Top 10 active high school football winningest coaches

1. John McKissick (Summerville HS, S.C.) – 586 wins, 138 losses, 13 ties (10-3 last season)
Starting his 60th year – all at Summerville - the 84-year-old McKissick is the undisputed king of coaching high school football. He's won 10 South Carolina state titles and was elected to the National High School Hall of Fame – get this – 21 years ago. He's coached all three of his grandsons. When he starts this season, he'll be the longest-tenured coach in the history of the sport, surpassing Amos Alonzo Stagg, who coached various levels for 59. When McKissick started in 1952 as a 25-year-old, he made $2,400 a year. Summerville would likely have to get to the state title game for McKissick to have a chance to win No. 600. No one other than McKissick has even reached 500, though John T. Curtis will likely get there with just eight to go.

2011: The Green Wave returns third-year quarterback Dalton Saunders and a trio of Division I prospects, running back Nigel Frierson, center Jarrid Govia and receiver Markese Tucker. In classic coach speak, McKissick told the High School Sports Report: "We might go 0-11 this season but I hope not. We are real green in spots but we do have several returning players to build around."

2. John T. Curtis (Curtis HS, River Ridge, La.) – 492-54-6 (12-2)
The only coach in America who coaches at a school named after him, the 2010 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee has won 23 state titles which places the Patriots for ninth nationally, 12 behind the 36 by No. 1 Washington (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Curtis, 64, not only built the school but his program from the ground up. The Patriots went 0-10 his first season in 1969 and scored just two touchdowns. "I really had some soul searching to do at that point," he said. "I had to ask myself, ‘Was I doing the right thing?'"

2011: The Patriots return 12 starters including LSU-bound tight end Dillon Gordon and Mississippi State commit Torrey Bell at linebacker. As long as the Pats get by their first seven opponents, No. 500 for Curtis could come against Clark (New Orleans, La.) on Oct. 28.



3. Larry Campbell (Lincoln County HS, Lincolnton, Ga.) 447-78-3 (10-3)
The first Georgia coach to reach 400 wins, Campbell turned a .500 program (237-232-43 before he got there) into the state's most successful. In 39 seasons – he started in 1972 – he's led the Red Devils to 11 state titles, the last coming in 2006. The team has set more than 20 state records with him as coach. This will be his 40th season at the small school of 400 students. He told MaxPreps in 2009, "I feel pressure, yes. Anything less than a state championship is considered a disappointment. People here don't believe in rebuilding. To be successful, you have to get to the big one year after year. … Lincoln County loves its football. The community tries to give us everything we need to be successful within reason. I think it is unique that one person and most of the staff have been here that long. There was Lincoln County football before Larry Campbell and there will be when I'm gone. The football program is about the community, the players and the assistant coaches. I am a small part of what has happened here."

2011: The Red Devils return two key playmakers, leading rusher from 2010 Craig Jones and leading receiver Mason Saggus. They hope to not only win their first state crown in five years, but knock off Savannah Christian along the way. Savannah Christian has eliminated Lincoln County the last two seasons.

4. G.A. Moore Aubrey HS (Texas), 422-86-9 (4-6)
The winningest coach in Texas history, Moore has had eight different coaching stints, including two runs at Celina and three at Pilot Point. Moore had his greatest run during a 14-year span at Celina starting in 1988 where he won five state championships. He won four of those titles in consecutive seasons and went 163-22 during that time at Celina. Moore moved on to Aubrey in 2009.

2011: The Chaparrals have been chosen to finish third in District 9-3A by Dave Campbell's Texas Football after finishing 4-6 last year. Moore returns RB Albert Silva, who rushed for 550 yards last season, and LB Matt Anson, who racked up 115 tackles last year.

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5. Mike Smith (Hampton HS, Va.) 417-66 (11-2)
A 1992 Virginia High School Hall of Fame member, Smith has numerous awards, the most coveted perhaps when he was voted the National Coach of the Year in 1995 by the National High School Coaches Association. Hampton was ranked No. 1 in the country in both 1995 and 1996 by several sources.

2011: Hampton returns a whopping 36 players from last year's team that was eliminated by eventual champion Phoebus. Twelve of those returners, however, were sophomores last season and two were freshmen, linebacker/fullback Marshawn Williams and guard Arrington Bazemore.

6. Robert Paroli (Seventy-First HS, Fayetteville, N.C.) 399-203 (12-2)
The winningest coach in North Carolina history also had great success at Douglas Byrd HS. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame in 2004 and last year at Cummings High School, where he coached just four seasons but turned around a program that had won 12 games in six years. In his last two seasons at Cummings, the teams went 10-0 and 9-1.



2011: After losing in the state 4AA quarterfinals last year, the Falcons should contend for another state title. Paroli led them to a state crown in 2008. He'll go after No. 400 in the season opener at home against Scotland.

7. Charles "Corky" Rogers (Bolles HS, Jacksonville, Fla.) 398-70-1 (11-1)
The list of great Florida coaches is plentiful, but none have won more the Rogers, who has won nine state championships, also the most in the state. A member of two Halls of Fame – the Florida High School Athletic and Florida Athletic Coaches Association – Rogers was named 2004-05 National Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. He led Bolles to back-to-back state crowns starting in 2008 – the first time it has accomplished that – but lost last season in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Trinity Catholic.

2011: The Bulldogs return three major lineman recruits in North Carolina-bound Jon Heck (6-7, 280) along with John Theus (6-6, 290) and Max Tejada (6-3, 285). Rogers will likely go after win No. 400 on Sept. 16 versus Crestview. The Bulldogs must first get past Bayside (Palm Bay, Fla.).

8. Al Fracassa (Brother Rice HS, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) 395-111-7 (6-4)
Called the Joe Paterno of Michigan high school football, Fracassa has been inducted into seven halls of fame. His teams have won eight state and 12 Catholic League titles and in 1997 he was voted the NFL High School Coach of the Year. He starts his 42nd season as head coach at Brother Rice and 55th overall. The 78-year-old said practice is his favorite time. "I love it more than the games," he told the Detroit News. "I love the interviews with each of the players, individually."

2011: The Warriors return a trio of Division I prospects in Central Michigan commit and guard Dylan Anderson (6-4, 275), senior tight end Joe Warner (6-4, 230) and senior running back Devin Church (5-8, 175). Look for Fracassa's 400th win to come either Week 5 against University of Detroit or Week 6 against St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.). Asked last season about getting to win No. 400 and Fracassa said: "I try not to think about it. It only tells you how old I am."

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9. Dick Tighe (St. Edmond HS, Fort Dodge, Iowa) 382-150-8 (5-4)
The 80-year-old is Iowa's career win leader and starts his 58th season on the sideline. He had great success at Webster City where he went 220-72-1 but gained even greater fame taking over a struggling St. Edmond program and led it to an 11-1 record and state quarterfinals in 2005. He told the Daily Freeman-Journal: "I'm doing it now for the fun of it and because I still enjoy being around the younger people. I'm independent now. My kids are all grown up and I'm retired (from teaching), so if things don't go well and they get tired of me, well, it's not the end of the world."

2011: St. Edmond returns 12 starters including its quarterback and top running back, lineman and defender. Top players include running back Neil Flattery, tight end Patrick Champa and tackle Ryan Rodenborn.

10. John Herrington (Harrison HS, Farmington Hills, Mich.) 376-87-1 (14-0)
A lifer, Herrington is getting better with age after leading the Hawks to a state-record 13th state title. A member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, Herrington is the only coach Harrison has ever had. He's coached there 41 seasons. He was named one of the Detroit News' 2011 Michiganians of the Year. "It keeps me young," he told reporters about coaching in six decades. "I truly enjoy it."

2011: With 15 starters back, the Hawks have a good shot at repeating as state champions. Among them are a pair of University of Michigan recruits, defensive end Marion Ojemudia and tight end Devin Funchess, along with fleet cornerback Aaron Burbridge. Harrison is ranked No. 16 in the preseason Xcellent 25.