These Head Coaches Led Some Of The Best Teams In History

No matter what sports you follow, here and there you've been lucky enough to cheer for an epic team during a historic season. With the focus on great players and winning teams, you may not be in the habit of thinking about the head coach working behind the scenes. These guys are just as much of the teams' success as the players, however, and some of them are legends on their own.

1985 Chicago Bears

Mike Ditka led the Bears to a decent 10-6 record during the 1984 season, and most observers expected good things from the team in 1985. What Coach Ditka delivered that year was astounding. That year, Ditka's great leadership and novel plays led the Bears to a thundering 15-1 record, taking their only loss to the equally epic 1985 49ers, who were anchored by the great Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, and capably led by Bill Walsh. The Bears stood out, however, for the brilliant way Mike Ditka made use of his players' unique strengths. When the Bears had Jim McMahon throwing, they played a passing game. When William Perry was on the line, the Bears played defense. This all brought them to a narrow loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Staying in Chicago, the Bulls in the '90s were arguably the best team in NBA history. Giants on this team included Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen. Head Coach Philip Jackson tied them all together, coaching the squad to six championships, one for each year he led the team. This included the epic "three-peat," when Jackson's famous triangle offense won three titles in three consecutive years.