Joe Paterno coached Penn State for 46 seasons and won 409 games, both records for a major college coach, and the program had two head coaches in the 62 years from 1950 to 2011. It has had five since, counting two interims, and Matt Campbell begins in 2026 after James Franklin was dismissed six games into his twelfth season.
The Modern Era
| Coach | Seasons | Record | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Campbell | 2026 to present | First season | None yet |
| Terry Smith | 2025 | 4, 3 | Interim, won the Pinstripe Bowl |
| James Franklin | 2014 to 2025 | 104, 45 | Big Ten 2016; 2024 playoff semifinal |
| Bill O’Brien | 2012 to 2013 | 15, 9 | None, under sanctions |
| Tom Bradley | 2011 | 1, 3 | Interim |
| Joe Paterno | 1966 to 2011 | 409, 136, 3 | National 1982, 1986; Big Ten 1994, 2005, 2008 |
| Rip Engle | 1950 to 1965 | 104, 48, 4 | None |
| Joe Bedenk | 1949 | 5, 4 | None |
| Bob Higgins | 1930 to 1948 | 91, 57, 11 | None |
| Hugo Bezdek | 1918 to 1929 | 65, 30, 11 | None |
The Early Coaches
| Coach | Seasons | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Dick Harlow | 1915 to 1917 | 20, 8 |
| Bill Hollenback | 1909, 1911 to 1914 | 28, 9, 4 |
| Jack Hollenback | 1910 | 5, 2, 1 |
| Tom Fennell | 1904 to 1908 | 33, 17, 1 |
| Dan Reed | 1903 | 5, 3 |
| Pop Golden | 1900 to 1902 | 16, 12, 1 |
| Sam Boyle | 1899 | 4, 6 |
| Samuel Newton | 1896 to 1898 | 12, 11, 1 |
| George Hoskins | 1892 to 1895 | 17, 4, 4 |
Penn State played without a head coach from 1887 to 1891. George Hoskins’s .760 is the best winning percentage in program history; Paterno’s .749 is second among coaches with more than a handful of seasons.
Joe Paterno, 1966 to 2011
Paterno’s 409 wins are the most by any coach in major college football, and his 46 seasons the longest tenure. He won national championships in 1982 and 1986, went unbeaten four other times without winning the title, took Penn State into the Big Ten in 1993 and won the conference three times. His 37 bowl appearances and 24 bowl wins are both records. Our bowl history page covers those.
He was dismissed in November 2011, days after the Jerry Sandusky indictment, and died in January 2012 at 85. The NCAA vacated 111 of his wins in 2012 and restored them in 2015, which is why some sources briefly listed his total as 298.
Rip Engle, 1950 to 1965
Engle won 104 games in sixteen seasons and never had a losing year, and his quarterback and later assistant was Paterno, whom he brought with him from Brown. He built the program that Paterno inherited: three bowl wins in the early 1960s and a national ranking most seasons.
James Franklin, 2014 to 2025
Franklin won 104 games, the same number as Engle, and his 2024 team reached the playoff semifinals with three postseason wins before losing to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The 2025 team was ranked second in the preseason, lost to Oregon in overtime and then to UCLA and Northwestern, and Franklin was fired on October 12 at 3 and 3. He is now at Virginia Tech. His record in one score games and against top ten opponents was the reason the decision came as it did, despite the win total.
Terry Smith and the 2025 Finish
Terry Smith, the associate head coach, went 4 and 3 as interim and beat Clemson 22 to 10 in the Pinstripe Bowl to finish the season 7 and 6. He is not listed among the program’s head coaches on the plaques outside Beaver Stadium, nor is Tom Bradley, who went 1 and 3 in 2011 after Paterno’s dismissal.
Matt Campbell
Campbell was hired from Iowa State in November 2025, having taken the Cyclones to their first Big 12 championship game and a 10 win season. His coordinators are Taylor Mouser on offence and D’Anton Lynn on defence. Penn State opens the 2026 season at home against Marshall on September 5 ranked 18th, with USC on October 10 the likely White Out. Our 2026 schedule page has the full slate.
The Bottom Line
Penn State has had 19 head coaches counting interims, and Joe Paterno’s 409 wins across 46 seasons are both records for the sport. Rip Engle and James Franklin are tied for second with 104 each. Matt Campbell is the fourth permanent coach since 2011 and begins in September 2026. Our most wins by a coach page has where Paterno ranks.