The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bernie Bierman

Bernie Bierman held Minnesota at Dynasty for 12 seasons.

68–32
1936–1950 · 1 stint
Minnesota
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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.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerMINNESOTADynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderMinnesota, 1936: 7-1, Blue Blood1936Minnesota, 1937: 6-2, Blue Blood1937Minnesota, 1938: 6-2, Blue Blood1938Minnesota, 1939: 3-4, Blue Blood1939Minnesota, 1940: 8-0, Blue Blood1940Minnesota, 1941: 8-0, Dynasty1941Minnesota, 1945: 4-5, Blue Blood1945Minnesota, 1946: 5-4, Power Program I1946Minnesota, 1947: 6-3, Power Program I1947Minnesota, 1948: 7-2, Power Program II1948Minnesota, 1949: 7-2, Power Program I1949Minnesota, 1950: 1-7, Power Program II1950+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Dynasty in his 6th career season — faster than 60% of the 15 FBS coaches who have ever reached Dynasty (rank #6 of 15 by seasons-to-arrival).

Minnesota, 12 seasons
+0.0
Blue Blood → Power Program II.

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.

18–6 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bennie Oosterbaan.

Rivalry record
18–6
75.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
22–17–2
53.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Iowa8–467%
Wisconsin10–283%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bennie Oosterbaan0–2–1
3 meetings, 1948–1950
’48 L’49 L’50 T
0% win rate across a real, 3-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
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
18–14 56.2%
National Program
34–10 77.3%
Regional Program
14–5 73.7%

Coaching career

1936–1950
Minnesotacaretaker
Dynasty
Bernie Bierman held Minnesota at Dynasty for 12 seasons.

1st-best Minnesota tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Wesley Fesler (1951–1953).

68–32