The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday the 12 coaches who advanced to the next round of voting for election into the hall’s Class of 2026.
Marty Schottenheimer, who was head coach of the Cleveland
Browns from 1984 to 1988, was one of several coaches who made the cut to 12 candidates.
Under Schottenheimer, the Browns won AFC Central Division titles in 1985, 1986, and 1987, and earned a fourth playoff appearance in 1988 as a Wild Card entry. Paired with quarterback Bernie Kosar, the Browns made it to the AFC Championship Game in 1986 and 1987, but came up short both times in close losses to the Denver Broncos.
The Browns were 44-27 under Schottenheimer, the third-best winning percentage (.620) in franchise history for a full-time head coach, and his 44 victories are fourth on the team’s all-time list behind Paul Brown, Blanton Collier, and Sam Rutigliano.
In another one of his brilliant moves as owner, Art Modell got into a spat with Schottenheimer after the 1988 season, and Schottenheimer moved to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he had 101 victories and seven playoff appearances in 10 seasons.
Schottenheimer also coached Washington for one season (2001) before closing out his NFL coaching career with a five-year run with the San Diego Chargers, where he went 14-2 in his final season in charge.
During his coaching career, Schottenheimer’s teams won eight division titles and posted just two losing seasons. His career regular-season record of 200-126-1 ranks eighth all-time in victories, ahead of such notable coaches as Chuck Noll, Bill Parcells, Bud Grant, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Cowher.
Joining Schottenheimer on the list, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Bill Arnsparger: Longtime defensive coordinator in the NFL. Won two Super Bowl titles with the Miami Dolphins and appeared in two other Super Bowls (Miami and San Diego). Also head coach of New York Giants.
- Bill Belichick: NFL coach from 1975-2023 with head coaching jobs with Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and New England Patriots (2000-2023). Career record: 333-178 (including playoffs) with six Super Bowl titles.
- Tom Coughlin: Spent 20 years as an NFL head coach with Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and New York Giants (2004-2015). Posted career record of 182-157 (including playoffs) and led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
- Alex Gibbs: Assistant head coach and/or offensive line coach for 27 seasons with seven different NFL Clubs.
- Mike Holmgren: Head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992-98 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008. Won a Super Bowl ring with Packers and appeared in another as head coach of Seahawks. Career record: 174-122 (including postseason).
- Chuck Knox: NFL Coach of the Year in 1973, 1980 and 1984. He went 193-158-1 during 22 seasons (including playoffs) as head coach of the Rams, Bills and Seahawks.
- Buddy Parker: Head coach of the Chicago Cardinals in 1949, Detroit Lions from 1951-56 and the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1957-1964. Two-time NFL champion who posted a career record, including playoffs, of 107-76-9.
- Dan Reeves: Head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-1992, New York Giants from 1993-96 and Atlanta Falcons from 1997-2003. Career record: 201-174-2 (including postseason).
- George Seifert: Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the San Francisco 49ers. In 11 seasons with the 49ers and Carolina Panthers he posted a career record (including playoffs) of 124-67.
- Mike Shanahan: Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89, Denver Broncos from 1995-2008 and Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Won two Super Bowls with the Broncos while compiling a 178-144 career record (including playoffs).
- Clark Shaughnessy: Head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-49 and assistant coach for the Washington Redskins from 1944-47 and Chicago Bears from 1951-1962. Credited with modernizing the T-formation and other offensive and defensive innovations.
Unfortunately, only one finalist will be part of the Class of 2026, which puts Schottenheimer in direct competition with another former Browns head coach in Bill Belichick, who was in Cleveland from 1991 to 1995. While Belichick had nowhere near the success with the Browns that Schottenheimer did, he should be a lock in the coach category after six Super Bowl wins with the New England Patriots.
The hall’s voting committee will now cut the list to nine candidates as the process moves toward its completion.
