BroBible
More than 500 people have served as the head coach of an NFL team for at least one game, and only 35 of them have managed to lead their squad to a win in the Super Bowl. There are plenty of others who’ve had successful careers and even ended up in the Hall of Fame but retired without being able to add a victory in The Big Game to their résumé.
Serving as the head coach of an NFL team that wins the Super Bowl makes you a member of a pretty exclusive club.
Nearly half of the men who’ve joined it have punched their ticket to the Hall of Fame, and that number will almost certainly rise to more than 50% at some point in the not-so-distant future when you consider Bill Belichick will be enshrined this year and current skippers incluiding Andy Reid, Sean Payton, and Mike Tomlin are virtual locks to be immortalized in Canton after they hang up their headsets.
However, there are some other coaches who did very well for themselves but never earned the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Here’s a look at the guys who had the most wins in the regular season but never got the NFL’s ultimate prize.
Jim Mora spent 11 years as the head coach of the Saints beginning in 1986, and while they made the playoffs (PLAYOFFS????) four times during his tenure, every appearance was a one-and-done loss in the wild card round (a fate they met three seasons in a row starting in 1990).
Mora got another shot with the Colts in 1999 (three years after his time in New Orleans came to an end), and while they did make the postseason a couple of times during his four years in Indianapolis, he finished his career with an 0-6 record in the playoffs.
Marvin Lewis did get a Super Bowl ring while working as the defensive coordinator for the Ravens, but he was never able to add another one to his collection as a head coach.
Lewis spent 16 years with the Bengals and led Cincinnati to the playoffs on seven occasions, which included five straight appearances between 2011 and 2015. However, he has the unfortunate distinction of being the NFL coach with the most wins in the regular season without a single one in the postseason after going 0-7 in those contests.
John Fox had two chances to win the Super Bowl but never cashed in.
He led the Panthers to The Big Game during his second year as their head coach, but they ended up losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVIII. His nine-year stint in Carolina ended up being one of diminishing returns, as their two other playoff appearances ended with...
