List of Cincinnati Bearcats head football coaches

The Cincinnati Bearcats football team represents the University of Cincinnati in the Big 12 Conference, competing as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The program has had 39 head coaches and three interim coaches during its existence, as well as one stint with no coach and two periods with the program on hiatus. The Bearcats have been participating in college football since the 1885 season and were one of the first schools currently in the FBS to sponsor a football program. ^[1] Scott Satterfield is the current head coach; ^[2] he replaced Luke Fickell (and Kerry Coombs - 1 game as interim), after Fickell took the head coaching job at Wisconsin after the 2022 season. ^[3]

The program's current nickname, "Bearcats", was first used in 1914 and was formally adopted in 1919. Prior to then, common terms like "Varsity" or "Red and Black" (the team's colors) had been used to refer to the football team. ^{[4] [5]} The Bearcats have played in more than 1200 games during the program's 129 seasons (through the 2017 regular season). In that time, nine coaches have led the Bearcats in a post-season bowl game, eight have won a conference championship, and four have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. ^{[6] [7]}

Rick Minter currently holds several records among Cincinnati coaches, including most games coached (117), seasons coached (10), games won (53), games lost (63), conference wins (23), and conference losses (30). Minter also holds, along with Tuberville and Brian Kelly, the record for most bowl games coached (3). ^{[A 1] [A 2]} Sid Gillman guided the Bearcats to three Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships, the most of any Cincinnati coach in any conference. Gillman also has the best conference win percentage of any coach (.929); Tom Fennell's .864 is the best regular season percentage, while Kelly's .850 leads among multi-season coaches. Only one interim coach, Steve Stripling, has won a game in that position. ^{[6] [7]}

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list

General		Overall		Conference		Postseason [A 3]
No.	Order of coaches [A 4]	GC	Games coached	CW	Conference wins	PW	Postseason wins
DC	Division championships	OW	Overall wins	CL	Conference losses	PL	Postseason losses
CC	Conference championships	OL	Overall losses	CT	Conference ties	PT	Postseason ties
NC	National championships	OT	Overall ties [A 5]	C%	Conference winning percentage
†	Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame	O%	Overall winning percentage [A 6]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records ^{[A 7]} , postseason records, championships and selected awards ^{[A 8]}

No.	Name	Season(s)	GC	OW	OL	OT	O%	CW	CL	CT	C%	PW	PL	PT	DC	CC	NC	Awards
N/A	No coach	1885–93	29	13	12	4	0.517	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
1	W. Durant Berry	1894–95	12	6	6	0	0.500	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
2	William A. Reynolds	1896	8	4	3	1	0.563	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
3	Tom Fennell	1897	11	9	1	1	0.864	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
4	Frank Cavanaugh † [13]	1898	9	6	1	2	0.778	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
5	Daniel A. Reed	1899–1900	16	8	7	1	0.531	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
6	Henry S. Pratt	1901	6	1	4	1	0.250	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
7	Anthony Chez	1902–03	17	5	10	2	0.353	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
8	Amos Foster	1904–05	16	12	4	0	0.750	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
9	William Foley	1906	9	0	7	2	0.111	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
X	No team [A 9]	1907	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
10	Ralph Inott	1908	6	1	4	1	0.250	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	—
11	Robert Burch	1909–11	26	16	8	2	0.654	4	2	1	0.643	—	—	—	—	0	0	—
12	Lowell Dana	1912–13	17	8	7	2	0.529	4	5	2	0.455	—	—	—	—	0	0	—
13	George Little † [16]	1914–15	18	10	8	0	0.556	7	5	0	0.583	—	—	—	—	0	0	—
14	Ion Cortright	1916	9	0	8	1	0.056	0	6	1	0.071	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
15	Frank Marty	1917	6	0	6	0	.000	0	4	0	.000	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
16	Boyd Chambers [A 10]	1918–21	30	12	15	3	0.468	4	9	3	0.344	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
17	George McLaren † [18]	1922–26	45	16	26	3	0.389	8	15	2	0.360	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
18	George Babcock	1927–30	36	12	21	3	0.375	2	15	2	0.158	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
19	Dana M. King	1931–34	36	25	10	1	0.708	9	4	1	0.679	0	0	0	—	2	0	—
20	Russ Cohen [A 11]	1935–37	22	8	11	3	0.432	2	2	0	0.500	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
Int	Wade Woodworth [A 11]	1937	6	0	6	0	.000	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
21	Joseph A. Meyer	1938–42	46	27	16	3	0.620	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
X	No team [A 12]	1943–44	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
22	Ray Nolting	1945–48	39	23	15	1	0.603	6	2	0	0.750	1	0	0	—	1	0	—
23	Sid Gillman † [21]	1949–54	64	50	13	1	0.789	13	1	0	0.929	1	1	0	—	3	0	—
24	George Blackburn	1955–60	58	25	27	6	0.483	3	9	3	0.300	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
25	Charles Studley	1961–66	60	27	33	0	0.450	13	9	0	0.591	0	0	0	—	2	0	—
26	Homer Rice	1967–68	19	8	10	1	0.447	5	4	0	0.556	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
27	Ray Callahan	1969–72	43	20	23	0	0.465	2	3	0	0.400	0	0	0	—	0	0	—
28	Tony Mason	1973–76	44	26	18	0	0.591	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
29	Ralph Staub	1977–80	44	14	28	2	0.341	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
30	Mike Gottfried	1981–82	22	12	10	0	0.545	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
31	Watson Brown	1983	11	4	6	1	0.409	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
32	Dave Currey	1984–88	55	19	36	0	0.345	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
33	Timothy Murphy	1989–93	55	17	37	1	0.318	—	—	—	—	0	0	0	—	—	0	—
34	Rick Minter	1994–2003	117	53	63	1	0.457	23	30	0	0.434	1	2	0	—	1	0	—
35	Mark Dantonio [A 1]	2004–06	36	18	17	—	0.514	11	11	—	0.500	1	0	—	—	0	0	—
36	Brian Kelly [A 1] [A 2]	2006–09	40	34	6	—	0.850	17	4	—	0.810	2	1	—	—	2	0	Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2009) [26] Big East Coach of the Year (2007, 2008, 2009) [27]
Int	Jeff Quinn [A 2]	2009	1	0	1	—	.000	—	—	—	—	0	1	—	—	0	0	—
37	Butch Jones [A 13]	2010–12	37	23	14	—	0.622	14	7	—	0.667	1	0	—	—	2	0	Big East Coach of the Year (2011) [27]
Int	Steve Stripling [A 13]	2012	1	1	0	—	1.000	—	—	—	—	1	0	—	—	0	0	—
38	Tommy Tuberville	2013–16	51	29	22	—	0.569	18	14	—	0.563	0	3	—	0	1	0	—
39	Luke Fickell	2017–2022	75	57	18	—	0.760	35	11	—	0.761	2	2	—	1	2	0	Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2021) [30] Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2021) [31] Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2021) [32] Sporting News Coach of the Year (2021) [33] AAC Coach of the Year (2018, 2020–2021)
Int	Kerry Coombs	2022	1	0	0	—	–	—	—	—	—	0	0	—	—	0	0	—
40	Scott Satterfield	2023–present	24	8	16	—	0.333	4	14	—	0.222	0	0	—	—	0	0	—

Notes

1. Mark Dantonio coached the Bearcats for the 2006 regular season before leaving to take the head coach position at Michigan State. Brian Kelly was hired to replace Dantonio and lead Cincinnati in the 2007 International Bowl, to finish out the season. ^{[22] [23]}
2. Brian Kelly coached Cincinnati through the 2009 regular season and left to take over Notre Dame before the 2010 Sugar Bowl. Assistant coach Jeff Quinn was promoted to interim head coach for the bowl game. ^{[24] [25]}
3. Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. ^[8]
4. A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
5. Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. ^[9]
6. When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. ^[10]
7. From 1885 through 1909, Cincinnati competed as an independent. Between 1910 and 1924, the program was a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference. It then competed in the Buckeye Conference from 1925 through 1935, which was followed by another period of independence. The Bearcats joined the Mid-American Conference in 1946, which they left for the Missouri Valley Conference in 1957. Between 1970 and 1995, Cincinnati again competed as an independent. The Bearcats have competed within conferences since 1996; the first was Conference USA, which they left for the Big East Conference, and then transitioned into the Big East's successor, the American Athletic Conference, starting in 2013. ^[11] The American Athletic Conference began divisional play in 2015 following the addition of the Navy Midshipmen, which brought the total number of teams in the conference to twelve. ^[12] Cincinnati had not been a member of a conference division at any time prior to this.
8. Statistics correct as of the end of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season.
9. Cincinnati athletic records state that no football games were played in 1907. ^[14] However, the College Football Data Warehouse records the Bearcats as having played two games that year, both of which were loses, under the leadership of a "Coach Clancey". ^[15]
10. The College Football Data Warehouse includes an additional game and win for Chambers in the 1921 season, which is not recorded in Cincinnati's records. ^[17]
11. Russ Cohen voluntarily resigned on October 14, 1937, after losing the first four games of the 1937 season. Offensive line coach Wade Woodworth was hired to succeed him, at Cohen's suggestion. ^[19]
12. Cincinnati did not field a team during the 1943 or 1944 seasons due to World War II. ^[20]
13. Butch Jones coached the Bearcats through the 2012 regular season before leaving to take the head coach position at Tennessee. Assistant coach Steve Stripling was promoted to interim head coach for the 2012 Belk Bowl. ^{[28] [29]}

Saterfield took over for Fickle. Not tubberville

References

General

• Staff (2014). "Cincinnati Coaching Records". Cincinnati History. College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
• University of Cincinnati Athletics Communications Office (2015). "Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide" (PDF). 2015 University of Cincinnati Football. University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.

Specific

1. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, "History", p. 79.
2. Groeschen, Tom (December 10, 2016). "UC has hired Luke Fickell as coach". Cincinnati.com . Cincinnati. Sports. OCLC   51645694. Archived from the original on January 27, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
3. Wisconsin, University of (November 27, 2022). "Luke Fickell was named the University of Wisconsin 31st head coach on Nov. 27, 2022". University of Wisconsin. Wisconsin. College Football. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
4. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, "History", p. 80.
5. Hand, Greg (2016). "History of the Bearcat, University of Cincinnati". University of Cincinnati. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
6. Cincinnati Coaching Records (2014).
7. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, "History" and "Records".
8. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
9. Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
10. Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
11. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, p. 107.
12. Bahl, Andrew (May 30, 2014). "Navy football will be in West Division when it joins American Athletic Conference in 2015". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore. College Football. ISSN   2165-1752. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
13. Staff (2016). "Member Biography: Frank "The Iron Major" Cavanaugh". National Football Foundation . Retrieved December 20, 2016.
14. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, p. 110.
15. Staff (2014). "Coach Clancey Records by Year". All-Time Coaching Records. College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
16. Staff (2016). "Member Biography: George Little". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
17. Staff (2014). "Boyd B. Chambers Records by Year". All-Time Coaching Records. College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
18. Staff (2016). "Member Biography: George "Tank" McLaren". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
19. "Cohen Resigns At Cincinnati: Succeeded by Woodworth, Assistant Coach". The Mansfield News Journal . Mansfield, OH. Associated Press. October 14, 1937. p. 3. OCLC   12717004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016– via Newspapers.com.
20. Cincinnati Bearcats 2015 Football Media Guide, p. 112.
21. Staff (2016). "Member Biography: Sid Gillman". National Football Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
22. "Michigan State hires former Cincy coach Dantonio". ESPN.com . Bristol, Connecticut. Associated Press. November 27, 2006. NCAA Football. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
23. "International Bowl: Bearcats claw past Broncos". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Associated Press. January 7, 2007. Sports. ISSN   0745-4724. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
24. Hamilton, Brian (December 11, 2009). "It's official: Brian Kelly is Notre Dame's new football coach: Proven winner to assume helm at storied but listing program". Chicago Tribune . Chicago. Sports. ISSN   1085-6706. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
25. "Cincinnati's interim coach Quinn has been there before". USA Today . McLean, Virginia. Associated Press. December 15, 2009. College Football. ISSN   0734-7456. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
26. Wells, Adam (December 5, 2012). "Notre Dame's Brian Kelly Wins Second Home Depot Coach of the Year Award". Bleacher Report . San Francisco. College Football. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
27. Staff (2018). "Big East Coach of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
28. Mitchell, Houston (December 7, 2012). "Tennessee hires Butch Jones as its new coach". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles. Tennessee. ISSN   0458-3035. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
29. Megargee, Steve (December 7, 2012). "Vols hire Cincinnati's Jones as new football coach". The San Diego Union-Tribune . San Diego. Associated Press. Sports. ISSN   1063-102X. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
30. Elchlepp, Kimberly (December 12, 2021). "Cincinnati's Luke Fickell Named 2021 The Home Depot Coach of the Year". espnpressroom.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
31. Digital Staff, FOX19 (December 30, 2021). "Luke Fickell wins Dodd Trophy for Coach of The Year". fox19.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
32. Farner, Keith (December 20, 2021). "Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award goes to Playoff semifinalist". saturdaydownsouth.com. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
33. Decourcy, Mike (December 16, 2021). "Luke Fickell's history-making season earns him Sporting News Coach of the Year award". Sporting News. Retrieved January 7, 2022.