And This Man Is At The Top

First-Class Section of Coaches

It seems as if they have been there along the sidelines on Saturday afternoons all their lives—Ara, Bear, Woody and the other members of college football's coaching aristocracy. The eight who are shown on the following pages have been at it a total of 147 years, have won 1,076 games and at least a share of every national title for the last 10 years. Now, as another season begins, they are back once again, pacing, cheering, agonizing, ready to collect more victories. And chances are, when it is over, one of them will have the game's biggest prize, the No. I team.

Ara Parseghian's seven-year record at Notre Dame is 58 wins, 10 losses—and improving all the time.

Darrell Royal had a third national title lassoed until his Texas Longhorns got hooked in the Cotton Bowl.

To the glittering football heritage at USC, John McKay has contributed two national championships.

At age 58, could Woody Hayes be grasping at straws? No chance. Since 1968 Ohio State has been 27-2.

In his legendary 26-year career, half of it spent at Alabama, Bear Bryant has won 199 games.

Sure, Frank Broyles looks smug. In his 14 seasons at Arkansas, no one has eaten high off the Hog.

Shug Jordan, 60, is all Auburn: class of '32, an assistant for 12 years and head coach since 1951.

When Bob Devaney of Nebraska (left) tells the true story of Bob Devaney's climb to the top of the coaching profession, all the lightning strokes of genius are left out. The gaffes, however, glow like zircons in the chronology of his account. It is Devaney's style to remind you that in the first game he played for little Alma ( Mich.) College in 1936 he had three teeth knocked out, cleanly, and that he never intended to become a coach at all. He was an economics major. Some economics majors learn more than others. He left Alma owing the school $350 and had had to wait tables, pump gas and sweep the gym floor to finish that close to even.