Ted Goodier is comfortably the longest serving Dale manager, helped in no small way due to World War II, though there are suggestions that he did have a brief spell away from the club back in 1943 which calls his stint into question.
| Â | Manager | Appointed | Departed | Time in charge |
| 1st | Ted Goodier | 01.09.38 | 30.06.52 | 13 years 9 months 29 days |
| 2nd | Jack Peart | 01.02.23 | 31.07.30 | 7 years 5 months 30 days |
| 3rd | Tony Collins | 01.06.60 | 30.09.67 | 7 years 3 months 29 days |
| 4th | Harry Catterick | 01.06.53 | 01.05.58 | 4 years 11 months |
| 5th | Keith Hill (1st Spell) | 16.12.06 | 01.06.11 | 4 years 5 months 16 days |
| 6th | Dave Sutton | 19.02.91 | 28.11.94 | 3 years 9 months 9 days |
| 7th | Dick Conner | 01.02.70 | 01.05.73 | 3 years 3 months |
| 8th | Steve Parkin (2nd spell) | 31.12.03 | 16.12.06 | 2 years 11 months 16 days |
| 9th | Graham Barrow | 01.08.96 | 02.05.99 | 2 years 11 months 1 day |
| 10th | Walter Joyce | 01.07.73 | 06.05.76 | 2 years 10 months 5 days |
| 11th | Peter Madden | 01.06.80 | 01.03.83 | 2 years 9 months |
| 12th | Vic Halom | 01.05.84 | 01.12.86 | 2 years 7 months |
| 13th | Steve Parkin (1st spell) | 16.06.99 | 09.11.01 | 2 years 4 months 24 days |
| 14th | Ernest Nixon | 01.11.35 | 01.10.37 | 1 year 11 months |
| 15th | Terry Dolan | 01.03.89 | 31.01.91 | 1 year 10 months 30 days |
| 16th | Herbert Hopkinson | 01.04.32 | 01.01.34 | 1 year 9 months |
| 17th | Jack Marshall | 01.10.58 | 01.06.60 | 1 year 8 months |
| 18th | Eddie Gray | 01.12.86 | 30.06.88 | 1 year 6 months 29 days |
| 19th | Mick Docherty | 12.01.95 | 31.07.96 | 1 year 6 months 19 days |
| 20th | Len Richley | 01.10.68 | 01.02.70 | 1 year 4 months |
| 21st | Billy Smith | 01.07.34 | 01.11.35 | 1 year 4 months |
| 22nd | Will Cameron | 01.08.30 | 01.12.31 | 1 year 4 months |
| 23rd | Brian Green | 01.06.76 | 01.09.77 | 1 year 3 months |
| 24th | Mike Ferguson | 01.09.77 | 01.11.78 | 1 year 2 months |
| 25th | Jimmy Greenhoff | 01.03.83 | 12.03.84 | 1 year 11 days |
| 26th | Bob Stokoe (1st spell) | 01.10.67 | 01.10.68 | 1 year |
| 27th | Billy Bradshaw | 01.01.20 | 31.12.20 | 11 months 30 days |
| 28th | John Coleman | 24.01.12 | 21.01.13 | 11 months 27 days |
| 29th | Paul Simpson | 29.05.02 | 07.05.03 | 11 months 8 days |
| 30th | Sam Jennings | 01.10.37 | 01.09.38 | 11 months |
| 31st | Jack Warner | 01.07.52 | 31.05.53 | 10 months 30 days |
| 32nd | Doug Collins | 13.01.79 | 19.11.79 | 10 months 6 days |
| 33rd | Danny Bergara | 04.07.88 | 01.03.89 | 7 months 25 days |
| 34th | Tom Wilson | 01.07.22 | 01.02.23 | 7 months |
| 35th | Alan Buckley | 01.06.03 | 31.12.03 | 6 months 30 days |
| 36th | Bob Stokoe (2nd spell) | 20.11.79 | 01.06.80 | 6 months 12 days |
| 37th | Steve Eyre | 12.06.11 | 19.12.11 | 6 months 7 days |
| 38th | John Hollins | 11.12.01 | 14.05.02 | 5 months 3 days |
| Â | Keith Hill (2nd Spell) | 22.01.13 | Â | Â |