time. It’s an idea that’s tough to debate.
The question is, “How does the rest of the list stack up?”
20. Rich Kotite, 1995-1996 (4-28)
Could it possibly be anybody else in the 20-spot? Of course not.
It didn’t matter that he coached under Joe Walton for the Jets in the 1980s. It didn’t matter that he returned home (born in Brooklyn, NY and attended Wagner). His two-year stint from 1995 to 1996 ranks among the worst two years in NFL history (4-28).
19. Bill Belichick, 1997, 2000 (0-0)
As painful as Bill Belichick’s name is on this list, he still beats out Kotite. Ouch.
The two-time (in name) head coach of the Jets, Belichick first accepted the job in 1997 while Bill Parcells dealt with ongoing legal issues with Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots. The second stint was much more painful, as his one-day reign in 2000 eventually turned into a Pats dynasty.
18. Mike Holovak, 1976 (0-1)
There isn’t much to say about Mike Holovak. The man lost the only game he ever coached for the Jets, in relief of the recently-fired Lou Holtz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54sYDyCJHj0
17. Lou Holtz, 1976 (3-10)
Yes, Notre Dame football fans, the great Lou Holtz coached the Jets, and he stunk up the joint. Coming from NC State, it became painfully obvious Holtz was better served as a collegiate sideline boss.
16. Ken Shipp, 1975 (1-4)
Kenn Shipp took over for Charley Winner in 1975 and went 1-4 over his five games. Rank Shipp, Holtz and Holovak in any order you’d like.
15. Todd Bowles, 2015-2018 (24-40)
If only Todd Bowles’s 2015 magic could have lasted. His 10-win rookie campaign that didn’t result in a playoff berth was the high point.
Seasons of five, five and four victories rounded out the local boy’s Jets coaching career.
14. Bulldog Turner, 1962 (5-9)
Bulldog Turner coached the final season of the New York Titans’ short three-year run.
13. Charley Winner, 1974-1975 (9-14)
Charley Winner was the man before Ewbank (not counting Shipp’s interim job). It was he who was tasked with handling Joe Namath’s first season in the league (1975).
Winner won his final six games in 1974 to finish 7-7, but 1975 was a disaster.
12. Pete Carroll, 1994 (6-10)
The short Peter Carroll era was a shame. The Jets defensive coordinator under Bruce Coslet finally got his chance at the big boy job and game out of the gate strong. The 6-5 Jets welcomed in the Miami Dolphins for a Giants Stadium game for first place in the AFC East.
Dan Marino‘s fake spike happened, the Jets lost the game and the next four on top of it. Carroll was fired following the season to make way for Kotite.
Sorry, the content stops here if you’re not a Jet X Member, not currently logged-in, or viewing from an outside source such as Google AMP or an RSS Feed where logged-in status is not possible.
Get Started with the button below to access this Jets X-Factor article and the best damn New York Jets content in the world for free (after becoming a member, search for this article near the bottom of the Membership Confirmation page):
Log In with the button below if you’re already a member:
Connect with the button below if you’d like to create a free account first:
