5. Bud Grant
Regular-season record: 158-96-5
Postseason record: 10-12
Minnesota Vikings, 1967-1985
Selected in the 1950 NFL and NBA drafts after his time at the University of Minnesota, Grant played a while for both the Minneapolis Lakers and Philadelphia Eagles before heading to the Canadian Football league as a player and coach. The Vikings, who had asked Grant to become their first head coach in 1961, tried again in 1967, and the offer worked this time. Grant brought a sense of order and a bunch of great defense to the Vikings — much needed after six years under the rambunctious, profane Norm Van Brocklin — but what he couldn’t do was to bring a Super Bowl to his franchise. The 1969 team was thought to be a shoo-in over Hank Stram’s Chiefs in Super Bowl IV, but Stram outdid Grant with all kinds of offensive and defensive formations, while Grant was more content to let his players do the playing. In the 1970s, Grant’s Vikings lost three more Super Bowls to the 1973 Dolphins, the 1974 Steelers, and the 1976 Raiders — three of the most imposing teams of the era. As could be said of Marv Levy, it does take a special coach to lead your team to four Super Bowls, no matter the result.