Ranking the winningest coaches in NFL history originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Bill Belichick loves the history of football, and he continues to make some of his own.
The 70-year-old joined a tie for second place on the all-time NFL coaches wins list with Chicago Bears legend George Halas when the New England Patriots beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 6. Now, Belichick has a chance to take sole possession of second on Monday Night Football when his Pats host … the Bears.
Even if New England wins Monday night, Belichick will still have a ways to go between himself and the winningest coach in league history.
Who holds the top spot, and how many wins will it take for Belichick to get there? Here is a look at the NFL head coaches who won the most games in their careers:
Which NFL head coach has the most wins in history?
Don Shula has won more games than any other head coach in NFL history.
The Hall of Famer spent the first seven years of his head coaching career with the Baltimore Colts and led the team to a Super Bowl III appearance in the 1968 season. He joined the Miami Dolphins after the 1969 season, and that’s where he began his path to legendary status.
In just his third season with the Dolphins, Shula’s group became the first and only undefeated team in history. Miami went 14-0 in the 1972 regular season and continued its winning ways in the playoffs, capping the run off with a Super Bowl VII triumph over Washington. The team repeated as champions the following season.
Shula wound up winning 328 regular season games and 19 playoff matchups during his 33 years as an NFL head coach. His 347 career victories give him a slight cushion over Halas and Belichick, but the latter still has time to catch up.
Here are the top 10 winningest coaches in NFL history:
1. Don Shula: 347 (328 regular season, 19 playoff)
T-2. George Halas: 324 (318 regular season, 6 playoff)
T-2. Bill Belichick: 324 (293 regular season, 31 playoff)
4. Tom Landry: 270 (250 regular season, 20 playoff)
5. Andy Reid: 254 (237 regular season, 19 playoff)
6. Curly Lambeau: 229 (226 regular season, 3 playoff)
7. Paul Brown: 217 (213 regular season, 4 playoff)
8. Chuck Noll: 209 (193 regular season, 16 playoff)
9. Marty Schottenheimer 205 (200 regular season, 5 playoff)
10. Dan Reeves: 201 (190 regular season, 11 playoff)
Which active NFL head coach has the most wins?
Belichick dominates this category, as his 324 total wins give him 70 more than Andy Reid.
After Reid, there is another significant drop. Here is where he and Belichick stand against the rest of the top 10 among active coaches in terms of total wins entering Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season:
1. Bill Belichick: 324 (293 regular season, 31 playoff)
2. Andy Reid: 254 (237 regular season, 19 playoff)
3. Pete Carroll: 166 (155 regular season, 11 playoff)
4. Mike Tomlin: 164 (156 regular season, 8 playoff)
5. Mike McCarthy: 157 (147 regular season, 10 playoff)
6. John Harbaugh: 151 (140 regular season, 11 playoff)
7. Ron Rivera: 95 (92 regular season, 3 playoff)
8. Lovie Smith: 93 (90 regular season, 3 playoff)
9. Sean McVay: 65 (58 regular season, 7 playoff)
10. Sean McDermott: (57 regular season, 3 playoff)
Which NFL head coach has won the most Super Bowls?
Belichick has already passed Halas in one historic way during his time with the Patriots.
A Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams gave the Patriots – and Belichick – their sixth championship. New England tied the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowls for a team, but the victory put Belichick alone as the first NFL head coach to win six championships. Belichick passed Halas and Vince Lombardi, who both won five titles, with his Super Bowl triumph.
Here are all the head coaches to win at least three championships in their careers:
1. Bill Belichick: 6
T-2. George Halas: 5
T-2. Vince Lombardi: 5
4. Chuck Noll: 4
T-5. Don Shula: 3
T-5. Curly Lambeau: 3
T-5. Paul Brown: 3
T-5. Weeb Eubank: 3
T-5. Hank Stram: 3
T-5. Bill Walsh: 3
T-5. Joe Gibbs: 3