No coach in NFL history has flamed out quite as spectacularly as Urban Meyer, who concludes his less-than-one-and-done year with the Jacksonville Jaguars with fewer wins in the NFL (two) than Football Bowl Subdivision national championships (three).
Meyer isn’t the first former college coach to flop in the transition to the next level. While none have approached Meyer’s spectacular disaster, the list of names to get chewed up by the NFL includes some of the most successful head coaches in the modern era of college football.
Holtz led Notre Dame to the national championship in 1988 and another five programs to the postseason. But he lasted just 13 games in the NFL, resigning from his spot with the Jets with one game left in the regular season. His one team tossed 28 interceptions, scored 17 offensive touchdowns and ranked 26th in the league in offense and defense.
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Bud Wilkinson, St. Louis Cardinals (1978-79)
Wilkinson was the architect of one of the great dynasties in college football history at Oklahoma, winning 13 straight conference championships (1947-59) and three national championships (1954-55, 1959) in a run highlighted by a record 47-game winning streak from 1953-57. After trying his hand in politics and spending 13 years as a broadcaster for ABC, Wilkinson returned to coaching with the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals and went 9-20 before being fired late in the 1979 season.
Spurrier’s pitch-and-catch offense revolutionized the SEC and all of college football, creating a decade-long dynasty at Florida and paving the way for the high-scoring schemes that now dominate the sport. Ready for another challenge,…
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