Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley ranks first in a study comparing facial proportions among 124 coaches and managers from the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL. Four NFL coaches appear in the overall top five: Hafley, Baltimore Ravens coach Jesse Minter, Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson and Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
The rankings were based on computer-vision assessments of six facial measurements. They describe how closely the faces in the photographs matched reference proportions used in the analysis; they do not measure coaching skill or provide an objective judgment of attractiveness.
## Key findings
– Jeff Hafley ranks No. 1 overall, with a score of 7.17 out of 10.
– Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the only NBA coach in the top five, placing second overall.
– Jesse Minter ranks third overall, followed by Ben Johnson in fourth and Matt LaFleur in fifth.
– NFL coaches account for four of the top five spots.
– The analysis examined 372 photographs: three images for each of 124 coaches and managers.
## LaFleur and Johnson: a close comparison
LaFleur earned an overall score of 6.62, placing fifth across all four leagues and fourth among NFL coaches. Johnson scored 6.72, placing fourth overall and third among NFL coaches. The difference between the two is 0.10 points.
Their individual measurement results varied. LaFleur’s strongest score was for pupil spacing relative to face width, at 9.54 out of 10. Johnson’s highest was for eye width compared with the gap between the eyes, scoring 8.80.
| Measure | Matt LaFleur | Ben Johnson |
|—|—:|—:|
| Team | Green Bay Packers | Chicago Bears |
| Overall rank | No. 5 | No. 4 |
| NFL rank | No. 4 | No. 3 |
| Overall score | 6.62 | 6.72 |
| Classic facial proportions | 5.84 | 7.49 |
| Facial feature spacing | 8.18 | 5.17 |
The “classic facial proportions” score summarizes four measurements, while “facial feature spacing” combines two landmark-based measurements. These are summaries of the six underlying measures, not extra points added to the overall score.
### Six measurements used in the comparison
| Facial measurement | LaFleur | Johnson |
|—|—:|—:|
| Face length compared with width | 8.35 | 8.21 |
| Balance of the upper, middle and lower face | 4.47 | 8.36 |
| Eye size compared with the gap between the eyes | 4.91 | 8.80 |
| Space above the mouth versus space below it | 5.62 | 4.60 |
| Eye-to-mouth distance relative to face length | 6.81 | 4.00 |
| Distance between pupils relative to face width | 9.54 | 6.35 |
Higher scores indicate a closer match to the reference proportions applied in the study. They should not be interpreted as measures of a person’s character, ability or worth.
## Overall top 10 across four leagues
| Rank | Coach or manager | Team | League | Score |
|—:|—|—|—|—:|
| 1 | Jeff Hafley | Miami Dolphins | NFL | 7.17 |
| 2 | Kenny Atkinson | Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA | 6.92 |
| 3 | Jesse Minter | Baltimore Ravens | NFL | 6.75 |
| 4 | Ben Johnson | Chicago Bears | NFL | 6.72 |
| 5 | Matt LaFleur | Green Bay Packers | NFL | 6.62 |
| 6 | Manny Malhotra | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 6.58 |
| 7 | Ryan Craig | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 6.49 |
| 8 | Aaron Boone | New York Yankees | MLB | 6.34 |
| 9 | Jared Bednar | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 6.32 |
| 10 | Ime Udoka | Houston Rockets | NBA | 6.31 |
The top 10 include four NFL coaches, three NHL coaches, two NBA coaches and one MLB manager.
## NFL’s top five
Hafley leads the NFL group, followed by Minter, Johnson and LaFleur. Kevin Stefanski of the Atlanta Falcons completes the league’s top five.
| NFL rank | Coach | Team | Score |
|—:|—|—|—:|
| 1 | Jeff Hafley | Miami Dolphins | 7.17 |
| 2 | Jesse Minter | Baltimore Ravens | 6.75 |
| 3 | Ben Johnson | Chicago Bears | 6.72 |
| 4 | Matt LaFleur | Green Bay Packers | 6.62 |
| 5 | Kevin Stefanski | Atlanta Falcons | 6.27 |
## How the analysis was conducted
The study included 32 NFL head coaches, 30 NBA head coaches, 30 MLB managers and 32 NHL head coaches. Researchers assessed three photographs per person, producing 372 image-level assessments in total.
Computer vision was used to examine six proportions: face length relative to width; the balance of the face’s vertical thirds; eye width relative to the space between the eyes; the distance from the nose to the mouth compared with the distance from the mouth to the chin; eye-to-mouth distance relative to face length; and pupil spacing relative to face width.
The results offer a data-based comparison of facial proportions across four major North American sports leagues. They are best understood as a ranking produced by a particular method—not as a definitive or universal measure of appearance.
