The success of any college football program ultimately begins with finding the right head coach. Those men who have won the most generally share an ability to lead, strategize and recruit better than their contemporaries, and they are remembered long after their time in charge is complete.

This week on the Big Ten blog, we're taking a look at the top five coaches over the years for each program. Some are more widely recognized than others, but all had a positive impact on the fortunes of their respective programs.

Next up: Indiana.

1. Bo McMillin, 63-48-11 (1934-47)

McMillin was perhaps the Hoosiers' most successful coach. He still holds the honor of being the only coach to lead Indiana to an outright Big Ten championship when the Hoosiers finished 9-0-1 in 1945. For his efforts, he earned Man of the Year and Coach of the Year honors by the Football Writers Association and the Football Coaches Association. Indiana finished .500 or better in 10 different seasons under his watch, including a stretch of six straight years. His 34-34-6 Big Ten record is the best winning percentage in league play for an Indiana coach.

2. Bill Mallory, 69-77-3 (1984-96)

Mallory won more games than any other Indiana coach, leading the Hoosiers to six bowl game appearances in his 13 seasons. At IU, he became the seventh coach in history to guide three different programs to top-20 finishes, having led Miami and Colorado within the top 20 previously. In 1987, Mallory became the first Big Ten coach to earn back-to-back coach of the year honors. That season, he led the Hoosiers to an 8-4 record and a second-place finish in the Big Ten. His 1991 team, which won the Copper Bowl, represents the last Hoosiers team to win a bowl game.

3. James M. Sheldon, 35-26-3 (1905-13)

Sheldon was one of six coaches to finish with a winning record during his Indiana tenure. His best season came in his first year, when the Hoosiers finished 8-1-1 in 1905. He guided the Hoosiers to four winning seasons and helped Indiana climb to as high as third in the Big Ten standings during the 1910 season, when IU finished 6-1 overall. He spent one season as Indiana's basketball coach and also served as the school's athletics director from 1907-10.

4. James H. Horne, 33-21-5 (1898-1904)

Horne led Indiana to winning records in his first two seasons before the Hoosiers moved on to the Western Conference. Indiana finished with a .500 or better record in six of his seven seasons. His best season came in 1899 when Indiana finished 6-2. That team outscored opponents 133-33 and recorded five shutouts. It also marked the first season in which Indiana defeated rival Purdue, 17-5, in the regular season finale. Horne also spent time coaching Indiana's basketball and baseball programs.

5. John Pont, 31-51-1 (1965-72)

Pont's overall record at Indiana was far from memorable -- his teams finished with losing records in six of eight seasons. But he cracks the list because of Indiana's accomplishments during the 1967 season, when he led the Hoosiers to a remarkable 9-2 record, a Big Ten co-championship and an appearance in the 1968 Rose Bowl against eventual national champion USC. One year earlier, Indiana had finished only 1-8-1. Pont garnered unanimous national coach of the year honors that season and was picked as head coach of the East team in the 1968 Coaches' All-American game. He remains the only Indiana coach to lead the Hoosiers to a Rose Bowl appearance.