Getty Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay already holds the NFL record for youngest head coach in the modern era (since 1946). When the Rams hired him in early 2007, he was one month shy of 31, besting Lane Kiffin’s previous mark by about nine months. Kiffin coached the Oakland Raiders for the 2007 season.
If McVay’s Rams can beat the Saints in the NFC Championship at the Superdome, the breakout coaching star will have the chance to become the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl — by a significant margin.
Currently 32, McVay will celebrate his birthday on January 24. With Super Bowl LIII slated for February 3, McVay could hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the ripe age of 33.
So, who would McVay take the crown from as the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl?
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Currently Holds the Record
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was 36-years-old when he guided the Steelers to a magical season in 2008-09. The AFC champ Steelers beat the NFC champion Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII.
Super Bowl 43 remains Tomlin’s only Super Bowl victory, despite making the playoffs six times since — including a loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV two years later.
Rounding Out the Top Five Youngest Coaches to Win a Super Bowl
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Tomlin has held the record for 10 years, but he isn’t the only coach to win a Super Bowl in his thirties.
2. Jon Gruden was 39 when he led the the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl Victory over his former (and current) employer, the Oakland Raiders, in Super Bowl XXXVII. The Bucs crushed the Raiders, 48-21.
3. John Madden was 40 when his Raiders routed the Vikings 32-14 in Super Bowl XI. Madden would hold the title of youngest coach to win a Super Bowl for 26 years before Gruden’s brief reign began.
4. Joe Gibbs led the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl XVII victory over the Miami Dolphins (27-17) when he was 42.
5. Chuck Noll had just turned 43 when his Steelers bested the Vikings in Super Bowl IX 16-6.
Honorable mention: Don Shula falls just outside of the top five. Really, he had also just turned 43 when his Dolphins beat the Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl VII. Shula was just three days older than Noll was when he won the Super Bowl. Also, Shula’s Super Bowl win was part of the the Dolphins’ dazzling and yet-to-be-replicated perfect season. The Dolphins finished with a spotless 17-0 record.