# List of Samford Bulldogs head football coaches

The Samford Bulldogs college football team represents Samford University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Bulldogs competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. The program has had 36 head coaches, since it began play during the 1902 season. Since December 2014, Chris Hatcher has served as head coach at Samford.
Five coaches have led Saamford to the postseason: Bobby Bowden, Wayne Grubb, Terry Bowden, Pat Sullivan, and Hatcher. Four of those coaches also won conference championships: Eddie McLane captured one and Billy Bancroft two, as a member of the Dixie Conference; Sullivan and Hatcher each captured one as a member of Southern Conference.
Hatcher is the leader in seasons coached, with 10 years as head coach and games coached (100) and won (57). Bobby Bowden has the highest winning percentage at 0.838. Maxwell James and Bub Walker have the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.000. Of the 36 different head coaches who have led the Bulldogs, Bobby Bowden and Sullivan have 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 | Houston Gwin | 1902–1903 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Walter T. O'Hara | 1903 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Davis F. Stakely | 1905 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.375 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | John Counselman | 1906–1908 | 20 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 0.475 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | William A. Blount | 1908 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | John B. Longwell | 1909 1911 1916–1917 | 31 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0.500 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0.250 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 | James C. Donnelly | 1910 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0.111 | 0 | 5 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 8 | B. L. Noojin | 1912–1914 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 2 | 0.440 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Eugene Caton | 1915 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.438 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 10 | C. W. Streit | 1917 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Maxwell James | 1918 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | Chester C. Dillon | 1919 1927–1928 | 32 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0.578 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0.400 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Robert C. Marshall | 1920–1921 | 18 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 0.361 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0.300 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Harris G. Cope | 1922–1923 | 20 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 0.375 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0.214 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Jenks Gillem | 1924–1926 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 0.519 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0.469 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Eddie McLane | 1929–1933 | 53 | 28 | 19 | 6 | 0.585 | 16 | 11 | 4 | 0.581 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Clyde Propst | 1934 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.444 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.500 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Billy Bancroft | 1935–1939 | 44 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.545 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 0.688 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 19 | William C. White | 1940–1941 1954 | 28 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 0.375 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0.813 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Euil Snider | 1943 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 21 | Bub Walker | 1944–1945 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 22 | Ted McCrary | 1948 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 23 | Earl Gartman | 1949–1953 | 43 | 14 | 28 | 1 | 0.337 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 24 | Howard Foote | 1955–1956 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 25 | Virgil Ledbetter | 1957–1958 | 17 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0.382 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 26 | Bobby Bowden$^†$ | 1959–1962 | 37 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0.838 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 27 | Bubba Scott | 1963–1965 | 28 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 28 | John Lee Armstrong | 1966–1968 | 31 | 20 | 9 | 2 | 0.677 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 29 | Wayne Grubb | 1969–1973 | 48 | 25 | 20 | 3 | 0.552 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 30 | Kim Alsop | 1984–1986 | 27 | 6 | 21 | 0 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 31 | Terry Bowden | 1987–1992 | 69 | 45 | 23 | 1 | 0.659 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 32 | Chan Gailey | 1993 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0.455 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 33 | Pete Hurt | 1994–2001 | 82 | 42 | 39 | 1 | 0.518 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — |
| 34 | Bill Gray | 2001–2006 | 60 | 27 | 33 | — | 0.450 | 31 | 32 | — | 0.492 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | OVC Coach of the Year (2003) |
| 35 | Pat Sullivan$^†$ | 2007–2014 | 90 | 47 | 43 | — | 0.522 | 31 | 32 | — | 0.492 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | SoCon Co-Coach of the Year (2012) |
| 36 | Chris Hatcher | 2015–present | 111 | 61 | 50 | — | 0.550 | 46 | 33 | — | 0.582 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |