# List of Akron Zips head football coaches

The Akron Zips football program is a college football team that represents the University of Akron (formerly known as Buchtel College). The team has had 27 head coaches since it began playing organized football in 1891. Among those coaches, only Gordon K. Larson, Jim Dennison, J.D. Brookhart, and Terry Bowden have led Akron to postseason appearances. Brookhart is the only coach to win a conference championship with the Zips; he won the Mid-American Conference in 2005. Dennison is the school's all-time leader in games won and seasons coached.

## 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 |
| N/A | No coach | 1891 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 1 | Frank Cook | 1892 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | John Heisman$^†$ | 1893–94 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| N/A | No coach | 1895 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Harry Wilson | 1896 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| X | No team | 1897–98 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Archie Eves | 1899 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| N/A | No coach | 1900 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0.417 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| X | No team | 1901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Forest Firestone | 1902 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0.286 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Alfred W. Place | 1903 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| X | No team | 1904–07 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Dwight Bradley | 1908 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | Clarence Weed | 1909 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | Frank Haggerty | 1910–14 | 41 | 22 | 16 | 3 | 0.573 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Fred Sefton | 1915–23 | 71 | 34 | 33 | 4 | 0.507 | 25 | 27 | 3 | 0.482 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | James W. Coleman | 1924–25 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0.375 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | George Babcock | 1926 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0.667 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.625 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Red Blair | 1927–35 | 78 | 43 | 30 | 5 | 0.583 | 34 | 28 | 4 | 0.545 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Jim Aiken | 1936–38 | 27 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0.722 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 15 | Thomas Dowler | 1939–40 | 18 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0.444 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 16 | Otis Douglas | 1941–42 | 18 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 0.361 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| X | No team | 1943–45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | Paul Baldacci | 1946–47 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0.412 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 18 | William Houghton | 1948–51 | 35 | 7 | 27 | 1 | 0.214 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 0.206 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Kenneth Cochrane | 1952–53 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0.472 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0.591 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Joe McMullen | 1954–60 | 61 | 30 | 28 | 3 | 0.516 | 28 | 23 | 2 | 0.547 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Gordon K. Larson | 1961–72 | 112 | 74 | 33 | 5 | 0.683 | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0.765 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Jim Dennison | 1973–85 | 144 | 80 | 62 | 2 | 0.563 | 30 | 22 | 1 | 0.637 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | AFCA College Division Coach of the Year (1976) Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year (1982) |
| 23 | Gerry Faust | 1986–94 | 99 | 43 | 53 | 3 | 0.449 | 14 | 18 | 0 | 0.438 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Lee Owens | 1995–2003 | 101 | 40 | 61 | 0 | 0.396 | 31 | 39 | 0 | 0.443 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | J. D. Brookhart | 2004–09 | 72 | 30 | 42 | – | 0.417 | 22 | 26 | – | 0.458 | 0 | 1 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 | MAC Coach of the Year (2004) |
| 26 | Rob Ianello | 2010–11 | 24 | 2 | 22 | – | 0.083 | 1 | 15 | – | 0.063 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Terry Bowden | 2012–2018 | 87 | 35 | 52 | – | 0.402 | 23 | 33 | – | 0.411 | 1 | 1 | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Tom Arth | 2019–2021 | 27 | 3 | 24 | – | 0.111 | 2 | 17 | – | 0.105 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Oscar Rodriguez | 2021 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | .000 | 0 | 3 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Joe Moorhead | 2022– | 36 | 8 | 28 | – | 0.222 | 5 | 19 | – | 0.208 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |