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Chip Kelly’s All-Time Ranking Among San Francisco 49ers Head Coaches

By Bryan Knowles

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly (left) and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) address the media in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly (left) and San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke (right) address the media in a press conference after naming Kelly as the new head coach for the 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh addresses the media in a press conference after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh addresses the media in a press conference after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Cardinals 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Cracking Mount Rushmore

Jim Harbaugh (2011-2014)

The fourth face on the 49ers’ Mount Rushmore of coaches has to go to Jim Harbaugh. He’s the only other man to take the franchise to a championship game, losing in Super Bowl XLVII. In fact, his run from 2011-2013, taking the 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship games, is one of the most successful runs by any 49ers head coach; the only run that tops it is Seifert’s 1992-1994 run which saw the 49ers win Super Bowl XXIX and battle the Cowboys in a couple championships.  Harbaugh’s 44-19-1 record as a head coach is second behind only Seifert in terms of winning percentage; he’s the greatest coach the 49ers have had since their glory days.

To catch him, Kelly needs to surpass him, and take that final step Harbaugh could never do—winning the Super Bowl. I would argue, however, that it’s not enough for Kelly just to win a ring; he’d have to do it with a significant level of authority to pass in one year what Harbaugh did in four. It couldn’t be a situation like the New York Giants have specialized in; cracking the playoffs at 9-7 as a wild card and then going on a roll. It would have to be a year where the 49ers, from wire to wire, were acknowledged as one of the top teams in the league—a 13-3, 14-2 sort of season—and then backed up by bringing home the Lombardi trophy. That would get Kelly into the top four in one season; anything else and he’d still have some ground to cover, compared to Harbaugh’s franchise-building success.

Next: Mooch!