The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bennie Ellender

Followed Jim Pittman. Bennie Ellender moved Tulane from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 5 seasons.

27–29

1971–1975 · 1 stint

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Tulane, 5 seasons

+5.0

Regional Program II → Regional Program I.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

1–4 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Fran Curci.

Rivalry record

1–4

20.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

10–10

50.0% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–1

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

LSU1–420%

The toughest matchup

vs. Fran Curci0–4

4 meetings, 1972–1975

’72 L’73 L’74 L’75 L

0% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.

Performance by opponent class

Blue Blood

0–1 0.0%

Power Program

3–8 27.3%

National Program

9–12 42.9%

Regional Program

14–8 63.6%

Coaching career

1971–1975

Tulanecaretaker

Regional Program III → Regional Program I

Bennie Ellender moved Tulane from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 5 seasons.

11th-best Tulane tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Followed Jim Pittman (1966–1970) · succeeded by Larry Smith (1976–1979).

2 NFL Draft picks: Joe Bullard (1972), Charles Hall (1975)

27–29