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Weekly Top 10: Best head coaches in Georgia football history

By Kyle Funderburk

Apr 16, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart greets fans during the Dawg Walk before the spring game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart greets fans during the Dawg Walk before the spring game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs former player Hines Ward prior to the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs former player Hines Ward prior to the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Jim Donnan

After firing Ray Goff in 1995, Georgia needed a coach that could get the program back on the right track. They turned to Jim Donnan who had been head coach at Marshall since 1990. In six years at Marshall, Donnan went 54-21, led the Thundering Herd to four NCAA 1-AA National Championship Games and a national title in 1994.

Donnan appeared to be a great hire but in his first year at Georgia (1996), the Bulldogs went 5-6. But they did beat Auburn in the SEC’s first overtime game 56-49.

In 1997, Donnan did what he was hired to do. From 1993-to-1996, Georgia didn’t win more than six games in any season, but in 1997 the Bulldogs went 10-2 and upset the defending National Champion Florida Gators 37-17. Georgia ended the year with a 33-6 win over Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl.

In 1998, Georgia took a step backwards with a 9-3 finish and their first loss to Georgia Tech since 1990. Georgia did defeat Virginia in the Peach Bowl however. In 1999, the Bulldogs took another step in the wrong direction with an 8-4 finish and another loss to Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs salvaged their season with a 28-25 comeback victory over Purdue in the Outback Bowl.

Donnan was fired after the 2000 season when Georgia finished 8-4 again. He did remain undefeated in bowl games with a 37-14 win over Virginia in the O’ahu Bowl.

His record in Athens wasn’t awful, in five years he went 40-19 and 25-15 in the SEC. But he lost to the wrong teams. Under Donnan, Georgia went 1-4 against Florida and Tennessee, and 2-3 against Georgia Tech and Auburn.

His career head coaching record was 104-40 with a Division 1-AA national title. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

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