There have been a plethora of coaches/managers in Detroit sports history but only a certain few are in the ranks that these men are. These guys were the brains behind legendary championship teams. These were the leaders of our beloved teams who will never be forgotten by the fans of the great city of Detroit.
These are the top 5 coaches in Detroit sports history.
#5-Buddy Parker – Detroit Lions
This man might as well be considered the most successful coach the Detroit Lions have ever had. In the 72 games Buddy Parker coached, he won two NFL Championships and won a total of 47 games in his short six seasons as the coach. He did more than any current or former Lions coach has ever done.
#4- Jack Adams – Detroit Red Wings
Jack Adams was the man who started it all in Detroit. Adams began coaching in 1927 when the team was named the Detroit Cougars. The team would change names to the Detroit Falcons, and ultimately to the Detroit Red Wings. In 20 seasons as a coach in Detroit, Adams won three of the franchise’s first Stanley Cups and totaled 964 wins. The award for the most outstanding coach each year in the NHL is named after him. It was hard not to put him on this list of great coaches in Detroit sports history.
#3- Chuck Daly – Detroit Pistons
The man behind the Detroit Pistons for nine seasons, Chuck Daly was one of those coaches that were hard to describe because of how he captivated the franchise. Daly not only won back-to-back titles with the “Bad Boy” Pistons, but he also won 467 games as head coach. The Hall of Famer, however, is no longer with us. Daly sadly died in 2009 after a battle with cancer. Daly will never be forgotten, not only because of what he did for the Pistons but also for Detroit.
#2- Scotty Bowman – Detroit Red Wings
Quite possibly the greatest coach the NHL has ever witnessed, Scotty Bowman spent nine seasons in Detroit, more than anywhere in his 30 years of coaching. In Bowman’s nine seasons, he was behind three Stanley Cup championships, and Bowman had 410 of his 1244 career wins in Detroit. Bowman was the man who brought the Cup home in 1997; the first time since 1955. This hall of fame coach was the man who set the tone for what the Red Wings are today; he basically resurrected the Red Wings, and there is a lot to back that up.
#1- Sparky Anderson – Detroit Tigers
He was what Detroit represents- hard-working, relentless, but most importantly he had a love for this city. Yes, he won one championship, but that’s not what this list is about. This list is about the coach who loved this city the most. Not to say the other four men didn’t love this city, but Sparky Anderson just loved it more. He was the leader of the legendary 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers team, but he also won over 1300 games in 17 seasons as the skipper. He was a man who was always humble and always working his tail off for this city. He was simply the greatest, and sure as heck will never be forgotten.
