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Rank the LSU Football Coaches You Remember in Your Lifetime

Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:14 pm
Posted by Gerry Laval
Member since Apr 2025
273 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:14 pm
Rules of the game---I was born in 1980. I cannot remember Stovall or Arnsparger. I can, however, very much remember Mike Archer. That was when I became an LSU Football fan.

Here is my ranking:

1) Saban-he broke my heart when he left for Miami, but he was the coach for most of the time I was at LSU. He turned it around.
2) Miles-heart attack every game, but fun to watch and loved LSU.
3) Orgeron-I loved Coach O. I still do not really understand what happened to him at the end (COVID maybe?). But he did coach our best team ever.
4) Mike Archer-was the coach when I was a kid and started watching and going to games with my dad. Tommy Hodson and the teams of the late 80s were fun to watch!
5) Gerry Dinardo-was the coach my freshman year (1999). The single worst season in my memory. But I respect what he did in the mid 90s.
6) Curley Hallman-he was coach during a period I was playing sports myself most Saturdays and, like the Saints in the late 90s, we were just so bad I did not make a point to watch. I just sort of gave up and waited it out until we got a new coach.
7) Brian Kelly-my least favorite coach in any sport LSU has ever had. I would die happy if I never had to see or hear him speak again.
Posted by Fat Bastard
alter hunter
Member since Mar 2009
90051 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:21 pm to
rank based on what??

straight up wins? titles? best team ever?

or actual coaching ability?

as far as coaching ability it is quite simple

1) saban

2) arnsparger

3) the rest in whatever order you wish

if we are going purely by best seasons ever and/or titles it is:

1) orgeron-best team ever 15-0
2) miles won a natty and played for another most wins at LSU
3) saban-won a natty

Posted by Topwater Trout
Red Stick
Member since Oct 2010
69709 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:23 pm to
Saban
Miles
O
Dinardo
Kelly
Arnsbarger
Archer



Curly
Posted by donut
Face, USA
Member since Jan 2004
3171 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:29 pm to
1. Saban - GOAT
2. Miles - It's hard to put him at 2, but he played in 2 champ. games and won one.
3. Arnsparger - If he would have stayed I think LSU would have grown into a powerhouse. Ahead of Orgeron who has a NC because I believe he was a better coach
4, Orgeron - he gets a lot of credit for winning a title.
5. Dinardo - Did the set up for Saban after crappy Hallman
6. Cholly Mac -Kept LSU as a competitive team for the 60's and 70's
7. Brian Kelly - Probably should go higher, but I'm ranking his time as a coach at LSU. Overall record was only two games better than Dinardo (34-14 vs. 32-24-1)
8. Archer - I really wanted him to do well and Tommy Hodson was and still is my favorite LSU player. He began the slide into the Hallman years
9. Bo Rein - never coached, but still better than Hallman
8. Hallman - enough said
Posted by docTQ4
Atlanta GA
Member since Jan 2014
2384 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:32 pm to
Kelly should be right under Archer. Maybe even above him. Rest of the list is dead on for most of us, I’d assume.
Posted by CatfishJohn
Member since Jun 2020
19470 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:33 pm to
quote:

6) Curley Hallman-he was coach during a period I was playing sports myself most Saturdays and, like the Saints in the late 90s, we were just so bad I did not make a point to watch. I just sort of gave up and waited it out until we got a new coach.
7) Brian Kelly-my least favorite coach in any sport LSU has ever had. I would die happy if I never had to see or hear him speak again.


Dude, your list is shite.

Curley Hallman was so much worse than Brian Kelly
Posted by VeryReauxna_ish
Your mom’s house
Member since Dec 2020
2776 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:35 pm to
Saban
Kiffin
Miles
O
BK
Dinardo
Curley
Posted by TigerintheNO
New Orleans
Member since Jan 2004
44561 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 4:36 pm to
quote:

Overall record was only two games better than Dinardo (34-14 vs. 32-24-1)


only two games?
Posted by Garnertigah
Member since Jan 2014
149 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 5:05 pm to
Nick Saban – 2000–2004
Paul Dietzel – 1955-1958
Les Miles – 2005–2016
Ed Orgeron – 2016–2021
Charles McClendon – 1962–1979
Bill Arnsparger – 1984–1986
Gerry DiNardo – 1995–1999
Brian Kelly – 2022–2025
Jerry Stovall – 1980–1983
Mike Archer – 1987–1990
Curley Hallman – 1991–1994
Gave special consideration for championships and longevity.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
44510 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 5:06 pm to
quote:

Overall record was only two games better than Dinardo (34-14 vs. 32-24-1)



Are you this dense?
Posted by Fred439
Houston
Member since Aug 2011
172 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 7:03 pm to
I would rate Stovall above both Kelly and DiNardo. Recall if you will that Stovall came in on short notice and bailed LSU out immediately after the tragic death of Bo Rein.
Posted by sta4ever
Member since Aug 2014
17519 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 7:22 pm to
Les Miles is the best football coach in LSU history thus far.
Posted by TigerWoodlands
The Woodlands
Member since Dec 2008
1184 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 7:27 pm to
Saban
Les
Charlie Mac
Arnsparger
O
Dinardo
Stovall
Archer
Hallman
Kelly - I hated his lack of effort so much

Hoping Kiffin ends up 2nd on this list!
Posted by semjase
New Smyrna Beach FL
Member since May 2014
15218 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 7:32 pm to
quote:

1) orgeron-best team ever 15-0
Primarly coached by Brady, Ensminger and Aranda. O did very very well to stay out of the way while prancing up and down the sidelines clapping his hands.

The best HC's were Saban at 1A and Arnsparger at 1B.

Nobody else close, but DiNardo was pretty good with his original staff that included Carl Reese (DC/DL) and Ron Case. (DB) After they both left it all went downhill with the arrival of Lou "Complete Drop Linebacking" Tepper and the defensive disaster that he brought in here.
Posted by jasonbr1975
Lafayette, LA
Member since Sep 2024
1643 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 7:46 pm to
Do we have to do this again?
Posted by lsufanva
sandston virginia
Member since Aug 2009
13520 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 8:17 pm to
quote:

Les Miles is the best football coach in LSU history thus far.


Based on service at LSU, easily. Not even debatable.
Posted by Tiger1988
Houston
Member since May 2016
30057 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 8:22 pm to
Based on coaching ability
Dietzel
Arnsbarger
Saban
McClendon
Kelly
Miles
DiNardo
Stoval
Orgeron
Archer
Hallman

Rein doesn’t count for me.
Posted by Spankum
Miss-sippi
Member since Jan 2007
61391 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 8:50 pm to
quote:

Saban
Miles
O
Dinardo
Kelly
Arnsbarger
Archer



Curly



Mine exactly, too…
Posted by semjase
New Smyrna Beach FL
Member since May 2014
15218 posts
Posted on 2/25/26 at 8:57 pm to
Saban
Arnsparger



Dinardo (With Reese and Case minus Tepper)
McClendon
Kelly
Miles
Stovall

Archer

Hallman (Not to he confused with McHallman)
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