More to Game Than Winning: Foster Topped by Ryan But Still Atop Another List
Harold "Bud" Foster relinquished his spot as Wisconsin's all-time winningest coach last season when Bo Ryan supplanted him. But Foster (265-267 in 25 seasons from 1935-59) still has the longest tenure of any coach with a losing record for an NCAA Division I school. Runner-up in that dubious category is Rick Samuels, who posted a losing mark in 24 major-college campaigns after his initial season with Eastern Illinois was at the DII level.
Fran O'Hanlon (238-261 in 17 seasons with Lafayette) has the longest tenure of any active all-time winningest coach with an overall losing record. Following is a list of retired coaches with stints longer than O'Hanlon for a school at the major-college level yet finishing with a losing mark for that institution:
| Coach | School (Years) | Tenure | Record | Pct. | Best Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harold "Bud" Foster | Wisconsin (25) | 1935-59 | 265-267 | .498 | 20-3; 1941 |
| Rick Samuels | Eastern Illinois (25) | 1981-2005 | 360-360 | .500 | 21-10; 2001 |
| John Carpenter | Rider (23) | 1967-89 | 292-328 | .471 | 20-6; 1971 |
| Lafayette Stribling | Mississippi Valley (22) | 1984-2005 | 315-318 | .498 | 22-7; 1996 & 2004 |
| Bill Chandler | Marquette (21) | 1931-51 | 193-198 | .494 | 14-3; 1933 |
| *Lyles Alley | Furman (20) | 1946-66 | 249-257 | .492 | 16-3; 1946 |
| Gerry Friel | New Hampshire (20) | 1970-89 | 200-335 | .374 | 16-9; 1974 |
| Paul Lizzo | Long Island (20) | 1976-95 | 254-308 | .451 | 20-9; 1983 |
| Byron "Buster" Brannon | Texas Christian (19) | 1949-67 | 206-258 | .444 | 24-4; 1952 |
| Tom Brennan | Vermont (19) | 1987-2005 | 264-276 | .489 | 25-7; 2005 |
| Joe Vancisin | Yale (19) | 1957-75 | 207-241 | .462 | 18-6; 1962 |
| Dave Magarity | Marist (18) | 1987-2004 | 253-259 | .494 | 22-7; 1996 |
| John "Jack" Rohan | Columbia (18) | 1962-74 & 1991-95 | 197-248 | .443 | 20-4; 1969 |
*Alley did not coach Furman in the 1949-50 season when he took a sabbatical to work on his master's degree at
Columbia.
NOTE: Samuels' first season with EIU (16-11 in 1980-81) was at the DII level.