With head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs moving into the top five on the NFL all-time wins list (playoffs included), we were inspired to look up the top five from California high schools in the major sports of football, basketball and baseball.
Reid, who is a graduate from Marshall High of Los Angeles and will soon be inducted into the CIF L.A. City Section Hall of Fame, earned his 230th win in an NFL career that began in 1992 with the Philadelphia Eagles when his current squad beat the Carolina Panthers last Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs, of course, won the first Super Bowl in Reid’s career last January with a come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
In looking over the NFL all-time coaching wins list, none of the four coaches still ahead of Reid are from California high schools. He would therefore be first among those head coaches who are from the state.
Top 5 NFL Coaching Wins Leaders
From California High Schools
230 – Andy Reid (Los Angeles Marshall)
Record: 230-143-1
Years: 1992 to 2012 Philadelphia Eagles; 2013-current Kansas City Chiefs.
178 – Jeff Fisher (Woodland Hills Taft)
Record: 178-171-1
Years: Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1994-2010; St. Louis/L.A. Rams 2012-2016).
174 – Mike Holmgren (San Francisco Lincoln)
Record: 174-122
Years: Green Bay Packers 1992-1998; Seattle Seahawks 1999-2008.
150 – Pete Carroll (Larkspur Redwood)
Record: 150-101-1
Years: New York Jets 1994; New England Patriots 1997-1999; Seattle Seahawks 2010-current.
141 – John Fox (Chula Vista Castle Park)
Record: 141-130
Years: Carolina Panthers 2002-2010; Denver Broncos 2011-2014; Chicago Bears 2015-2017.
Top 5 NBA Coaching Wins Leaders
From California High Schools
1,042 – Rick Adelman (Downey Pius X)
Record: 1,042-749
Years: Portland Trail Blazers 1989-1994; Golden State Warriors 1996-97; Sacramento Kings 1998-2006; Houston Rockets 2007-2011; Minnesota Timberwolves 2011-2014.
522 – K.C. Jones (San Francisco Commerce)
Record: 522-252
Years: Washington Bullets 1973-1976; Boston Celtics 1983-1988; Seattle Supersonics 1990-1992.
487 – Scott Brooks (Manteca East Union)
Record: 487-376
Years: Oklahoma City Thunder 2008-2015; Washington Wizards 2016-current.
471 – Alex Hannum (Los Angeles Hamilton)
Record: 471-412
Years: St. Louis Hawks 1957-58; Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers 1960-1963, 1966-1968; San Francisco Warriors 1963-1966; San Diego Rockets 1969-1971.
454 – Byron Scott (Inglewood Morningside)
Record: 454-647
Years: New Jersey Nets 2000-2004; New Orleans Jazz 2004-2009; Cleveland Cavaliers 2010-2013; Los Angeles Lakers 2014-2016.
Top 5 MLB Coaching Wins Leaders
From California High Schools
2,504 – Bobby Cox (Selma)
Record: 2,504-2,001
Years: Atlanta Braves 1978-1981; Toronto Blue Jays 1982-1985; Atlanta Braves 1990-2010.
2,194 – Sparky Anderson (Los Angeles Dorsey)
Record: 2,194-1,834
Years: Cincinnati Reds 1970-1978; Detroit Tigers 1979-1995.
1,902 – Gene Mauch (Los Angeles Fremont)
Record: 1,902-2,037
Years: Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1968; Montreal Expos 1969-1975; Minnesota Twins 1976-1980, California Angels 1981-82 & 1985-87.
1,892 – Dusty Baker (Fair Oaks Del Campo)
Record: 1,892-1,667
Years: San Francisco Giants 1993-2002; Chicago Cubs 2003-2006; Cincinnati Reds 2008-2013; Washington Nationals 2016-17; Houston Astros 2020-current.
1,571 – Dick Williams (Pasadena)
Record: 1,571-1,451
Years: Boston Red Sox 1967-1969; Oakland Athletics 1971-1973; California Angels 1974-1976; Montreal Expos 1977-1981; San Diego Padres 1982-1985; Seattle Mariners 1986-1988.
