The Top Five College Basketball Coaches of All-Time

From James Naismith to Dean Smith and John Chaney, legendary college basketball coaches have been leaving their respective marks on the game - and young men - for over 100 hundred years now.

College basketball lovers everywhere will love this Associated Content original article which is dedicated to selecting the top five collegiate head coaches of all-time.

With the 2009-10 NCAA college basketball season moving right along, let's get started with this look at the top five college hoops coaches of all-time.

5. Bob Knight
Jerk. Jackass. Idiot. Cruel. Abusive.

Okay, you get the point right?

There is only one college coach in history that has been called all of the aforementioned names - by friends as well as foes.

Still, Bobby Knight is undoubtedly one of the best collegiate coaches of all-time (and I'll admit, I do love rebellious people).

Knight led Army to six consecutive winning seasons before taking over at the University of Indiana for the 1971-72 season where he promptly led them to an NIT appearance in his first season and an NCAA Final Four appearance in his second season.

Knight led the Hoosiers to three NCAA titles (1976, 1981, 1987), winning his first in 1976 by guiding Indiana to a 32-0 record that stands as the last time any college team went undefeated for an entire season and won the national title.

Say what you want about Knight (it's probably been said before) but I say he's one of the top five college coaches of all-time and won more championships with less talent than a multitude of other collegiate coaches at even more prestigious basketball factories.

4. Mike Krzyzewski
Love the Dookies or hate 'em, Mike Krzyzewski is undeniably one of the best college coaches to ever hold a clipboard.

'Coach K' compiled a 73-59 record in five seasons at Army before moving on to Duke in 1980 where he turned the program around inside three years and has gone an impressive 771-219 while leading the school to three national championships (1991, 1992, 2001).

Krzyzewski is the all-time active leader in career victories and sixth all-time and has won three James Naismith College Coach of the Year awards (1989, 19992, 1999) while leading the U.S. to the 2008 Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics.

3. John Chaney
Career wins and losses may be the means by which coaches are generally measured, but I can assure you that, no matter what the numbers say, John Chaney is undeniably one of the finest collegiate basketball coaches to ever take up the trade.

The former Cheney University and longtime Temple head coach not only was a master at his craft, but a man whom I believe made more of a difference in his players lives than any collegiate coach ever.

The gravelly-voiced, no-nonsense head coach led Cheyney State to the NCAA Division II National title in 1977-78, recording a jaw-dropping 225-59 record in 10 seasons at the school before moving on to Temple where he led the Owls to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and five Elite Eight showings.

Last but not least, let me just say that any man that wants to punch John Calipari's lights out, is definitely a hero by any standards.

2. Dean Smith
Smith, the head coach at North Carolina from 1961 to 1997, is undoubtedly one of greatest college basketball coaches of all-time in my estimation.

The legendary Tar Heels leader recorded a fantastic 879-254 (.776) record in 36 seasons, second-most of all-time while leading Carolina to national titles in 1982 and 1993.

If there is one knock against Smith (and I agree) it's the fact that, despite having some of the best players in the country every season, Smith only managed to win two national championships in nearly 40 seasons.

Despite his numerous failures at winning national titles, those who know the game, know there will never be another college basketball coach quite like Dean Smith.

1. John Wooden
There is absolutely no doubt that John Wooden is the greatest college basketball coach of all-time.

The legendary leader of the UCLA Bruins led the school to an unprecedented feat which will never be duplicated by leading the Bruins to 10 (that's right, 10) NCAA championships from 1964-1975, including seven in a row from 1967 to 1973.

In 27 seasons with the Bruins, Wooden went 620-147 and also hold the distinction of being the first man ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (1961) and head coach (1973).

Others may have more career wins, but no man has more National Championships than the 'Wizard of Westwood'.