The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Barnes

Followed Red Sanders. Bill Barnes inherited a Power Program I UCLA and won with it.

31–34
1958–1964 · 1 stint
UCLA
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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 careerUCLAPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyUCLA, 1958: 2-4, Power Program II1958UCLA, 1959: 5-4, Power Program II1959UCLA, 1960: 7-2, Power Program II1960UCLA, 1961: 7-4, Power Program II1961UCLA, 1962: 4-6, Power Program II1962UCLA, 1963: 2-8, Power Program III1963UCLA, 1964: 4-6, National Program I1964-6.4One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

UCLA, 7 seasons
−6.4
Power Program II → National 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.

2–4 against his rivals. Just 1–5 against Jim Owens.

Rivalry record
2–4
33.3% · 1 rival
One-score games
14–9–2
56.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–1
50.0%
Rivalry ledger
USC2–433%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Jim Owens1–5
6 meetings, 1959–1964
’59 L’60 L’61 L’62 L’63 W’64 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
1–1 50.0%
Power Program
8–17 32.0%
National Program
10–7 58.8%
Regional Program
10–5 66.7%

Coaching career

1958–1964
UCLAinheritor
Power Program I → Power Program II
Bill Barnes inherited a Power Program I UCLA and won with it.

5th-best UCLA tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Red Sanders (1949–1957) · succeeded by Tommy Prothro (1965–1970).

31–34