# List of Richmond Spiders head football coaches

The Richmond Spiders college football team represents the University of Richmond in the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference (CAAFC), as part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The program has had 36 head coaches and one interim head coach since it began play during the 1881 season. Since December 2016, Russ Huesman has served as head coach at Richmond.
Seven coaches have led Richmond in postseason playoff or bowl games: Frank Jones, Dal Shealy, Jim Reid, Dave Clawson, Mike London, Danny Rocco, and Huesman. Eleven coaches have won conference championships: Fred Vail won one and Frank Dobson won three as a member of the Eastern Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Dobson won two and Glenn Thistlethwaite won one as a member of the Virginia Conference; Jones won three and Jim Tait won one as a member of the Southern Conference; Shealy won one as a member of the Yankee Conference; Reid won two and Clawson won one as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference; Clawson and London each won one and Rocco won two as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association; and Huesman won one as a member of the CAAFC. London also won an NCAA Division I Football Championship in 2008.
Dobson is the leader in seasons coached, with 20 years as head coach and in games coached (175) and won (79). M. C. Taylor has the highest winning percentage of those who have coaced more than one game at 1.000. C. T. Taylor has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.000.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC | CC | NC | Awards |
| 1 | M. C. Taylor | 1881 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | C. M. Hazen | 1882 1885–1886 1888 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | H. R. Hundley | 1887 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Frank Johnson | 1889 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | C. T. Taylor | 1890 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Dana Rucker | 1891 1893–1895 | 19 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 0.237 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Penwick Shelton | 1892 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.400 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | Bill Wertenbaker | 1897 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0.375 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | Oscar Lee Owens | 1898 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Julien Hill | 1899 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 11 | Ed Kenna | 1900 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 12 | Garnett Nelson | 1901 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0.125 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 13 | Graham Hobson | 1902 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 14 | Fred Vail | 1903 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0.650 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Harry Wall | 1904 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0.167 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | E. A. Dunlap | 1905–1909 1912 | 57 | 19 | 33 | 5 | 0.377 | 11 | 12 | 2 | 0.480 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | E. V. Long | 1910 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.188 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Sam Honaker | 1911 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0.125 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Frank Dobson | 1913–1917 1919–1933 | 175 | 79 | 78 | 18 | 0.503 | 17 | 12 | 7 | 0.569 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Robert C. Marshall | 1918 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0.700 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Glenn Thistlethwaite | 1934–1941 | 76 | 41 | 26 | 9 | 0.599 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 0.446 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 22 | John Fenlon | 1942 1946–1947 | 30 | 12 | 15 | 3 | 0.450 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 0.316 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Malcolm Pitt | 1943–1944 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0.533 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0.167 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | George Hope | 1945 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Karl Esleeck | 1948–1950 | 30 | 10 | 18 | 2 | 0.367 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0.271 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Ed Merrick | 1951–1965 | 146 | 53 | 87 | 6 | 0.384 | 33 | 52 | 5 | 0.394 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Frank Jones | 1966–1973 | 82 | 44 | 38 | 0 | 0.537 | 36 | 13 | 0 | 0.735 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Jim Tait | 1974–1979 | 65 | 21 | 44 | 0 | 0.323 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Dal Shealy | 1980–1988 | 100 | 43 | 57 | 0 | 0.430 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 0.500 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Jim Marshall | 1989–1994 | 66 | 19 | 47 | 0 | 0.288 | 12 | 36 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 31 | Jim Reid | 1995–2003 | 102 | 48 | 53 | 1 | 0.475 | 35 | 40 | 0 | 0.467 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Yankee Coach of Year (1995) A-10 Coach of Year (1998, 2000) |
| 32 | Dave Clawson | 2004–2007 | 49 | 29 | 20 | — | 0.592 | 18 | 14 | — | 0.563 | 3 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 0 | I-AA.org National Coach of the Year (2005) |
| 33 | Mike London | 2008–2009 | 29 | 24 | 5 | — | 0.828 | 13 | 3 | — | 0.813 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 – 2008 | AFCA FCS Coach of the Year (2008) BCA National Coach of the Year (2008) |
| 34 | Latrell Scott | 2010 | 11 | 6 | 5 | — | 0.545 | 4 | 4 | — | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Wayne Lineburg | 2011 | 11 | 3 | 8 | — | 0.273 | 0 | 8 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 35 | Danny Rocco | 2012–2016 | 65 | 43 | 22 | — | 0.662 | 26 | 14 | — | 0.650 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 0 | CAA Coach of the Year (2015) |
| 36 | Russ Huesman | 2017–present | 88 | 52 | 36 | — | 0.591 | 38 | 22 | — | 0.633 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |