The 15 Longest Tenured Coaches Across The NFL, NBA, MLB, And NHL After Mike Tomlin Resigned

There have been many shakeups across professional sports in recent weeks. Notably, the two longest tenured coaches in the NFL were either let go or have moved on, Mike Tomlin with the Steelers for 19 seasons and John Harbaugh with the Ravens for 18 season.

After the two longest tenured coaches in the NFL moved on, that makes Andy Reid the longest tenured coach left in the NFL. And that got us thinking: who are the longest tenured coaches in professional sports across the ‘Big Four’ (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL) in the United States?

Longest Tenured Coaches In American Professional Sports Right Now

To give you a sense of how active the proverbial ‘Coaching Carousel’ is in pro sports, there are just 15 coaches and managers across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL who have been in their current role since before 2020. Only 15!

1. Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat, April 28, 2008 (1396 games)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is officially the longest tenured head coach in men’s pro sports in America across the four major leagues. He was hired by the Miami Heat on April 28,2008, nearly 5 years before the second-longest tenured coach across the ‘Big Four.’

He has coached the Heat for 1,359 games. In those games, he holds a .579 winning percentage (787-572). Spo won two NBA Championships with LeBron James, in back-to-back seasons, back in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The Heat have made the NBA Playoffs in each of the past six season and under Erik Spoelstra, Miami has failed to reach the Playoffs in just 3 seasons since 2008.

2. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid now holds the distinction of being the longest tenured head coach in the NFL after Harbaugh and Tomlin set sail. Reid was hired by teh Chiefs on January 4, 2013 after previously coaching in Philly for 14 seasons.

Under Andy Reid, the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls and lost 2 Super Bowls. This is the first season since 2014 that the Chiefs have not made the NFL Playoffs under Andy Reid.

3. Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is the longest tenured coach in the NHL. He was hired by the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 25, 2013 and just coached his 1,000th game with the Lightning last week (regular season and postseason combined).

Cooper holds a regular season record of 574-306-83 and a postseason record of 88-76 with 2 Stanley Cup titles and 11 Stanley Cup Playoffs appearances. He is, by all accounts, the man.

4. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors, May 19, 2014 (912 games)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was hired by the team on May 19, 2014. He has coached the Warriors for 912 games and counting and overseen one of the modern dynasties in the NBA.

Kerr has a .648 regular season winning record with the Warriors, winning 567 games and losing 308. He has coached an unfathomable 152 postseason games and holds a .684 winning percentage in those games, winning NBA Championships in 4 seasons. He is the 4th longest tenured coach in men’s professional sports.

5. Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays

Kevin Cash, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, was hired by the team on December 5, 2014 and is the longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball. In 1,680 games managing the Rays, Cash’s team holds a .533 record (896-784).

He is famous for having ‘done more with less’ than any other manager in the game. In 2020, Cash took the Rays to the World Series where they lost to the Dodgers.

6. Dave Roberts, Los Angeles Dodgers

The second longest tenured head coach in Baseball is Dave Roberts with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was hired by the Dodgers on November 23, 2015.

Is there an easier job in baseball than manager of the Dodgers? He can pick and choose any offensive weapon he wants and buy any pitcher in the league. Roberts gets to play on Easy Mode while other MLB managers have to battle.

Under Dave Roberts, the Dodgers have a .621 winning percentage (944-575) over 1,519 games. He has won three World Series for Los Angeles and finished 1st in the NL West in 9 of 10 seasons with a .590 postseason winning percentage.

7. Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche

The second longest tenured coach in the NHL is Jared Bednar with the Colorado Avalanche. His team seemed unstoppable this season until they ran into the Tampa Bay Lightning last week and got humbled.

Bednar was hired by the Colorado Avalanche on August 25, 2016 and has coached Colorado for 700 games now. He holds a 390-246-64 record in those games and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2021-22 against Tampa Bay to end the Lightnings’ dynasty run.

8. Torey Lovullo, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo is currently the 3rd longest tenured manager in baseball and the 8th longest tenured head coach in all of men’s pro sports in this country. He was hired by the D-Backs on November 4, 2016.

During his time in Arizona, Torey Lovullo was named ‘NL Manager of the Year’ in 2017. He has a career managerial record of 664–692. Arizona holds a .490 record under his tutelage and has yet to win the NL West but have finished 2nd in the division three times.

9. Sean McDermott, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott was hired by the team on January 11, 2017 and is the 9th longest tenured coach in men’s pro sports in America. During his time in Buffalo, Sean McDermott holds a 98–50 (.662) coaching record during the regular season and a 7-7 record in the Playoffs.

10. Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay has been head coach of the Los Angeles Rams since he was hired on January 12, 2017 and is currently the 10th longest tenured head coach around. He and the Rams made history with the hire, making him the youngest head coach in NFL history at just 33 years old.

At 33 years old, Sean McVay became the youngest head coach to make a Super Bowl and at 36 he became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. The Rams were on fire this season, that starts and ends with Sean McVay. He holds a 92–57 coaching record in the regular season and 9-5 in the NFL Playoffs.

11. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was hired on February 6, 2017. That makes him the 11th longest tenured head coach in American pro sports.

Prior to being hired as Head Coach of the Niners, Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for Atlanta, Cleveland, Washington, and Houston. Under Shanahan, San Francisco is 82–67 (.550) and 9-4 in the NFL Playoffs. In 2019, he was named Sporting News Coach of the Year.

12. Aaron Boone, New York Yankees

Aaron Boone is the 4th longest tenured manager in Major League Baseball at the moment and the 12th longest tenured coach across U.S. pro sports. He was hired by the Yankees on December 1, 2017.

Under Aaron Boone, the Yankees have made the MLB Playoffs in 7 of 8 seasons and they made it to the World Series in 2024. But this is the Yankees we are talking about. If anyone is on a hot seat here it’s Aaron Boone because the Bronx Bombers haven’t won a World Series since 2009 and the city demands results.

13. Rod Brind’Amour, Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour is the 13th longest tenured head coach in men’s pro sports at the moment and the third longest in the NHL. He has been with Carolina for 534 games and counting.

Rod Brind’Amour was hired on May 8, 2018 and under his tutelage Carolina has finished 1st in their division in 3 seasons. This has been his first head coaching job after a successful playing career that spanned 1989–2010.

14. Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is #14 on the list of the longest tenured coaches across the Big Four leagues. He was hired by the Green Bay Packers on January 8, 2019 and left his position as Offensive Coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.

LaFleur has a career .654 winning percentage as a head coach (76–40–1) but has struggled in the postseason with a 3-6 record. The Packers finished 1st in the NFC North in Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons.

15. Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals

Coming in at 15th on the list of the longest tenured coaches in American professional sports is Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor who was hired on February 4, 2019, less than a month after Matt LaFleur was hired by the Green Bay Packers. Taylor has a career head coaching record of 52–63–1 (.453) in the regular season and he’s 5-2 in the postseason.

Zac Taylor is the last head coach of the ‘Big 4’ leagues (not listed above) to be hired prior to 2020. That is just wild. Prior to earning the head coaching job with the Bengals, Taylor was the QB coach for the LA Rams. He has worked wonders with Joe Burrow during the times when Joey B has been uninjured.