# List of San Jose State Spartans head football coaches

The San Jose State Spartans college football team represent San Jose State University in the Mountain West Conference. The Spartans competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Division in the years 1921–1968. In 1969, the team moved to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.
The program has had 32 different head coaches in its 106 seasons of existence (through 2023), including one who had multiple tenures as coach. Many coaches throughout the Spartans football history have won multiple National and Conference Awards and have been enshrined into multiple Halls of Fame including Pop Warner (associate coach with the Spartans), Bob Bronzan, Terry Shea, John Ralston, Dick Tomey and Brent Brennan. Many former players who were taught by these innovate coaches have gone on to become some of the greatest football coaches of all time including Bill Walsh, Dick Vermeil and Terry Donahue.

## 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 | James E. Addicott | 1893 1895 1900 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Thad McKay | 1898 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.917 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Jess Woods | 1899 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0.650 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Fielding H. Yost$^†$ | 1900 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | David Wooster | 1921–1922 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 0.250 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 | Hovey C. McDonald | 1923 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 | Ernesto R. Knollin | 1924–1928 | 38 | 14 | 22 | 2 | 0.395 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 0.426 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 8 | Mush Crawford | 1929–1931 | 24 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 0.333 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0.308 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 9 | Dudley DeGroot | 1932–1939 | 87 | 60 | 19 | 8 | 0.736 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 0.794 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | — |
| 10 | Ben Winkelman | 1940–1941 | 23 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0.761 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0.917 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 11 | Glenn Hartranft | 1942 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.778 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | Wilbur V. Hubbard | 1946–1947 | 48 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 0.760 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0.889 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Bob Bronzan | 1950–1956 | 67 | 32 | 30 | 5 | 0.515 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 14 | Bob Titchenal | 1957–1964 | 80 | 33 | 46 | 1 | 0.419 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 15 | Harry Anderson | 1965–1968 | 39 | 13 | 26 | 0 | 0.316 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 16 | Joe McMullen | 1969–1970 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0.231 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Dewey King | 1970–1972 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 0 | 0.333 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0.462 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Darryl Rogers | 1973–1975 | 34 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 0.691 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0.769 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Lynn Stiles | 1976–1978 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 0 | 0.529 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0.769 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Jack Elway | 1979–1983 | 56 | 35 | 20 | 1 | 0.634 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0.722 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Claude Gilbert | 1984–1989 | 69 | 38 | 30 | 1 | 0.558 | 30 | 11 | 1 | 0.726 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Terry Shea | 1990–1991 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 0.696 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0.929 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | Big West Coach of the Year (1990) |
| 23 | Ron Turner | 1992 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0.636 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | John Ralston$^†$ | 1993–1996 | 45 | 11 | 34 | 0 | 0.244 | 11 | 26 | 0 | 0.297 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Dave Baldwin | 1997–2000 | 45 | 18 | 27 | — | 0.400 | 13 | 17 | — | 0.433 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Fitz Hill | 2001–2004 | 47 | 14 | 33 | — | 0.298 | 9 | 21 | — | 0.300 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Dick Tomey | 2005–2009 | 60 | 25 | 35 | — | 0.417 | 16 | 24 | — | 0.400 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Mike MacIntyre | 2010–2012 | 37 | 16 | 21 | — | 0.432 | 8 | 13 | — | 0.381 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Kent Baer | 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Ron Caragher | 2013–2016 | 49 | 19 | 30 | — | 0.388 | 14 | 18 | — | 0.438 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Brent Brennan | 2017–2023 | 82 | 34 | 48 | — | 0.415 | 25 | 30 | — | 0.455 | 0 | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 0 | Mountain West Coach of the Year (2020) |
| 31 | Ken Niumatalolo | 2024–present | 13 | 7 | 6 | — | 0.538 | 3 | 4 | — | 0.429 | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |