Joe Paterno has won more Div. I college football games than any other head coach in the history of the sport.
Paterno won 409 total games in 46 seasons at Penn State.
In the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky revelations, the NCAA at one point moved to vacate all of Paterno’s wins from 1988-2011. The decision dropped Paterno from the top of the list to No. 12.
However, the NCAA agreed to restore Paterno’s wins in a 2015 settlement with Penn State, once again making Paterno the all-time winningest coach in NCAA college football.
Bobby Bowden, head coach at Florida State and a longtime friend and rival to Paterno, is second on the list with 346 wins.
The numbers in the chart below reflect wins earned in major college football. For example, Bowden’s 346 wins include his time at WVU and FSU; however, they do not include his 31 wins at Howard College (now known as Samford).
Additionally, the chart does not acknowledge vacated wins, either.
College Football Coaches With Most Career NCAA Wins
| Coach | Career Wins (Major CFB) |
|---|---|
| Joe Paterno | 409 |
| Bobby Bowden | 357 |
| Bear Bryant | 323 |
| Pop Warner | 314 |
| Nick Saban | 292 |
| Amos Alonzo Stagg | 282 |
| Mack Brown | 276 |
| LaVell Edwards | 257 |
| Tom Osborne | 255 |
| Lou Holtz | 249 |
| Frank Beamer | 238 |
| Bo Schembechler | 234 |
| Hayden Fry | 230 |
| Steve Spurrier | 228 |
| Bill Snyder | 215 |
| Woody Hayes | 205 |
| Don Nehlen | 202 |
| Vince Dooley | 201 |
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