# List of VMI Keydets head football coaches

The VMI Keydets football team competes in the Southern Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Football Championship Subdivision, representing the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. Since its inception in 1891, the program has had 32 head coaches.
Although the origins of VMI football date back to 1873, the first organized football team did not appear until 1891. The first head coach was Walter Taylor, the son of Walter H. Taylor, a prominent banker, lawyer, and aide-de-camp to Robert E. Lee. Notable coaches include Blandy Clarkson, who spent seven seasons with the Keydets and led the team to their first undefeated season in 1920; John McKenna, the school's all-time most victorious coach who compiled a record of 62–60–8 in thirteen seasons with VMI while winning four Southern Conference championships; and Bob Thalman, the second most victorious coach who led the team to the 1974 and 1977 conference titles. The most recent Keydet head coach was Sparky Woods, who coached seven seasons for the Keydets before being let go by the school in 2014. In over 120 years of football, VMI has an all-time record of 485–718–42 (.406).

## 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 :
| # | Name | Season(s) | GC | W | L | T | W% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | CCs | NCs | National awards |
| 1 | Walter Taylor | 1891 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | George Bryant | 1895–1896 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | R. N. Groner | 1897 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Samuel Boyle, Jr. | 1899 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | Sam Walker | 1900–1902 | 21 | 11 | 7 | 3 | .595 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | William Roper$^†$ | 1903–1904 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Ira Johnson | 1905–1906 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Charles Roller | 1907–1908 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | William C. Gloth | 1909–1910 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | .536 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Alpha Brummage | 1911–1912 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Henry Poague | 1913 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | .800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Frank Gorton | 1914–1916 | 26 | 14 | 16 | 1 | .558 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Earl Abell | 1917 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | .500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Earl Abell Mose Goodman | 1918 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | .250 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 | Red Fleming | 1919 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Blandy Clarkson | 1920–1926 | 67 | 45 | 20 | 2 | .687 | 5 | 12 | 1 | .306 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | W. C. Raftery | 1927–1936 | 98 | 38 | 55 | 5 | .413 | 18 | 33 | 3 | .361 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Allison Hubert | 1937–1946 | 96 | 43 | 45 | 8 | .490 | 29 | 24 | 7 | .650 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 19 | Arthur Morton | 1947–1948 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 1 | .339 | 7 | 4 | 1 | .625 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 | Tom Nugent | 1949–1952 | 39 | 19 | 18 | 2 | .513 | 15 | 6 | 1 | .705 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| 21 | John McKenna | 1953–1965 | 130 | 62 | 60 | 8 | .508 | 44 | 27 | 5 | .612 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — |
| 22 | Vito Ragazzo | 1966–1970 | 51 | 10 | 41 | 0 | .196 | 5 | 18 | 0 | .217 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Bob Thalman | 1971–1984 | 151 | 54 | 94 | 3 | .368 | 25 | 43 | 2 | .371 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — |
| 24 | Eddie Williamson | 1985–1988 | 44 | 10 | 33 | 1 | .239 | 5 | 18 | 1 | .229 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Jim Shuck | 1989–1993 | 55 | 14 | 40 | 1 | .264 | 6 | 37 | 1 | .191 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 26 | Bill Stewart | 1994–1996 | 33 | 8 | 25 | 0 | .242 | 7 | 17 | 0 | .292 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 27 | Ted Cain | 1997–1998 | 21 | 1 | 20 | | .048 | 0 | 16 | | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Cal McCombs | 1999–2005 | 79 | 19 | 60 | | .241 | 9 | 35 | | .205 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | Jim Reid | 2006–2007 | 22 | 3 | 19 | | .136 | 0 | 8 | | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Sparky Woods | 2008–2014 | 79 | 17 | 62 | | .215 | 9 | 32 | | .220 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | Scott Wachenheim | 2015–2022 | 86 | 24 | 62 | | .279 | 16 | 46 | | .258 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 32 | Danny Rocco | 2023–present | 23 | 6 | 17 | — | 0.261 | 5 | 11 | — | 0.313 | — | — | — | — | — | — |