5. Paul Brown Denies Bill Walsh
After amassing a 213-104 regular season record and three NFL championships (predating the first Super Bowl) at the helm of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, head coach Paul Brown called it a career, passing over young assistant Bill Walsh and tabbing offensive line coach Paul “Tiger” Johnson to be his successor with the Bengals in 1976. Walsh resigned, spent a year as a San Diego Chargers assistant and two years as the Stanford head coach, then landed a head coaching gig with the San Francisco 49ers, leading them to three Super Bowl victories in 10 seasons. With the foundation he helped set, the team won two more titles in the six years after he left the sideline.