Ranking The Eagles’ Greatest Coaches Of All Time
Updated: Jun 30, 2023
The Philadelphia Eagles have a rich history. They have been in the league since 1933. 24 men have coached the team, but there are five that stand out above the rest. Here is a distinguished list of the Eagles’ greatest coaches of all time:
5. Buck Shaw
Buck Shaw had a short tenure with the Eagles but found success quickly. He was hired in 1958 to rebuild the last place team. The Eagles struggled his first season, but they had a winning record in 1959 and 1960. The 1960 season was very successful for Shaw and the Eagles. The Eagles went 10-2 and won the NFL Championship. Shaw was named NFL Coach of The Year and quarterback Norm Van Brocklin won the MVP award.
This is a notable championship in NFL history. Buck Shaw was the only coach to defeat Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers in a championship game. Shaw retired after the 1960 season. Fans might wonder what the team could have accomplished if he kept going.
4. Dick Vermeil
Dick Vermeil was the first Eagles coach to have success during the Super Bowl era. He was hired in 1976 and had the Eagles in the playoffs by the 1978 season. The Eagles lost in the first round but got a playoff win the following year. 1980 was Vermeil’s best year as head coach for the Eagles. The team went 12-4 and made their first Super Bowl appearance. The Eagles lost to the Raiders 27-10. This was the only Super Bowl appearance until 2004.
Vermeil was eventually let go in 1982, but the Eagles struggled after he left. It wasn’t until the 1990s that they won a playoff game again. Vermeil took 15 years off before going to the St Louis Rams. There he was able to win a Super Bowl.
3. Doug Pederson
Doug Pederson deserves all the credit for guiding the Eagles to their first Super Bowl win. He led the team through plenty of adversity in 2017. They lost a lot of players to injuries including their starting quarterback. Pederson put together an excellent game plan in Super Bowl LII which enabled him to outcoach Bill Belichick. This allowed Eagles fans to finally celebrate their much-deserved Super Bowl victory.
Outside of 2017, Doug Pederson still found success as coach of the Eagles. He had a 42-37 record overall and two more playoff appearances. In 2020, things went downhill. Pederson and QB Carson Wentz could not get on the same page. The Eagles elected for a fresh start at head coach and quarterback. Doug Pederson moved onto the Jaguars after a year away and the Eagles brought in Nick Sirianni in 2021. Pederson will always be remembered for the 2017 Super Bowl season.
2. Greasy Neale
Greasy Neale coached the Eagles from 1941-to 1950. He took over a 1-10 Eagles team and had to navigate the team during World War II. In 1943, Neale coached a combined Eagles-Steelers team to its first winning season in Eagles history. Neale led the Eagles to winning records the following six seasons. The Eagles won back-to-back NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949. Greasy Neale still has the highest winning percentage in team history at .590.
The NFL was a lot different back then, but Greasy Neale is one of the greatest coaches in franchise history. The Eagles were a bad team at the beginning, but he turned them into champions. Neale brought Philadelphia a winning culture and those expectations continue today. Greasy Neale was voted into the Eagles Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
1. Andy Reid
Andy Reid is ranked at number one for being the winningest coach in Eagles history. He spent 14 years coaching the team. This is the longest coaching tenure of any head coach in team history. Reid won 130 games and had a .583 winning percentage. His teams went 10-9 in the postseason.
Andy Reid made Donovan McNabb a franchise quarterback. He gave Michael Vick a second chance in the NFL. Reid had consistent success as a rotating cast of players and coaches came through Philadelphia. His coaching tree includes John Harbaugh, Matt Nagy, Ron Rivera, and Doug Pederson. These guys and more all learned from Reid.
The Eagles dominated during Reid’s tenure. They made the playoffs nine times. The Eagles went to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. Unfortunately, Andy Reid had just a 1-4 record in championship games and lost Super Bowl XXXIX to the Patriots. The Eagles eventually got a Super Bowl win in 2017 and Andy Reid got his first with the Chiefs a couple of years later. Andy Reid’s long period of dominance is why he is ranked as the Eagles’ greatest coach of all time.