If a team competed at a time before the official organization of either of the two groups but is generally accepted as a "college football program", it is included.
[3] Gagliardi began his head coaching career at Carroll in Helena, Montana in 1949 and moved in 1953 to Saint John's in Collegeville, Minnesota, where he served until retiring after the 2012 season.
Joe Paterno, the head coach at Penn State from 1966 until his 2011 firing in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, is second with 409 wins.
Among coaches with at least ten seasons in NCAA Division I and its predecessors, the all-time leaders in wins are Paterno (409), Robinson (408), Bowden (377), Bear Bryant (323), and Pop Warner (319).
Among coaches expected to be active in 2025, the career wins leaders are Kevin Donley (356), Brian Kelly (292), and K. C. Keeler (271).