Nov 25, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Chip Kelly reacts after the game against the California Golden Bears at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Report: Former Bruins Coach Deemed One of Century's Best

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 26, 2025 6:00 AM ET

UCLA has had some legendary head coaches come through its football program.

One of them was recently recognized as one of the top 25 head coaches of this century, a very high honor when you consider the company and how many options there were.

The Athletic ranked former UCLA coach Chip Kelly 24th on its list of "college football’s top 25 coaches of the 21st century," just barely making the cut.

Frankly, the reason he was ranked as low as he was was for his career in Westwood.

"Kelly is really difficult to place," wrote The Athletic's Chris Vannini. "A 46-7 record at Oregon with three top-four finishes and a BCS title game appearance before going to the NFL is an elite run, and his up-tempo offense changed the sport.

"But he had as many winning seasons as losing seasons at UCLA (three) and jumped to Ohio State last year to be an assistant, meaning 60 percent of his college head coaching career came with the Bruins, where he had one top-25 finish."

Kelly led UCLA to just two bowl games, which came in his final two seasons at the helm. He never did lead UCLA to a double-digit win season.

At Oregon, Kelly led the Ducks to a bowl game in all four of his seasons as head coach, including two Rose Bowl wins and an appearance in the BCS title game, where they narrowly fell to Auburn.

Kelly finally got his title this past season, though, his lone year as Ohio State's offensive coordinator. After being ridiculed for his play-calling in the Buckeyes' upset loss to Michigan, he and Ohio State completely flipped the switch and dominated the College Football Playoff, taking home the title in the first year of a 12-team format.

Kelly has since taken the job as the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive coordinator. It marks a return to the NFL for the veteran head coach, as he had a four-year stint at the next level in between his time with Oregon and UCLA, serving as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles for two-plus seasons before serving as the San Francisco 49ers' head coach for a year.