Following in the footsteps of a coaching legend is never easy. Just ask Mike Brown.
In light of Alex Ferguson’s announcement that he will be retiring as the manager of Manchester United following the Premiership season, here’s a look at how new coaches have fared replacing a legend.
Phil Jackson — Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers
Hired as an assistant under Doug Collins, Jackson was brought on as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1989 and went on to win six NBA Championships in his nine-year tenure with the team.
Tim Floyd took over after Jackson and inherited a Bulls team that had just lost Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Needless to say, Floyd and the Bulls struggled in his time as coach, posting a 49-190 record with no playoff appearances from 1998-2001.
One year after vowing to never return to coaching, Jackson took over as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson continued his winning ways, leading the Lakers to three NBA titles between 1999 and 2004.
Rudy Tomjanovich took over after Jackson left after a dispute with the team following the 2004 season, but resigned midway through the season due to health issues after just 43 games.
Jackson was re-hired in June of 2005, leading the Lakers to two more NBA championships before retiring after the 2011 season. Mike Brown has hired as Jackson’s replacement, coaching L.A. to a 42-29 record before being fired five games into the 2012-13 season.
Bill Walsh — San Francisco 49ers
Walsh left the 49ers in 1988 as the most successful coach in franchise history, leading the team to three Super Bowls wins from 1979 to 1988, a 92-59-1 regular season record and a 10-4 record in the playoffs.
Walsh was followed by George Seifert, who is one of the rare coaches to have success in the footsteps of a legend.
Seifert won two Super Bowls during his tenure, leading the Niners to a 98-30 regular season record and 10-5 in the playoffs. Thank goodness for Steve Young.
Scotty Bowman — Montreal Canadiens
As head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Bowman won five Stanley Cups between 1973-79, leading the Habs to a 419-110-105 regular season mark and an outstanding 70-28 post-season record.
Canadiens legend ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion replaced Bowman, who had a falling out with ownership in 1979, and coached the Habs to 15-9-6 record but was forced to step down midseason due to stomach issues.
Claude Ruel took over from 1979-81 and had reasonable regular season success, but recorded just a 6-7 record in the playoffs.
Joe Torre — New York Yankees
From 1996-2007, Torre led the Yankees to 12 playoff appearances and 76 playoff wins (both good for most in the storied franchise’s history), six American League championships and four World Series titles.
After Torre’s departure from New York following the 2007 season, former Marlins manager Joe Girardi took the reins in 2008. The ex-catcher has led the team to playoff appearances in each of his four seasons as manager, including a World Series title in 2009.
Matt Busby — Manchester United
Busby managed the Red Devils from 1945-1969 (excluding a short absence from February-June 1958 after the Munich air disaster in which eight players, three club officials were killed and Busby was severely injured), leading the team to an incredible 565-263-292 record, five First Division titles, two FA Cups, five Charity Shields and one European Cup in 1968.
Jimmy Murphy took over as manager for the club following the Munich air disaster, leading the devastated club to a 5-7-10 record before Busby miraculously recovered to take over his duties and return the club to its former glory.
Wilf McGuiness took over after Busby retired, taking the Red Devils to an average 32-32-23 record from June 1968 to December 1970.
John Wooden — UCLA Bruins
The legendary UCLA basketball coach led the Bruins to an astounding 10 NCAA Division I titles between 1945 and 1975, racking up 620 wins and a .808 win percentage.
Following Wooden’s retirement in 1975, Gene Bartow took over duties at UCLA, coaching the team to a 52-9 record from 1975-77, followed by Gary Cunningham, who led the Bruins to a 50-8 record from 1977-79.
While Wooden’s successors had impressive records, the Bruins have only won a single NCAA title since his retirement, in 1995 under the guidance of Jim Harrick.
Joe Paterno — Penn State Nittany Lions
From 1966-2011, Paterno coached the Penn State Nittany Lions to two National championships and 409 total wins, 111 which were vacated following the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal that rocked the college football world and led to Paterno’s resignation.
Bill O’Brien was tasked with reviving the depleted program for the 2012-13 season, which lost multiple star players and scholarships as punishment for the scandal. O’Brien and Penn State were one of the feel-good stories of the 2012 college football season, amassing an impressive 8-4 record.
