Gripes with the "Greatest Coaches Ever" list

If you know me, then you know I love lists. The reason why I love lists is because there's always something that you disagree with.

Sporting News put in a nice effort, listing the top 50 all-time coaches in sports history.

Here is where I had a couple of gripes:

- Dean Smith (#8) ahead of Bobby Knight (#16)? Smith won only two titles with players such as Michael Jordan, Antwan Jamison, Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, James Worthy, Brad Daugherty, Eric Montross, and Billy Cunningham in his tenure. Knight was able to squeeze three out of Isiah Thomas (the only NBA All-Star he ever coached at IU), Steve Alford, Kent Benson, Landon Turner, and Dean Garrett. Knight did more with less.

- I love Joe Torre (#32) as much as anybody, but there's no way he's a better manager than Tony LaRussa (#41). No offense to Torre, but I don't think that's even an argument.

- I have a big problem with Bo Schembechler (#36) being ahead of some great college football coaches including Ara Parseghian. Schembechler was a great coach, but he never won a National Championship. How could a coach that never won a National Title be considered one of the best 50 ever - in all of sports? Bo was just 2-6 all-time in the Rose Bowl, and just 5-12 in bowl games overall. His Michigan teams did win lots of Big Ten Championships, but only finished in the top three in the final rankings just twice in 21 seasons. Parseghian won two National Titles and his Notre Dame teams finished in the top five eight times in his 11-year tenure in South Bend.

Bo Schembechler (1969-1989)
Career record: 194-48-5 (80% winning pct.)
National Championships: 0
Bowl record: 5-12 (2-6 in Rose Bowl)
Top five: 7 times in 21 seasons

Ara Parseghian (1964-1974)
Career record: 95-17-4 (83% winning pct.)
National Championships: 2
Bowl record: 3-2 (ND not allowed to play in bowls until 1969)
Top fives: 8 times in 11 seasons

- While we're talking about former ND coaches, what about Frank Leahy? Four National Championships, a 107-13-9 overall record (which includes a 11-0 season with Boston College in 1940), and finished at least third in seven of his eleven seasons with the Irish. I think he at least deserves an honorable mention.

- As a former (crappy) wrestler, I have to say that I was amazed that the legendary Iowa coach Dan Gable didn't make this list. His Iowa teams won 15 National Championships in 21 years, including a record nine-straight from 1978-86, and had a 355-21-5 record in that span. More notable omissions from the "other" sports - Doc Counsilman (IU swimming): six NCAA titles, 23 Big Ten titles, and produced 48 Olympians who won a total of 46 medals (26 Golds); Anson Dorrance (UNC women's soccer): 19 NCAA titles in 27 seasons; John McDonnell (Arkansas men's track & field): 42 NCAA titles across the three track & field seasons in 27 seasons. If you're going to include everybody, then give everybody a fair shake.