# List of Virginia Cavaliers head football coaches

The Virginia Cavaliers college football team represents the University of Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Cavaliers compete as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 42 head coaches since it began play during the 1887 season. Since December 2021, Tony Elliott has served as head coach at Virginia.
Four coaches have led Virginia in postseason bowl games: George Welsh, Al Groh, Mike London, and Bronco Mendenhall. Three of those coaches also won conference championships: Joseph M. Wood and Harry Varner each captured one as a member of the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association; and Welsh captured two as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Welsh is the leader in overall wins and seasons coached with 134 wins during his 19 years as head coach. Merritt Cooke Jr. has the highest winning percentage at 0.938. Dick Voris has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.033. Of the 42 different head coaches who have led the Cavaliers, George Sanford, Greasy Neale, Earl Abell, Frank Murray, and Welsh has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

## 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 | CC | NC | Awards |
| 1 | William C. Spicer | 1892 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0.583 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Johnny Poe | 1893–1894 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0.762 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | Harry Arista Mackey | 1895 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0.818 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Martin V. Bergen | 1896–1897 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0.725 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Joseph Massie | 1898 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Archie Hoxton | 1899–1900 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 0.658 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Westley Abbott | 1901 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0.800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | John de Saulles | 1902 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0.850 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | Gresham Poe | 1903 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | George Sanford$^†$ | 1904 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | William C. "King" Cole | 1905–1906 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0.650 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Hammond Johnson | 1907 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0.611 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Merritt Cooke Jr. | 1908 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0.938 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | John Neff | 1909 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0.875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Charles B. Crawford | 1910 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Kemper Yancey | 1911 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0.800 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 17 | John S. Elliott | 1912 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.667 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 18 23 | W. Rice Warren | 1913 1920–1921 | 26 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 0.692 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 19 | Joseph M. Wood | 1914 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.889 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 20 | Harry Varner | 1915 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0.889 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 21 | Peyton Evans | 1916 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.444 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 22 | Harris Coleman | 1919 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0.333 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 24 | Thomas J. Campbell | 1922 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0.500 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 25 | Greasy Neale$^†$ | 1923–1928 | 55 | 28 | 22 | 5 | 0.555 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 0.473 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 26 | Earl Abell$^†$ | 1929–1930 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0.474 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0.308 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 27 | Fred Dawson | 1931–1933 | 29 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 0.345 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0.250 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 28 | Gus Tebell | 1934–1936 | 28 | 6 | 18 | 4 | 0.286 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0.200 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 29 | Frank Murray$^†$ | 1937–1945 | 80 | 41 | 34 | 5 | 0.544 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Art Guepe | 1946–1952 | 66 | 47 | 17 | 2 | 0.727 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Ned McDonald | 1953–1955 | 28 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 0.179 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 32 | Ben Martin | 1956–1957 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0.325 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0.273 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 33 | Dick Voris | 1958–1960 | 30 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 0.033 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0.059 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 34 | Bill Elias | 1961–1964 | 40 | 16 | 23 | 1 | 0.413 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 0.196 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 35 | George Blackburn | 1965–1970 | 61 | 28 | 33 | 0 | 0.459 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 0.361 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 36 | Don Lawrence | 1971–1973 | 33 | 11 | 22 | 0 | 0.333 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0.353 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 37 | Sonny Randle | 1974–1975 | 22 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 0.227 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0.100 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 38 | Dick Bestwick | 1976–1981 | 66 | 16 | 49 | 1 | 0.250 | 5 | 28 | 0 | 0.152 | — | — | — | 0 | — | — |
| 39 | George Welsh$^†$ | 1982–2000 | 223 | 134 | 86 | 3 | 0.608 | 85 | 51 | 3 | 0.622 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | — | — |
| 40 | Al Groh | 2001–2009 | 113 | 59 | 54 | — | 0.522 | 36 | 36 | — | 0.500 | 3 | 2 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 41 | Mike London | 2010–2015 | 73 | 27 | 46 | — | 0.370 | 14 | 34 | — | 0.292 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 42 | Bronco Mendenhall | 2016–2021 | 74 | 36 | 38 | — | 0.486 | 22 | 27 | — | 0.449 | 1 | 2 | — | 0 | — | — |
| 43 | Tony Elliott | 2022–present | 34 | 11 | 23 | — | 0.324 | 6 | 17 | — | 0.261 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |