Not every head coach at the college football level participated in the gridiron grind before donning the clipboard and headphones on the sidelines, but a strong majority rose through the ranks the hard way. Even then, while most share the experience of competing on the field with their fellow peers, not everyone had the same experience during their playing days.
Recently, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg took a stab at ranking all of the FBS head coaches according to their careers as college football players — at least, the ones who played. His list spotlights what coaches did as college players, not necessarily at the pro level, although their entire careers are considered.
Among those mentioned was Florida Gators coach Billy Napier, who landed among the “small-school superstars” tier along with eight others.
“After playing high school football for his father, Bill, Napier went to Furman, where he twice earned All-Southern Conference honors as a quarterback,” Rittenberg begins. “Furman won two league titles and reached the Division I-AA (now FCS) national championship game in Napier’s junior season of 2001. Napier set team records as a senior with 64.8% completions and 2,475 yards and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top FCS player.”
Former Gators skipper Dan Mullen — who is now on the sidelines for the UNLV Rebels — is also mentioned among the 22 “small-school standouts” for his collegiate efforts.
“Mullen played tight end for Ursinus College, a Division III program in Pennsylvania, where he earned two letters and was a first-team All-Centennial Conference selection as a senior in 1993,” Rittenberg notes.
Neither head coach made it into the top 30 list, which was headlined by none other than Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders.
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Publish date : 2025-06-13 17:54:00
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