Poll: Lombardi, Belichick Tie for Greatest Coaches of All-Time

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick stands alone at the top when it comes to the number of Super Bowl championships won. However, when fans were asked who the greatest coach of all time is, Belichick had some company.

According to a Morning Consult poll, Belichick tied with Packers legend Vince Lombardi as the greatest coach in NFL history.

Belichick has won six Super Bowls with New England and played a significant role as a defensive coach and assistant to Bill Parcells in two other Super Bowl victories with the Giants. Lombardi won 5 NFL championships with the Packers, including the first-ever Super Bowl game.

Here are the poll’s full results:

• Belichick, NFL, 10%
• Lombardi, NFL, 10%
• Phil Jackson, NBA, 7%
• John Madden, NFL, 7%
• John Wooden, College basketball, 4%
• Tom Landry, NFL, 3%
• Nick Saban, College football, 3%
• Mike Krzyzewski, College basketball, 3%
• Mike Ditka, NFL, 3%
• Tony Dungy, NFL, 2%
• Gregg Popovich, NBA, 2%
• Don Shula, NFL, 2%
• Joe Paterno, College football, 2%
• Bobby Knight, College basketball, 1%
• Paul “Bear” Bryant, College football, 1%

It’s kind of stunning that Nick Saban, beyond a doubt the best college football coach of all time, would come in seventh on this list, and Mike Ditka, who won only one Super Bowl, would finish ninth, ahead of Paul “Bear” Bryant and Gregg Popovich.

Both Bryant and Popovich have combined for 11 championships in their respective sports.

But whatever, it is what it is. As far as settling the debate between Lombardi and Belichick, one will have to look at their impact on the game as innovators, the dominance of their teams in the eras in which they played, and the degree of difficulty and level of competition they faced.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (Billie Weiss/Getty Images)

Lombardi would seem to have an edge as an innovator, and the question of “dominance” might be a push. However, there’s no question Belichick’s run of dominance came at a more difficult time. The modern NFL has more teams, a salary cap, revenue sharing, and free agency. In other words, the league is set up to prevent a dynasty such as the one Belichick enjoyed in New England over the last 20 years.

None of those conditions were in place when Lombardi patrolled the sidelines in Green Bay.

It could go either way, though. There’s every possibility Lombardi would have been just as dominant in Belichick’s era.

The Morning Consult poll was conducted in April and had 1,396 respondents.

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