A quick glance at 7 NFL Football Coaches who should have stayed in college football

By Abdul Majeed Yakubu June 6, 2023

The likes of former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Urban Meyer tried to replicate their college-winning mastery to the NFL but were met with the unexpected. Several college coaches tried to bring their college football-winning experience to the NFL, only to come up short.

These number of coaches, in our writing below, were even back with many top news outlets in the likes of African football news websites, to record success for their first season in the NFL with huge odds, are championship winners, and serve as reminder to many that the NFL is not an easy task.

Starting with Lisle Blackbourn below, let’s read on!

Lisle Blackbourn

A lifelong resident of Wisconsin, Blackbourn coached only in The Badger State. After four years at Marquette, he assumed control of the Packers in 1954. His job as the Packers coach in 1954 on a four-year tenure, saw the arrival of future Hall of Famers which include the likes of Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Forrest Gregg, and Jim Ringo. However, Green Bay did not experience any successful season despite these arrivals until Vince Lombardi’s took over from Blackbourn in 1959. Few years after failing to live up to expectations as the team coach, Blackbourn was rehired as a scout.

Rich Brooks

A number of Pac-8, Pac-10, and Pac-12 coaches have failed to achieve NFL success. In the early 80s, Rich Brooks served as an assistant for the Rams but spent the majority of the next 25 years coaching the Ducks for 18 seasons. When the Rams came knocking for their first St. Louis-era head coach, following their Rose Bowl appearance in 1994, Brooks took the offer. The year after began well for both sides as the Rams defeated the Brett Favre-led Packers and went undefeated. However, he concluded with two losing seasons due to the 1996 Jerome Bettis trade and the sixth-round selection of troubled running back Lawrence Phillips.

Dan Devine

Millennials are likely more familiar with Devine as the coach who resolutely refused to play Rudy Ruettiger, but as the 1993 film also notes, Devine arrived at Notre Dame only after a stint with the Packers. Devine was appointed Arizona State’s head coach at the age of 30 and spent 13 seasons at Missouri. In 1971, he joined the Packers, inheriting several of Lombardi’s erstwhile standouts. Despite Starr’s retirement, Devine led the 1972 Green Bay Packers to the NFC Central Division championship. However, Green Bay’s subsequent demise was largely due to poor quarterback performance. The catastrophic trade for John Hadl in 1974 preceded Devine’s departure and a protracted Packers slump.

Dennis Erickson

Every other coach’s accomplishments at “The U” pale in comparison to Erickson’s two national championships at Miami. Throughout his six NFL seasons, he also kept the Seahawks and 49ers out of last place. Erickson was hired by the Seahawks in 1995, and in the challenging AFC West, he finished 8-8 in three of his four seasons. The native of Washington also ensured to it that a 41-year-old Warren Moon had a Pro Bowl season, but owner Paul Allen, who took over midway through Erickson’s term, ousted him in favor of Mike Holmgren in 1999. Erickson played for the 49ers for two seasons (2003–04), the second one following the team’s losses of Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia. It came to a 2-14 conclusion.

Lou Holtz

Holtz coached for more than 40 years at various institutions, though he did make a brief failed attempt at the NFL. Holtz agreed to lead the Jets in 1976 after spending four seasons at N.C. State, his first major-college head coaching job. Holtz demonstrated his lack of aptitude for the pros in what also happened to be Joe Namath’s final season in green and white. As Jets coach, Holtz had a 3-10 record and tried some college-style gimmicks that didn’t work, most notably a song he produced called the “Jets Fight Song,” which at least seems like harmless fun. He accepted an opportunity to coach Arkansas after the Jets’ final game and departed the team, subsequently admitting he didn’t belong in the NFL.

Chip Kelly

A quick glance at 7 NFL Football Coaches who should have stayed in college football

Kelly first had success after entering the NFL as an offensive genius with a lot of buzz. The Eagles’ quick offense under the former Oregon coach propelled them to a 2013 NFC East championship and a 10-6 record. In spite of Mark Sanchez filling in for an injured Nick Foles in 2014, the Eagles finished the season 9-7 despite Foles’ seven touchdown passes in one game (by the third quarter). 2015 saw the bottom fall out. The Eagles gave Kelly managerial authority. Several actions followed, including the trading of LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles. Kelly arrived in San Francisco after being let go late in that season. After a 2-14 record, the 49ers made him their second consecutive one-and-done head coach.

Lane Kiffin

Since Lane Kiffin was fired by the Raiders, Kiffin’s popularity has increased, but Al Davis abruptly ended his tenure as coach. Changing coaches frequently in his later years, Davis hired USC’s offensive coordinator in 2007. JaMarcus Russell, who Kiffin did not want to draft, ended up being one of the worst busts in NFL history, which was a bad break for the coach. Before being dismissed four games into the 2008 season, Kiffin was only given 20 games, during which he finished 5-15. This happened after Davis attacked his coach in a news conference with an overhead projector.