Fielding H. Yost and Bear Bryant have 6 National Championships each:
Fielding H. Yost: 6 National Championships with Michigan: 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1918, 1923.
Bear Bryant: 6 National Championships at Alabama: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979.
All of Yost's national championships were before the AP era. And they were all awarded retroactively, by voters that never actually saw any of the games in those years. In order to get to 6, you have to count every minor poll that has ever existed. Most people have never even heard of the organizations that awarded Michigan those national championships. The organizations who (retroactively) awarded national championships to Michigan and Yost in those years were: the Billingsley Report, the Houlgate System, the National Championship Foundation, the Helms Athletic Foundation, and Parke H. Davis
Also, if you're going to count every time any organization awarded a national championship, Bryant has more than 6.
1950 (he coached Kentucky that year) Only the Sagarin system chose Kentucky, and it was retroactive.
1961 (14 polls, including the AP and UPI, the two most respected of that time)
1964 (4 polls, including AP and UPI)
1965 (4, including AP and FWAA)
1966 (2, Sagarin and Berrryman
1973 (2, including UPI)
1975 (Matthews Grid Ratings)
1977 (just the CFRA, and retroactive)
1978 (7, including AP, NWAA, and NFF)
1979 (17, all of the polls that were active at that time except the CFRA)
That's a total of ten (10) national championships for the Bear, if you count every poll, system, or computer, including the retroactive ones. To get to 6, you have to limit Bryant's championships to only those awarded by major polls (AP, UPI). But if you do that, Yost has none.
The first author *is* correct The "Helms Athletic Foundations" retroactive poll results are officially recognized by the N.C.A.A. for the years 1883-1935 as are the Dickerson System from 1924 to 1940. And while an excellent argument can be made that Bryant's 1950 Kentucky team *should* have been crowned as "National Champions", the rule of that time was that the final polling was taken before bowl games which while ethically incorrect, it was the rule at the time. And we all know that even with the addition of the AP poll in 1936, several of the "official" polls have given the Championship to the wrong team.
According to the 2010 College Football Data Warehouse (see below), Bear Bryant of Alabama has the most, with 6. Next are Bernie Bierman of Minnesota with 5, then Frank Leahy of Notre Dame and Robert Neyland of Tennessee with 4 each. Barry Switzer and Bud Wilkinson, both of Oklahoma, and John McKay of USC have 3 each. 12 coaches have two national championships each. Eleven of these two-championship coaches have won both at the same school. These are: Blaik of Army, Parsegian of Notre Dame, Devaney of Nebraska, Bowden of FSU, Royal of Texas, Erickson of Miami, Paterno of Penn State, Hayes of Ohio State, Osborne of Nebraska, Carroll of USC, and Meyer of Florida.
The College Football Data Warehouse (CFBDW) is an online database that has collected and researched information on college football and national championship selections. It provides a comprehensive inventory of national championship selectors and has itself recognized selectors that it has deemed to be the most acceptable throughout history: the National Championship Foundation, the Helms Athletic Foundation, the College Football Researchers Association, the Associated Press Poll, and the Coaches Poll.
Jim Steen of Division III Kenyon has won 45 championships in mens' and womens' swimming and diving. The Division I record is held by John McDowell of Arkansas. He has won 42 championships in mens' cross-country and Track and Field.
The answer was copied from the Kenyon College website: http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x3199.xml Under the tutelage of head coach Jim Steen, the Kenyon College swimming and diving team has developed into the most successful program in collegiate athletics history. One of the most respected coaches in the nation, Steen has directed the Kenyon men's team to 26 of its record 28 consecutive NCAA national championships, while at the same time, he's guided the Ladies to 19 of their 21 national titles. Steen has won more NCAA national championships (45) than any other coach in any NCAA sport.
John McDonnell of University of Arkansas with 40 NCAA track and field and cross country national championships, all in men's. So in men's sports, McDonnell has the most.
John Wooden of UCLA with 10 for Basketball Fielding Yost of Michigan with 6 for football
Larry Kehres, of Mount Union College, Division III, with 10 national championships.
(If you meant Division I-FBS, the answer is Paul "Bear" Bryant, no matter how you slice it. So please don't clutter this answer with a bunch of also-rans who came CLOSE to having as many as Bryant. The Bear is the King.)
Bear Bryant at Alabama 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979
This answer above given by Ms Whitaker is wrong.
The BCS National Championship series started in 1999 and ended last year 2014 in favor of a CFB playoff system
Nick Saban of Alabama has won 3 (2009,2011,2012) the most of any coach during the BCS era.
princeton
Urban Meyer (2006 & 2008)
Charlie Weis, tied with many others: zero.
Nick Saban of Alabama.
Coach K, of Duke. I believe...
Coach McDonnell to retire after earning 42 national titles
If we restrict it to AP/Coaches poll and/ or BCS National Championships for division one college football since 1950 then the breakdown is as follows:BEAR BRYANT 6JOHN MCKAY 3NICK SABAN 3BUD WILKERSON 3DARRELL ROYAL 3BARRY SWITZER 3TOM OSBORNE 3WOODY HAYES 3
Paul Brown was an American Football coach. He was the coach in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League.His teams won seven league championships.
Larry Kehres, of Mount Union College, Division III, with 9 national championships.
yes
Paul "Bear" Bryant for Alabama.
Barry Switzer, who was head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1994 to 1997, was the second person ever to win a college football national championship and a Super Bowl. He was the winning head coach of Super Bowl XXX, in which the Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17. He also won three national championships during his tenure at the University of Oklahoma from 1973 to 1988. The first person to win a college national championship and a Super Bowl was Jimmy Johnson, Switzer's predecessor as Cowboys head coach.