This is a list of college football coaches with 150 career wins in
NCAA Division I FCS, the lower of two levels of
NCAADivision I football.
Historical overview
FCS, short for "Football Championship Subdivision", was created in 1978 when the NCAA split Division I football into two groups. The strongest programs and conferences were placed in Division I-A, known since 2006 as the
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Other Division I football programs were placed in Division I-AA, which was renamed as FCS in 2006.
The official NCAA record book contains a list of the 50 winningest FCS coaches. However, it is not truly indicative of the most successful coaches at that level because of the criteria used for its compilation. Inclusion on the list requires a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at the FCS level, but each coach's win total includes all wins at four-year institutions, regardless of whether these schools were FCS at that time.[1]
As of the
2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game that ended the 2022 season, a total of 14 head football coaches have won 150 or more games while serving in that role at the FCS level.
^Number of seasons served as head coach at the FCS level.
^Teams coached at the FCS level. Seasons listed are restricted to those in which each individual team competed as an FCS member.
^When Laycock became head coach at William & Mary in 1980, W&M was classified as a Division I-A program. W&M was downgraded to Division I-AA after the 1981 season.[2]
^When Kidd became head coach at Eastern Kentucky in 1964, EKU (then Eastern Kentucky State College) was a member of the NCAA College Division. When the NCAA adopted its current three-division system in 1973, EKU was classified as
Division II; it became a charter member of Division I-AA in 1978.[4]
^When Talley became head coach at Villanova in 1985, it was classified as an
NCAA Division III program. Villanova did not upgrade to Division I-AA until 1987.[6]
^
abNeither Bagnoli nor Murphy coached in 2020–21 because all
Ivy League schools canceled their 2020–21 football seasons due to
COVID-19 concerns.
^When Raymond became head coach at Delaware in 1966, it was a member of the NCAA College Division. When the NCAA adopted its current three-division system in 1973, Delaware was classified as Division II. It did not immediately become a I-AA member upon the Division I split; that would not occur until 1980.[16]
^Monmouth's first football season of 1993, coached by Callahan, was played as an unclassified NCAA program. Monmouth officially joined Division I-AA in 1994.[18]
^Keeler remains head coach at Sam Houston in 2023, but the program started a transition to NCAA Division I FBS in 2022 and has officially been classified as FBS since 2023.
^When Ash became head coach at Drake in 1989, it was a Division I member, but played Division III football. Starting with the 1993 season, the NCAA required that the football programs of all Division I members compete in Division I. At that time, Drake football became a I-AA member.[22]
^When Ayers became head coach at Wofford in 1988, it was classified as an NCAA Division II program. Wofford did not upgrade to Division I-AA until 1995.[26]
^When Stiegelmeier became head coach at South Dakota State in 1997, it was classified as a
NCAA Division II program. SDSU upgraded to I-AA/FCS in 2004.
^While McDonnell held the title of head coach for 23 seasons, he only coached in 22 seasons. He took a medical leave in 2019, with
Ricky Santos (later his permanent successor) serving as interim head coach during that time.