Posted: Apr 06, 2020
Kevin Donley sits atop All-Time Winningest NAIA Coaches
Kansas City, MO – The NAIA has updated its list of the Winningest Football Coaches of All-Time. University of Saint Francis football coach Kevin Donley ranks No. 1.
He also ranks No. 6 in College Football All-Time Wins, five wins behind Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman) who's last season was 2016. John Gagliardi (Carroll and Saint John's) i No. 1 with 489 wins.
Donley is the founder of the USF program which just finished its 22nd season in 2019.
Below is the NAIA's list through the 2019 Season
| Rank | Coach | School | Years | W | L | T | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Donley | Anderson (Ind.) / Georgetown (Ky.) / California (Pa.) / St. Francis (Ind.)* | 41 | 333 | 135 | 1 | 0.711 |
| 2 | Larry Wilcox | Benedictine (Kan.)* | 41 | 298 | 152 | 0 | 0.662 |
| 3 | Hank Biesiot | Dickinson State (N.D.)* | 38 | 258 | 121 | 1 | 0.68 |
| 4 | Frosty Westering | Parsons (Iowa) / Lea (Minn.) / Pacific Lutheran (Wash.)^ | 34 | 256 | 81 | 7 | 0.754 |
| 5 | Jim Malosky | Minnesota-Duluth^ | 37 | 235 | 114 | 12 | 0.668 |
| 6 | John Gagliardi | Carroll (Mont.) / St. John's (Minn.)^* | 35 | 222 | 75 | 7 | 0.739 |
| 7 | Ted Kessinger | Bethany (Kan.) | 28 | 219 | 57 | 1 | 0.792 |
| 8 | Larry Korver | Northwestern (Iowa) | 28 | 212 | 77 | 6 | 0.729 |
| 9 | Bill Cronin | Georgetown College (Ky.)* | 23 | 204 | 61 | 0 | 0.77 |
| 10 | Carl Poelker | Millikan (Ill.) / McKendree (Ill.)*^ | 29 | 200 | 85 | 1 | 0.701 |
| 11 | Volney C. Ashford | Missouri Valley | 34 | 197 | 55 | 12 | 0.769 |
| 12 | Mike Van Diest | Carroll College (Mont.)* | 18 | 194 | 42 | 0 | 0.822 |
| 13 | Jim Dennison | Akron (Ohio) / Walsh (Ohio)*^ | 29 | 191 | 125 | 2 | 0.604 |
| 14 | David Bolstorff | Waldorf (Iowa) | 39 | 189 | 184 | 2 | 0.506 |
| 15 | Roger Harring | Wisconsin-La Crosse^ | 23 | 187 | 59 | 6 | 0.754 |
| T16 | Steve Ryan | Morningside (Iowa) | 20 | 184 | 36 | 0 | 0.836 |
| T16 | Bob Shoup | California Lutheran^ | 28 | 184 | 87 | 6 | 0.675 |
| T18 | Ad Rutschman | Linfield (Ore.)^ | 24 | 183 | 48 | 3 | 0.788 |
| T18 | Dick Strahm | Findlay (Ohio)^ | 24 | 183 | 64 | 5 | 0.736 |
| 20 | Bill McArthur | Western Oregon^ | 36 | 180 | 124 | 6 | 0.59 |
| T21 | Vic Wallace | Lambuth (Tenn.)^ | 27 | 176 | 109 | 5 | 0.616 |
| T21 | Bill Ramseyer | Wilmington (Ohio) / Virginia-Wise | 30 | 176 | 104 | 4 | 0.627 |
| T23 | Gil Steinke | Texas A&I^ | 23 | 172 | 60 | 4 | 0.737 |
| T23 | Bob Young | Sioux Falls (S.D.)^ | 22 | 172 | 69 | 3 | 0.711 |
| 25 | Bob Petrino | Carroll (Mont.) | 27 | 163 | 90 | 2 | 0.643 |
Note: Record against 4-year collegiate institutions; May include NCAA coaching victories
*Indicates active head coach
^No longer an NAIA member
All-Time College Football Coaching Wins
| Rank | Name | Years | Wins | Losses | Ties | Pct. | Teams |
| 1 | John Gagliardi | 64 | 489 | 138 | 11 | 0.775 | Carroll (MT) (1949–1952), Saint John's (MN) (1953–2012) |
| 2 | Joe Paterno | 46 | 409 | 136 | 3 | 0.749 | Penn State (1966–2011) |
| 3 | Eddie Robinson | 55 | 408 | 165 | 15 | 0.707 | Grambling (1941–1942, 1945–1997) |
| 4 | Bobby Bowden | 44 | 377 | 129 | 4 | 0.743 | Samford (1959–1962), West Virginia (1970–1975), Florida State (1976–2009) |
| 5 | Ken Sparks | 37 | 338 | 99 | 2 | 0.772 | Carson–Newman (1980–2016) |
| 6 | Kevin Donley* | 41 | 333 | 135 | 1 | 0.711 | Anderson (IN) (1978–1981), Georgetown (KY) (1982–1992), California (PA) (1993–1996), Saint Francis (IN)(1998–present) |
| 7 | Larry Kehres | 27 | 332 | 24 | 3 | 0.929 | Mount Union (1986–2012) |
| 8 | Bear Bryant | 38 | 323 | 85 | 17 | 0.78 | Maryland (1945), Kentucky (1946–1953), Texas A&M(1954–1957), Alabama (1958–1982) |
| 9 | Pop Warner | 49 | 319 | 106 | 32 | 0.73 | Georgia (1895–1896), Iowa State (1895–1899), Cornell (1897–1898, 1904–1906), Carlisle (1899–1903, 1907–1914), Pittsburgh (1915–1923), Stanford(1924–1932), Temple (1933–1938) |
| 10 | Roy Kidd | 39 | 314 | 124 | 8 | 0.713 | Eastern Kentucky (1964–2002) |
Kevin Donley Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA# |
| Anderson Ravens (Hoosier–Buckeye Conference) (1978–1981) | ||||||
| 1978 | Anderson | 5–4 | 4–4 | T–4th | ||
| 1979 | Anderson | 7–2 | 6–2 | 3rd | ||
| 1980 | Anderson | 8–1 | 7–1 | T–1st | ||
| 1981 | Anderson | 8–2 | 8–0 | 1st | L NAIA Division II Quarterfinal | |
| Anderson: | 28–9 | 25–7 | ||||
| Georgetown Tigers (Heartland Collegiate Conference) (1982) | ||||||
| 1982 | Georgetown | 2–9 | 1–6 | T–7th | ||
| Georgetown Tigers (?) (1983–1986) | ||||||
| 1983 | Georgetown | 7–3 | 2–3 | |||
| 1984 | Georgetown | 4–6 | 0–2 | |||
| 1985 | Georgetown | 4–6 | 1–2 | |||
| 1986 | Georgetown | 6–4 | 1–2 | |||
| Georgetown Tigers (Mid-South Conference) (1987–1992) | ||||||
| 1987 | Georgetown | 8–3 | 4–2 | 1st | L NAIA Division II First Round | |
| 1988 | Georgetown | 7–3 | 4–1 | |||
| 1989 | Georgetown | 7–3–1 | 6–0 | 1st | L NAIA Division II First Round | |
| 1990 | Georgetown | 9–2 | 5–0 | 1st | L NAIA Division II First Round | |
| 1991 | Georgetown | 13–1 | 6–0 | 1st | W NAIA Division II Championship | |
| 1992 | Georgetown | 8–3 | 4–1 | T–1st | L NAIA Division II First Round | |
| Georgetown: | 75–43–1 | 34–19 | ||||
| California Vulcans (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) (1993–1996) | ||||||
| 1993 | California | 4–7 | 2–4 | T–5th (West) | ||
| 1994 | California | 2–9 | 1–5 | 7th (West) | ||
| 1995 | California | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th (West) | ||
| 1996 | California | 3–8 | 0–6 | 7th (West) | ||
| California: | 11–33 | 4–20 | ||||
| Saint Francis Cougars (Mid-States Football Association) (1998–present) | ||||||
| 1998 | Saint Francis | 2–8 | 1–5 | 7th (MEL) | ||
| 1999 | Saint Francis | 8–3 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 12 |
| 2000 | Saint Francis | 10–2 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 |
| 2001 | Saint Francis | 9–2 | 5–1 | T–1st (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 14 |
| 2002 | Saint Francis | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 8 |
| 2003 | Saint Francis | 12–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 |
| 2004 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 7–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 |
| 2005 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 7–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 |
| 2006 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Championship | 2 |
| 2007 | Saint Francis | 11–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 |
| 2008 | Saint Francis | 12–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 |
| 2009 | Saint Francis | 7–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd (MEL) | 17 | |
| 2010 | Saint Francis | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 5 |
| 2011 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 3–2 | 3rd (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 7 |
| 2012 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 4–1 | T–1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 |
| 2013 | Saint Francis | 9–3 | 5–1 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Quarterfinal | 6 |
| 2014 | Saint Francis | 6–5 | 4–2 | 2nd (MEL) | ||
| 2015 | Saint Francis | 11–1 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 4 |
| 2016 | Saint Francis | 13–1 | 5–1 | 2nd (MEL) | W NAIA Championship | 1 |
| 2017 | Saint Francis | 14–0 | 6–0 | 1st (MEL) | W NAIA Championship | 1 |
| 2018 | Saint Francis | 10–3 | 4–2 | 3rd (MEL) | L NAIA Semifinal | 3 |
| 2019 | Saint Francis | 7–3 | 4–2 | T–2nd (MEL) | L NAIA First Round | 13 |
| Saint Francis: | 219–50 | 114–21 | ||||
| Total: | 333–135–1 | |||||