Bob Devaney
Bob Devaney went 136–30–7 as a head coach, 1957–1972, at Wyoming and Nebraska. His teams claim two national titles: Nebraska in 1970 and 1971. Share
- Record
- 136–30–7 career
- Seasons
- 16
- Schools
- 2
- National titles
- 2 claimed: 1970 and 1971
- Hall of Fame
- 1981 inducted
- Best season
- 1971 13–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Wyoming | 4–3–3 | 4th | |||
| 1958 | Wyoming | 8–3 | 1st | Sun Bowl W | ||
| 1959 | Wyoming | 9–1 | 1st | 16 | ||
| 1960 | Wyoming | 8–2 | T–1st | |||
| 1961 | Wyoming | 6–1–2 | T–1st | 17 | ||
| 1962 | Nebraska | 9–2 | 3rd | Gotham Bowl W | ||
| 1963 | Nebraska | 10–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 6 | |
| 1964 | Nebraska | 9–2 | 1st | Cotton Bowl L | 6 | |
| 1965 | Nebraska | 10–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl L | 5 | |
| 1966 | Nebraska | 9–2 | 1st | Sugar Bowl L | 6 | |
| 1967 | Nebraska | 6–4 | 5th | |||
| 1968 | Nebraska | 6–4 | T–4th | |||
| 1969 | Nebraska | 9–2 | T–1st | Sun Bowl W | 11 | |
| 1970 | Nebraska | 11–0–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 1 | |
| 1971 | Nebraska | 13–0 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 1 | |
| 1972 | Nebraska | 9–2–1 | 1st | Orange Bowl W | 4 |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Rich GloverThird in the 1972 Heisman vote- Larry Jacobson1971 Outland Trophy
- Willie HarperConsensus All‑American, 1971 and 1972
- Wayne MeylanConsensus All‑American, 1966 and 1967
- LaVerne AllersConsensus All‑American, 1966
- Walt BarnesConsensus All‑American, 1965
- Larry KramerConsensus All‑American, 1964
- Bob NewtonConsensus All‑American, 1970
- Jerry TaggeNo. 11 pick, 1972
- Lloyd VossNo. 13 pick, 1964
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 28 | 12–14–2 | 46% |
| Against top-10 teams | 18 | 6–11–1 | 36% |
| Against rivals | 87 | 69–15–3 | 81% |
| Conference games | 111 | 89–18–4 | 82% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 10 | 7–3 | 70% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 59 | 36–16–7 | 67% |
| At home | 84 | 69–11–4 | 85% |
| On the road | 74 | 56–15–3 | 78% |
| At neutral sites | 15 | 11–4 | 73% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 153 | 127–21–5 | 85% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 20 | 9–9–2 | 50% |
His own 173 games on file, 1957–1972, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Crowder 1963–1972 | 9–1 | Colorado | 10 | |
| Dan Devine 1962–1970 | 5–4 | Missouri | 9 | |
| Murray Warmath 1963–1971 | 7–0 | Minnesota | 7 | |
| Clay Stapleton 1962–1967 | 6–0 | Iowa State | 6 | |
| Phil Cutchin 1963–1968 | 6–0 | Oklahoma State | 6 | |
| Jack Mitchell 1961–1966 | 5–0–1 | Kansas | 6 | |
| Vince Gibson 1967–1972 | 5–1 | Kansas State | 6 | |
| Chuck Fairbanks 1967–1972 | 3–3 | Oklahoma | 6 | |
| Tuffy Mullison 1957–1961 | 5–0 | Colorado State | 5 | |
| Doug Weaver 1962–1966 | 5–0 | Kansas State | 5 |
Bob Devaney’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas Stateseries | 13 | 11–2 |
| Oklahoma Stateseries | 12 | 11–1 |
| Kansasseries | 12 | 9–2–1 |
| Coloradoseries | 11 | 10–1 |
| Iowa Stateseries | 11 | 10–0–1 |
| Missouriseries | 11 | 7–4 |
| Oklahomaseries | 11 | 5–6 |
| Minnesotaseries | 8 | 8–0 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1971 Nebraska: Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–56 | Michigan State | Assistant coach | |
| 1957–61 | Wyoming | Head coach | |
| 1962–72 | Nebraska | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Biggie MunnMichigan State
- Duffy DaughertyMichigan State
Assistants who became head coaches
- Carl SelmerMiami
- Lloyd EatonWyoming, Alma, Northern Michigan
- King BlockArkansas State
- Tom OsborneNebraska
- Monte KiffinNC State
- Jim WaldenWashington State, Iowa State
- Warren PowersWashington State, Missouri
Worked under (2)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biggie Munn | Michigan State | 1953 | Assistant coach | |
| Duffy Daugherty | Michigan State | 1954–56 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (7)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Selmer | Wyoming, 1957–61: assistant coach; Nebraska, 1962–71: assistant coach | Miami | |
| Lloyd Eaton | Wyoming, 1957–61: defensive line coach | Wyoming, Alma, Northern Michigan | |
| King Block | Nebraska, 1963: defensive line coach | Arkansas State | |
| Tom Osborne | Nebraska, 1964–68: assistant coach; 1969–72: offensive coordinator | Nebraska | |
| Monte Kiffin | Nebraska, 1966–68: graduate assistant; 1969–72: defensive coordinator | NC State | |
| Jim Walden | Nebraska, 1969–70: graduate assistant; 1971–72: assistant coach | Washington State, Iowa State | |
| Warren Powers | Nebraska, 1969–72: defensive backs coach | Washington State, Missouri |
Other assistants under him (1)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| George Kelly | Nebraska, 1968: defensive coordinator |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.