# Head Coach in professional sports who never was an active athlete himself? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 27, 2012, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112 "2012-04-27T10:48:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/42 "2012-04-30T20:02:45Z")
What about if we limit the question to _championship_ coaches who never played? Dick Motta of the NBA’s Washington Bullets comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/43 "2012-04-30T21:13:11Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Charlie Weis was the head coach of Notre Dame and now Kansas. He never played college ball - I’m not sure about high school. He was the first person I thought of as well. Weis head coached at both the NCAA and NFL level, but played in neither league. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/44 "2012-04-30T23:43:37Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Since it’s demonstrable that there is no correlation between athletic prowess and the ability to coach I would very much like to see that demonstrated. ---
**Author:** ![Kitten\_Mitten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@Kitten\_Mitten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kitten_Mitten)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/45 "2012-05-06T21:01:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I would very much like to see that demonstrated. As an example, I give you Isiah Thomas. Very high athletic prowess and dismal results as a coach in both the NBA & NCAA. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/46 "2012-05-06T21:29:12Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > There are NFL coaches who never played pro football; Weeb Eubank and Bill Parcells even won Super Bowls without any pro experience. Both did play a bit in college, though. Bill Belichick didn’t even play college football from what I can tell. Bum Phillips, Mike Shanahan, Buddy Ryan, Rex Ryan and Wade Phillips didn’t play pro football either. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/47 "2012-05-06T22:42:19Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Can you really correct someone’s fundamentals if you’ve never played? Of course you can. You can also train a horse to win the Kentucky Derby if you’re not a horse. > [@](#): > > I would very much like to see that demonstrated. Sparky Anderson, Walt Alston, Tom Lasorda, Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, and Dick Williams were extremely successful managers who were mediocre players. Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Moredecai Brown, Mel Ott, and Bill Terry were mediocre at managing. The skills required to manage have nothing to do with the skills needed to play baseball at a high level. Some people can do it, but there’s no reason why a top player has them, and many reasons why they don’t need to develop them. It works the same for other sports. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112/48 "2012-05-06T23:50:38Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Bill Belichick didn’t even play college football from what I can tell. Center for Wesleyan College, Middletown, CT. He was much better at lacrosse, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-coach-in-professional-sports-who-never-was-an-active-athlete-himself/620112.md?page=2)