Chip Kelly will be the 19th head coach in San Francisco 49ers history, and he’s already above average.
Because the 49ers’ glory days were so dominated by a few coaches—Bill Walsh and George Seifert held the reigns from 1979 through 1996—there have been more bad coaches in 49ers history than good ones. Bad coaches come and go quickly, cycled in and out as general managers scramble to find some consistency. When you find a good coach, you hold on to them for all you’ve got through thick and thin—at least, normally.
Where will Kelly rank among the 49ers head coaches when all is said and done?