List of Kansas Jayhawks head football coaches
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Kansas in the Big 12 Conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The current coach is Les Miles. The team has had 39 head coaches and two interim head coaches since it started playing organized football in 1890 with the nickname Jayhawks. The team played its first season without a head coach. Kansas joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1907. After several changes, the conference eventually became the Big Eight Conference. The Jayhawks became a charter member of the Big 12 in 1996 when the Big Eight disbanded. Seven coaches have led Kansas to postseason bowl games: George Sauer, Jack Mitchell, Pepper Rodgers, Don Fambrough, Bud Moore, Glen Mason and Mark Mangino. Four coaches have won conference championships with the Jayhawks: A. R. Kennedy, Bill Hargiss, Sauer and Rodgers.
Mason is the all-time leader in games coached, and is tied with Mitchell for most years coached with nine. Kennedy is the all-time leader in total wins with 52. Fielding H. Yost has the highest winning percentage of any Jayhawk coach with a 10–0 record his only year. Of coaches who served more than one season, Wylie G. Woodruff leads with a.833 winning percentage, barely edging out Kennedy's winning percentage of.831. David Beaty is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach the Jayhawks have had. Of the 39 Kansas coaches, Yost is the only one that has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach. Mangino won several coach of the year accolades after the 2007 season, the only Jayhawks coach to do so.
Key
| # | A running total of the number of coaches |
| CCs | Conference championships |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame |
| GC | Games coached |
| OW | Wins |
| OL | Losses |
| OT | Ties |
| O% | Winning percentage |
| CW | Wins |
| CL | Losses |
| CT | Ties |
| C% | Winning percentage |
Coaches
| # | Name | Term | W | L | T | % | Awards and other notes | ||||||||
| 1 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 3 | † | 23 | 15 | 7 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 4 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 5 | † | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 6 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 7 | † | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 8 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fired for having a sexual relationship with a KU freshman girl. He was 24 at the time. | |||
| 10 | 65 | 52 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1 | Forced out by conference rule change requiring coaches to be full-time faculty members. | ||||
| 11 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 12 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 13 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 14 | 24 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 16 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 17 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | Best known for his tenure as men’s basketball coach, member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach | ||||
| 18 | 39 | 16 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 6 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 19 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 20 | 42 | 22 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | ||||
| 21 | 61 | 23 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 5 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 22 | 36 | 9 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 23 | 30 | 11 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 24 | 21 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Accepted Navy job | ||||
| 25 | 60 | 35 | 25 | 0 | 18 | 18 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 26 | 40 | 11 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 27 | 91 | 42 | 44 | 5 | 29 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 28 | 42 | 20 | 22 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Accepted UCLA job | ||||
| 29 | 90 | 37 | 48 | 5 | 20 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | ||||
| 30 | 45 | 17 | 21 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | ||||
| 31 | 34 | 15 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 0 | — | — | 0 | Accepted Pittsburgh job | ||||
| 32 | 22 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | ||||
| 33 | 102 | 47 | 54 | 1 | 25 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Accepted Minnesota job | ||||
| 34 | 53 | 20 | 33 | 0 | 10 | 30 | 0 | — | — | 0 | Fired after eight games of 2001 season. | ||||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — | |||||
| 35 | 98 | 50 | 48 | 0 | 23 | 41 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Resigned following the launch of an investigation of his coaching practices. | ||||
| 36 | 24 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | ||||
| 37 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fired 4 games into the 2014 season | ||||
| 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Interim Head Coach after Charlie Weis was fired | |||||
| 38 | 48 | 6 | 42 | 0 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Fired after the end of the 2018 season | ||||
| 39 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 1 | 8 | 0 | .111 | 0 | 0 | 0 |