For some reason, the only head coaches in the NFL with a past as a head coach in College Football, are all in the NFC, except for one. Chip Kelly, joining the Philadelphia Eagles, is in good company, along with Jim Harbaugh (49ers & Stanford), Tom Coughlin (Giants & Boston College), Greg Schiano (Rutgers & Bucs), Pete Carroll (Seahawks & USC) and Doug Marrone (Syracuse & Bills).
Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh is the only one on this list with two college football head coaching jobs, but he still had some experience in the NFL prior to taking his job with the 49ers, both as a player and a quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2002-2003.
With the San Diego Toreros, Harbaugh won 29 of his 35 games during three seasons, winning two consecutive Pioneer Football League titles. From there he moved to Stanford, coaching the Cardinal during four seasons, beginning with a 4-8 record, improving to 5-7, 8-5 and a bowl game and finished in 2010 with a 12-1 record and winning the Orange Bowl.
Doug Marrone – Just like Kelly, Marrone is going to be a head coach in the NFL for the first time straight off his college job. Marrone has worked with the Titans, Jets and Saints in the past in previous positions.
Like Kelly, he has four years of head coaching experience in college football, being the HC at Syracuse from 2009-2012, leading the school to a 25-25 record during his time there, including 8-5 on his final season, tied for first in the conference with a 5-2 record and winning the Pinstripe Bowl.
Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll was an NFL head coach before coming to College and USC. He worked with the Jets and then with the Patriots in the late 90’s, making the postseason twice. In 2000 he took the USC job, helping turn the program back into a national powerhouse, although some of the wins and titles have been revoked. Still, in his nine seasons with the Trojans, Carroll amassed a very impressive 97-19 record with six conference titles and two national titles, before the NCAA intervened.
Greg Schiano – Schiano just completed his first season as a head coach in the NFL, going 7-9 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Previously, he coached 10 seasons at Rutgers, compiling a 68-67 record but the last seven seasons with the team were the more impressive ones: a 56-33 record and a 5-1 bowl record. Before the Scarlet Knights, Schiano was a defensive assistant and defensive backs coach with the Chicago Bears.
Tom Coughlin – Coughlin has been in the NFL since 1995, head coach of the New York Giants for the last nine seasons, winning two Super Bowls, and previously worked as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars between 1995-2002, making the playoffs four times, including two AFC title games. In college, Coughlin worked as the head coach of Boston College for 3 seasons in the 1990’s, winning one bowl game and leaving with a 21-13-1 record. Going evne further back in time, Coughlin was the head coach of the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers in the Empire 8 conference.