The Winningest ADs in CFSL History

By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)

Florida State AD Tom Pence hit a major milestone last night as he became the winningest coach in CFSL history. That made many ask the question of what the Top 10 ADs in terms of wins would look like. I will try my best here to answer that question.

Before starting, I will say that this was a difficult endeavor. The league has not kept AD wins as an official stat, so this is based on the research that Ware and I did. If you believe there are any mistakes on this list, please reach out to me. I want this to be as accurate as possible.

#1 Tom Pence – 74 Wins

Tom Pence (aka Grin) is now in his 15th season as an AD. All 15 of those have been spent at Florida State. During his time, Florida State has won 74 games, 8 playoff games, three conference titles, and the Season 14 National Championship.

#2 Matt Pack – 73 Wins

Matt Pack has been with the CFSL since day one. Pack was the AD of Auburn and Season 1 and held that position through Season 13. In 10 of his 13 seasons, the team finished .500 or better. Pack also led Auburn to their only National Championship.

#3 Dakota Jorgensen – 62 Wins

Jorgenson (aka Clutch) spent 13 seasons as an AD in the CFSL. He started with Clemson in Season 7 but moved to Boise State in Season 10. He made two National Championship Game appearances (one with each team) and took home the hardware with Clemson in Season 8.

#4 Michael Buck – 61 Wins

Michael Buck (aka Horns) started coaching in Season 2 and has been all over the league. He has spent time as the AD of LSU, Texas, South Carolina, Michigan, and Oregon throughout the league’s history. He has accomplished a lot in his 11 seasons as an AD. His crowing achievement was leading Texas to their lone National Championship win in Season 5.

#5 Devan Davis – 53 wins

Devan Davis (@14rdavis) has spent seven years as the frontman for Kent State and Kentucky. That is much less than many of the names this high on the list, which speaks to the success Davis has led his teams to. The two-time National Champion has never finished a season below .500. His career winning percentage of .746 is the highest of any coach on this list.

#6 Joe Pantoja – 51 Wins

Joe Pantoja (@Jooby) started his AD career at Alabama in Season 6. He only spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide before taking over at Texas. Pantoja spent 7 seasons with the Longhorns and is the winningest coach in the school’s history, having one more win with Texas than Michael Buck. In 9 seasons as an AD, Pantoja made six trips to the playoffs and three National Championship appearances. Pantoja is the CFSL’s Winningest AD to never win a National Championship.

#7 Allan Bargenquast and Justyn Veneklasen – 47 Wins

The first tie on the list belongs to two long-time ADs, Allan Bargenquast (@Allan) and Justyn Veneklasen (@Vennom).

Allan brought Michigan into the league in Season 2 and led the Wolverines for 11 seasons. He also spent two seasons as the interim AD of Auburn. His 42 wins with Michigan are the most for any AD in the school’s history. However, this is a title he might not hold for too much longer, but more on that later.

Vennom bounced around the league before settling in Florida. He started with Oregon, where he spent two seasons. He then spent the next two with Michigan, leading the Wolverines to their first conference title. In Season 16 he landed in Gainesville, where he spent the next four seasons. In his last season with the Gators, he led them to the National Championship Game.

#9 Josh Claydon – 46 Wins

Josh Claydon (aka Wookie) had a nine-season career as an AD/MAC HC. Claydon started at Northern Illinois, where he spent two seasons before taking over at Notre Dame. With the Irish, Claydon would secure his legacy. Wookie became the first AD in CFSL history to win back-to-back National Championships. His 43 wins with Notre Dame are a school record, one that isn’t likely to be passed anytime soon.

#10 Dustin Hall and Houston Freeman – 45 Wins

The second tie we find on our list is between two bitter rivals. Dustin Hall (@dthall79) and Houston Freeman (@okst56) are best known for their time spent with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Dustin Hall started his coaching career with Bowling Green but quickly moved on to Oklahoma. Hall brought the Sooners into the CFSL and immediately found success. He won 14 of his first 21 games and led Oklahoma to the semifinals in Season 14. Hall left Oklahoma for Notre Dame in Season 18, but now he is back with the Sooners. As he is an active AD, he should have no problem moving up this list as the season rolls on.

Houston Freeman only spent 8 seasons as an AD in the CFSL, but he won a lot in that time frame. Freeman spent one season with Alabama before bringing Oklahoma State into the CFSL. In his seven seasons with the Cowboys, Freeman had 43 wins, 2 conference championships, and was the Season 15 National Champion. Houston retired after leading his team to their first championship.

That is the top 10, but I did want to continue the article to look at the rest of the top 20. Here they are.