Ranking Notre Dame’s Top 10 Best Head Coaches of All-Time - #5

Part 1 of our rankings began by defining the specific parameters that would be used to compare coaching resumes and the general requirements needed to be considered for the list at all. This process brought our pool of 30 coaches to a more focused top-10. Once the “National Championship” category was implemented, our top 10 list was split cleanly between the 5 coaches who had won a Title, and the 5 who hadn’t. While ranking positions #10-#6 wasn’t without its difficulties, the order of our top 5 selections required a bit more nuance. Let’s look at who earned our #5 spot.

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

5. Dan Devine, 1975-80

Devine began his coaching career at East Jordan High School in Michigan, posting two undefeated seasons before moving on to Michigan State as an assistant. He spent 5 seasons with the Spartans, helping them eventually secure the 1952 National Title. In 1955, Arizona State hired Devine as their next head coach, where he’d spend 3 seasons compiling a nearly perfect 27-3-1 record. His best season with the Sun Devils came in 1957 when they finished 10-0 and led the nation in total offense with almost 40 points per game. That success drew the attention of the University of Missouri, who offered Devine their open head coaching position for the 1958 season. 

Devine and the Tigers began 1960 unranked, but after surprising wins over then-powerhouses SMU and Oklahoma, they became a national title contender. The only thing between Devine’s Tigers and a shot at the national title game was their final matchup against Kansas. Despite being heavily favored, Missouri lost 23-7 and missed out on a shot at the Title. After compiling a 92-38-7 record over 13 seasons, including a 4-2 record in bowl games, Devine made the jump from college to the pros, taking both the head coach and general manager roles with the Green Bay Packers at the start of 1971. At his very first home opener in Green Bay, Devine was involved in a sideline collision that broke his leg, and the Packers lost in a close 42-40 battle with the Giants. In his 4 seasons with Green Bay, Devine only managed to put up one winning season (1972) and one playoff appearance, which ended in a loss to the Washington Redskins. 

Devine’s first season at Notre Dame came following his resignation from the Green Bay Packers. He’d previously been a final candidate for the job the last time Notre Dame was looking for a new head coach, although they ultimately hired Ara Parseghian. When his second chance came around, Devine left Green Bay for South Bend as quickly as possible. 1975 was Devine’s first season, taking over for all-time great Ara Parseghian, and his new squad posted a solid 8-3 record and ended the season 17th in the polls. While 3 losses isn’t too bad, all 3 were rivalry games, losing to Michigan State 3-10, #3 USC 17-24 at home, and their season finale against Pitt. The Irish secured a postseason matchup against Miami in the Orange Bowl, dispatching them handily 32-9. One of the most historically significant moments during Devine’s tenure came during Notre Dame’s 1975 matchup against Georgia Tech, where walk-on Rudy Ruettiger entered his first-ever game and shocked both Irish and Tech fans alike by sacking the quarterback. His story would go on to inspire the hit movie “Rudy.”

The 1976 Irish began their season with a gut shot, losing rising sophomore QB Joe Montana to a season-ending shoulder injury just before their week 1 matchup. They lost their season opener against #9 Pitt, dropping them from #11 to outside the top-25. The Irish would win 6 straight games before losing to unranked Georgia Tech, which dropped them back to #18. They’d go on to beat #10 Alabama 21-18 and Miami 40-27 before losing in LA to USC, dropping them to a disappointing 8-3. Despite posting a second consecutive 8-3 record, the Irish earned another postseason matchup, this time against Penn State in the Gator Bowl. Thankfully, they beat the Nittany Lions 20-9 and finished at #12 in the polls with a 9-3 final record, but it was a near carbon copy of the 1975 season.

1977 saw things finally come together for Devine. Notre Dame started strong, with Montana now healthy and back in the driver’s seat, they opened the season with a solid win against #7 Pitt, 19-9. The good vibes wouldn’t last long, as the Irish fell the following week to unranked Ole Miss 13-20, dropping them from #3 to #11 in the polls. After the shocking loss, Devine and the Irish managed to stop the bleeding and went on to win 9 straight games, including wins against #5 USC and #15 Clemson, to end the season at 10-1. QB Joe Montana played hero throughout the whole campaign, earning the moniker “the comeback kid” after mounting two impressive come-from-behind wins. The first came against Purdue; with the Irish down 10, Montana led the offense to 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, ultimately stealing the game 31-24. The second rally came against Clemson; with the Irish down 10 going into the 4th quarter, Montana put up 14 unanswered points to take the road victory. Devine would notoriously flip off Tigers fans as the Irish left the field. Notre Dame’s immediate rebound after the week 2 loss and their strong finish to the season earned them a shot at the National Title. 

Devine, Montana, and the Irish faced off against the Texas Longhorns and Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell in the 1978 Cotton Bowl in what would go down as a classic. The Irish entered the game as underdogs, with the Longhorns favored by 7, but Devine’s team showed up and showed out on both sides of the ball. Notre Dame’s defense held Earl Campbell scoreless and forced 5 Longhorn turnovers, while the offense rushed for 4 scores and threw for another, ultimately routing Texas 38-10. The win shot the Irish up 4 spots in the polls and earned the program its 10th National Title, their first since 1973, and what would turn out to be Devine’s one and only Championship as a coach.

The Irish followed up their Title-winning campaign with back-to-back home losses to open the 1978 season. The first came against Devine’s former school, unranked Missouri, which the #5 Irish would lose in embarrassing fashion 0-3. The second loss came against rival and then #5 Michigan, with the Irish losing 14-28. After the disappointing start, Devine’s squad rattled off 8 straight wins, highlighted by matchups against #9 Pitt, #11 Navy, and #20 Georgia Tech. Despite the rebound, the Irish would lose a heartbreaker in LA against USC, coming up short 25-27 and bringing Notre Dame’s regular season to another 8-3 end. Regardless, 8-3 was good enough for a second consecutive Cotton Bowl appearance, this time against a different Texas school, the University of Houston. The matchup occurred amidst an onslaught of sleet and freezing temperatures and would become another Irish classic known to fans as the “Chicken Soup game.” Senior Irish QB Joe Montana battled illness the whole game, and the Irish found themselves trailing Houston 34–12 halfway through the 4th quarter. Unbelievably, Montana rallied the Irish to yet another come-from-behind victory, scoring 23 unanswered points in a matter of minutes to slip past the Cougars 35-34.

The 1979 season was, without a doubt, the worst of Devine’s tenure in South Bend, ending with a 7-4 record and losses to Purdue, USC, Tennessee, and Clemson. With internal scrutiny at its highest, Devine announced his intention to leave Notre Dame following the conclusion of the 1980 season, citing a desire to spend more time with family. The Irish entered their final matchup against #17 USC poised to contend for yet another National Title, with an impressive 9-0-1 record and a #2 ranking. In a shocking letdown, the Trojans won handily 20-3, but Notre Dame managed to secure a matchup against undefeated UGA in the Sugar Bowl. In yet another disappointing turn of events, the Irish were unable to stop Heisman winner Hershel Walker and the Bulldogs, ultimately losing Devine's final game with Notre Dame 10-17. Although the 1980 Irish had a surprisingly good season, Devine and the University had already made up their minds to move in different directions. The heartbreaking conclusion to the 1980 season was somewhat emblematic of Devine’s time in South Bend as a whole - competitive and entertaining, but ultimately not enough when the stakes were highest. 

Despite seeing success, Devine never seemed to settle into his role leading the Irish, and his eventual exit came after years of repeated criticism. His tenure as head coach followed the all-time great Ara Parseghian and left him in an awkward position, constantly fielding criticism and enduring comparison to his predecessor, never feeling completely comfortable or welcomed. When it comes to Devine’s place among Notre Dame’s best Head Coaches, everything comes down to his National Title. Because of this, he beat out the likes of Brian Kelly, who has an objectively more impressive resume, a longer tenure, and over 100 wins. At the same time, only having one National Title puts Devine at the bottom of our top-5 list, competing with fellow one-time winner Lou Holtz. Devine does have some obvious shortcomings: He has the shortest tenure of any coach in our top-5, only 6 seasons, the lowest win percentage in this top-5 with a .764, never coached a Heisman winner, and never posted an undefeated season. While Devine’s time in South Bend wasn’t perfect, nothing can obscure what he did accomplish - a solid 53-16-1 record without a single losing season, a 3-1 mark in bowl games, and a star-studded cast of College Football Hall of Famers including Dave Casper, Ross Browner, Ken MacAfee, and Bob Crable. Coupled with the 1977 National Title, Devine’s contributions to the program earned him the #5 spot on our list and a place amongst the very best to ever coach in South Bend.

Next Up

In our next piece, we’ll reveal who earned our #4 spot and examine how their career played out in South Bend.

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