TheNevada Wolf Packcollege football team represents theUniversity of Nevada, Reno as a member of theMountain West Conference (MWC), as part of theNCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program has had 28 head coaches, and 1 interim head coach, since it began play during the1896 season. Since December 2023,Jeff Choate has served as Nevada's head coach.[1]
Six coaches have led Nevada in postseasonbowl games or playoffs:Joe Sheeketski,Chris Ault,Jeff Tisdel,Brian Polian,Jay Norvell, andVai Taua. Four coaches also wonconference championships:Brick Mitchell captured two andJim Aiken one as a member of theFar Western Conference; Ault captured four as a member of theBig Sky Conference, three as a member of theBig West Conference, and two as a member of theWestern Athletic Conference; and Tisdel captured two as a member of the Big West.
Ault is the leader in seasons coached, with 28 years as head coach and games coached (343), won (234).F. F. Ellis has the highest winning percentage at 0.800.Ken Wilson has the lowest winning percentage of those who have coached more than one game, with 0.167. Of the 28 different head coaches who have led the Wolf Pack,Buck Shaw and Ault have been inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame.
| General | Overall | Conference | Postseason[A 1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Order of coaches[A 2] | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties[A 3] | C% | Conference winning percentage | ||
| † | Elected to theCollege Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overallwinning percentage[A 4] | ||||
| No. | Name | Year(s) | Season(s) | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC | CC | NC | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Taylor | 1896 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | William H. Harrelson | 1897 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | F. F. Ellis | 1898 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | A. King Dickson | 1899 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | James Hopper | 1900 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0.643 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Allen Steckle | 1901–1903 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 0.412 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Bruce Shorts | 1904 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | Jack Glascock | 1915–1917 | 3 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | Ray Courtright | 1919–1923 | 5 | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 0.641 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Charles F. Erb | 1924 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0.438 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 11 | Buck Shaw† | 1925–1928 | 4 | 33 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 0.348 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0.441 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 12 | George Philbrook | 1929–1931 | 3 | 26 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 0.327 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0.591 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 13 | Brick Mitchell | 1932–1935 | 4 | 33 | 10 | 20 | 3 | 0.348 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 0.533 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 14 | Doug Dashiell | 1936–1938 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 0.386 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0.364 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Jim Aiken | 1939–1946 | 8 | 68 | 38 | 26 | 4 | 0.588 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Joe Sheeketski | 1947–1950 | 4 | 42 | 24 | 18 | 0 | 0.571 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 17 | Jake Lawlor | 1952–1954 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 0.375 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0.400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Gordon McEachron | 1955–1958 | 4 | 30 | 6 | 23 | 1 | 0.217 | 4 | 15 | 1 | 0.225 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Dick Trachok | 1959–1968 | 10 | 91 | 40 | 48 | 3 | 0.456 | 22 | 28 | 3 | 0.443 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Jerry Scattini | 1969–1975 | 7 | 74 | 37 | 36 | 1 | 0.507 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 21 | Chris Ault† | 1976–1992 1994–1995 2004–2012 | 17, 2, 9 | 343 | 234 | 108 | 1 | 0.684 | 133 | 53 | 0 | 0.715 | 11 | 15 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Jeff Horton | 1993 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0.636 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Jeff Tisdel | 1996–1999 | 4 | 45 | 23 | 22 | — | 0.511 | 13 | 8 | — | 0.619 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Chris Tormey | 2000–2003 | 4 | 47 | 16 | 31 | — | 0.340 | 12 | 20 | — | 0.375 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Brian Polian | 2013–2016 | 4 | 50 | 23 | 27 | — | 0.460 | 14 | 18 | — | 0.438 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Jay Norvell | 2017–2021 | 5 | 59 | 33 | 26 | — | 0.559 | 23 | 17 | — | 0.575 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Int | Vai Taua | 2021 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | – | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Ken Wilson | 2022–2023 | 2 | 24 | 4 | 20 | — | 0.167 | 2 | 14 | — | 0.125 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Jeff Choate | 2024–present | 2 | 13 | 3 | 10 | — | 0.231 | 0 | 7 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |