Who is the best head coach or manager to ever head a Southern California team? Who, for that matter, are the top 10?
The answer for those with any sense of history seems easy at the top of the list, as we’ll discuss. But there are so many accomplished leaders, pro and college, that have worked here over the years that picking 10, or even 20, takes some thought and some research.
I swiped the idea for this column, actually, from San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ann Killion. She posed the question to her Northern California readers May 30, the premise being that the Warriors’ Steve Kerr had ascended to No. 1 on the list of Bay Area coaching legends, passing the 49ers’ Bill Walsh, the Giants’ Bruce Bochy and Stanford women’s basketball icon Tara VanDerveer.
Thanks for the idea, Ann. But sorry, the bench down here is much deeper.
Consider the debates: If you’re a Lakers fan, Pat Riley or Phil Jackson? If you’re a Dodgers fan, Lasorda or Walter Alston? (Or Dave Roberts, despite the “he hasn’t won enough championships” argument of many of the faithful.)
And what if you’re a USC football fan? John McKay vs. John Robinson vs. Pete Carroll vs. Howard Jones, for crying out loud, and who you pick might depend on how old you are. (And I’m sure Lincoln Riley has been reminded often of the responsibility of living up to that legacy.)
I counted at least 33 names that could go on such a list, and I’m sure there are more. Here’s my top 10, and I welcome your suggestions and arguments.
10. Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager 2016-current
Record (through Saturday) 809-483 (.627), one World Series championship (2020)
I know, postseason, bullpen decisions, so much talent, etc. The Dodgers’ increasingly demanding fan base howls about the manager whenever the players don’t perform. But he not only has the best winning percentage among active managers but is fifth all-time, and the top four all managed in the Negro Leagues. And he excels at an important but seldom noticed part of the job, connecting with players and getting them to sacrifice their egos and stats for the team.
9. Darryl Sutter, Kings coach 2011-17
Record: 225-147-53, two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014)
He was a midseason hire at a moment the Kings needed a strong, sometimes acerbic voice in the room. He left when that voice grated on too many players and the predominant style in the NHL changed. But for three seasons the Kings were an elite team. They haven’t reached those heights since.
8. Tom Lasorda, Dodgers manager 1977-1996
Record: 1599-1439 (.526), two World Series titles (1981, 1988)
Maybe his team’s and his sport’s foremost ambassador, and when he became manager the team received a jolt that lasted well into the next decade. One of his methods of connecting with his players? He made sure the postgame food spread went to his office so everyone had to come in, win or lose.
7. Al Scates, UCLA men’s volleyball coach 1963-2012
Record: 1239-290 (.810), 19 NCAA championships (1970-71-72-74-75-76-79-81- 82-83-84-87-89-93-95-96-98-2000-06)
The great anecdote is that Scates, who was UCLA’s captain in 1960 and ’61, was offered the coaching job but noted that he couldn’t accept a paid position or he’d give up his eligibility for the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Athletic director Wilbur Johns’ reply: “Congratulations, son. You’re hired.” The inexpensive move turned out to be the best one: Scates’ teams won four straight national titles at one point and three in a row two other times.
6. Walter Alston, Dodgers manager 1954-76
Record in L.A. 1673-1365 (.551), World Series titles in 1959, ’63, ’65
It helped that Alston had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale on his side during the ’60s, but the quiet yet tough skipper took a team that had finished eighth in 1958, its first season in Los Angeles, to an improbable World Series championship in 1959.
5. Pete Carroll, USC football coach 2001-09
Record (on the field) 97-19-0, two national titles (2003 AP, 2004 BCS)
Forget, for a moment, the Reggie Bush investigation for stuff that would be absolutely legal now. Carroll took a USC program that had been reeling and turned it into a terror, and while the NCAA vacated 14 victories it couldn’t take away the Trojans’ dominance between the lines.
4. John McKay, USC football coach 1960-75
Record 127-40-8, four national championships (1962, 1967, 1972, 1974)
McKay created the standard to which all Trojan football coaches, former and future, would be held. He also may have been the most entertaining coach of his time. After getting beat by Notre Dame 51-0 in 1966, he said: “I told my team it doesn’t matter. There are 750 million people in China who don’t even know this game was played. The next day, a guy called me from China and asked, ‘What happened, Coach?’”
3. Phil Jackson, Lakers coach 1999-2004 and 2005-11
Record with Lakers 610-292 (.676), five NBA titles
Jackson arrived with an outsized reputation for his six titles with Michael Jordan in Chicago, but won more games with the Lakers than he did in Chicago (545-193), did a three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in 2000-03 and won two more with Kobe and Pau Gasol in 2009 and ’10. He still has the second-best winning percentage in league history (.704), topped only by Boston’s Joe Mazzula in three seasons compared to Phil’s 20.
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2. Pat Riley, Lakers coach 1982-90
Record with Lakers 533-194 (.733), four NBA titles
Plucked from the broadcast booth to assist Paul Westhead early in the 1979-80 season after head coach Jack McKinney’s bicycle accident, and sliding over to the lead chair when Westhead was fired early in the 1981-82 season, Riley found his voice quickly and firmly, and ultimately became almost as much of a star as his players.
1. John Wooden, UCLA men’s basketball, 1948-75
Record with Bruins 620-147 (.808), 10 NCAA championships
Yes, say what you will: He had two of the game’s best big men, in Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. Until 1975, UCLA needed only four NCAA Tournament wins for a title. And yes, Sam Gilbert’s largesse helped, and whether Wooden didn’t know about it or merely turned his head is for historians to dig into. Bottom line: Nobody in college basketball before or since had the kind of run UCLA, and Wooden, had from 1964 through 1975.
jalexander@scng.com