Six Former Saints Head Coaches Rank in Top 70 in Career Wins
I find this to be just an incredible stat regarding the New Orleans Saints and the more than half of the ten full-time head coaches they've had in franchise history.
Of the ten full-time head coaches in franchise history, six of them rank in the top 70 on the list of all-time NFL coaching victories.
Think about that for a second; here we have a franchise, which didn't have a winning season in its first 20 years of existence, and which didn't win a playoff game in its first 34 years of existence, and yet six of their ten head coaches rank in the top 70 in the league history, in terms of coaching wins.
Of course, the catch here is that four of them compiled most of their wins with other franchises, but the fact that six of former Saints head coaches are on the list is still wild.
Sean Payton, who guided the Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLII following the 2009 season ranks tied for 24th on the all-time coaching wins list with 139.
Payton, the all-time leader in franchise wins, has been the head coach of New Orleans since the 2006 season.
Hank Stram, who was the head coach fo the Saints for two seasons (1976-1977) ranks in a tie for 27th on the list.
Stram's teams only went 7-21 in his two seasons in New Orleans, but he had numerous successful seasons with both the Dallas Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs before his time in The Crescent City, including a win in Super Bowl IV.
Jim Mora, who led the Saints to their first winning season and playoff appearance in 1987, ranks 31st on the list, with 125 victories.
Mora, who also was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for four years (1998-2001), was the head man in New Orleans from 1986-1996.
Mike Ditka, who was the head coach for the Saints for three seasons (1997-1999), ranks 31st on the list with 121 career wins.
Ditka, obviously, secured most of those wins as the head coach of the Bears, compiling 106, with 15 more coming with the Saints.
Bum Phillips, who was the head coach for the Saints for parts of five seasons (1981-1985), ranks in a tie for number 55 on the list with 82 career wins.
Phillips went 27-42 during his time in New Orleans, after going 55-35 in six seasons (1975-1980) with the Houston Oilers.
Finally, Dick Nolan, who was the head coach for the Saints for parts of three seasons (1978-1980), ranks in a tie for number 67 on the list with 69 career wins.
Nolan compiled an overall record of 15-29 with the Saints, after going 54-53 over parts of nine seasons (1968-1975) with the San Francisco 49ers.