Top 10 Players Turned Coaches

Even after retirement these guys couldn’t stay away from their sports. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 athletes turned sporting coaches.

For this list, we’re looking to those coaches who started their sporting careers playing the game they came to manage. Those athleteswho proved successful on both sides of the bench in terms of games and trophies won will rank higher. But that means we’re excluding those who had great playing careers, but who failed to recapture the magic as a coach.

A basketball player whose skills are matched by few others, this longtime Boston Celtic center was smart enough when it came to his chosen sport to take on coaching responsibilities for him team towards the end of his playing career. And he was hardly a stopgap coach either: during his three-year spell as player-coach, he won two more NBA Championships to take his overall tally to eleven. After leaving the Celtics, his coaching career never really took off, but he will be forever remembered for his contribution to one of the great basketball dynasties and for becoming the first African-American head coach in NBA history.

The Spaniard grew up learning the ethos and playing style of FC Barcelona, so his transition from player to manager was seamless. As a manager, he was successful in his first season, with Barcelona winning a treble that consisted of a La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. Pep effortlessly turned the club into the biggest force in the world game: his teams usually play attacking football that allows players the freedom to express themselves because he always has a solid defensive midfield anchor. Guardiola’s move from Bayern Munich to Manchester City received a lot of hype, and it’s no wonder with the success he’s brought all his teams.

Beginning his playing career in 1971, King Kenny went on to play for Liverpool during one of the club’s most successful eras. It was during that time that he started his managerial career as well, becoming player-manager in 1985. Dropping the grittier style of play for a tighter pass-and-move game, he helped the Reds take home three more First Division titles and two FA Cups before he moved on in 1991. However, arguably his greatest managerial success was taking Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title. The club had nowhere near the same profile as other huge English teams and yet he still managed to take his group of mainly homegrown players to the top of English football.

There’s barely a role in baseball that this legend hasn’t taken on. Beginning in 1960 with the Milwaukee Braves, where he played catcher, first and third base, Torre then moved around to different teams like the Mets, where he served as player-manager for a total of 18 days before retiring to focus on his coaching duties. He drifted around to a couple of other clubs and had a short spell in commentary before he used his unparalleled ability to communicate with players to guide the Yankees to considerable success at the end of the 20th century. Torre’s Yankees won four World Series titles during his 11-year tenure, and cemented his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Affectionately known as “Iron Mike,” Ditka is a straight shooter who’s one of only two men to have won the Super Bowl as a player, assistant coach and coach. Known to inspire his troops with his fiery attitude, Ditka’s is a legendary name in Chicago Bears lore, as his championship wins as a player and head coach were won for that franchise. Under this former tight end’s leadership, the Bears were a major force throughout the 1980s as Ditka himself picked up both the AP and UPI coach of the year awards in 1985 and 1988. He took on coaching duties with New Orleans for a in the late ‘90s, but he never recaptured the magic of the ‘80s.

A brief glance at career of this longtime Montreal Canadien may suggest that his on-ice days were far more successful than his management: he has eight Stanley Cups as a player and just one as a coach. But coaching success is about more than just winning trophies. Besides being regarded as one of the best tactical coaches ever, he has also created a reputation for bringing up young talent and nurturing them to the top ranks of the NHL. Guiding the New Jersey Devils for five years and becoming the first head coach of the Minnesota Wild, Lemaire proved that his love of the neutral zone trap and his somewhat unconventional style were effective.

Having learned to play on Brooklyn playgrounds, this New Yorker was as successful on the court as he was on the sidelines. A three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, once as a player, once as a coach and once as an assistant coach of 1992’s Olympic Dream Team, Wilkens went to 13 All-Star games – nine times as a player and four as a coach. Cool, calm and collected, Wilkens’ style contrasted with more flamboyant coaches and earned players’ respect wherever he went – and that not only won him an Olympic Gold medal in 1996 for his head coach role with the men’s basketball team; it also made him one of the winningest coaches in NBA history.

A stalwart of the Montreal Canadiens for over three decades, Toe Blake was involved in 10 of the storied franchise’s 24 Stanley Cup victories. Two of these came when the left-winger was the team’s captain during the later stages of his distinguished and award-winning playing career. But his other eight wins as the tough-but-fair Habs coach are considered even more historic. These successes formed the foundation of two of the NHL’s most recognized dynasties, one of which included five Stanley Cup wins in a row from 1956-60. Sure, the Richard brothers were instrumental in these successes; but Toe Blake’s guiding hand was just as crucial.

A natural leader on the field who translated that skill to a successful management career after retiring, Der Kaiser is universally regarded as one of the best football players in history. One of only two people to have won the FIFA World Cup as a player and manager, Beckenbauer demonstrated versatility and creativity on the pitch, so he was a natural fit to manage once he hung up his cleats. His six-year spell as an international manager of the West German team was his longest coaching stint, and it was followed by brief jobs at both Marseille and Bayern Munich. Naturally, he helped secure the league title for both clubs during his short stay.

Before we reveal our top pick, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions:
- Tom Flores
- Gary Kirsten
- Joel Quenneville
- Ole Gunnar Solskjær
- Joe Girardi

Considered one of the greatest basketball coaches ever, Phil Jackson had already won two NBA Championships in his 13 years as a player before he swapped his jersey for a suit. As a coach, Jackson was a devotee of the Triangle Offense, and used that to help build two of the sport’s most dominant dynasties, presiding over six championships for the Chicago Bulls and five for the LA Lakers. Dealing with dominant personalities on the court, Jackson never posted a losing season in all his years as a coach. Despite employing an unconventionally ‘spiritual’ approach to his management, “the Zen Master” still has the highest winning percentage of any coach to in the Hall of Fame.

Do you agree with our list? Which athletes-turned-coaches impressed you? For more sporting top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.