The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Hess

Bill Hess held Ohio at National Program II for 16 seasons.

80–83
1962–1977 · 1 stint
Ohio
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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 careerOHIONational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOhio, 1962: 8-3, National Program II1962Ohio, 1963: 6-4, National Program IIOhio, 1964: 5-4, National Program IIOhio, 1965: 0-10, Regional Program IOhio, 1966: 5-5, Regional Program IOhio, 1967: 5-5, Regional Program IOhio, 1968: 10-1, National Program IIIOhio, 1969: 5-4, National Program IIIOhio, 1970: 4-5, National Program IIIOhio, 1971: 5-5, National Program IIIOhio, 1972: 3-8, Regional Program IOhio, 1973: 5-5, Regional Program IOhio, 1974: 6-5, Regional Program IIOhio, 1975: 5-5, Regional Program IIOhio, 1976: 7-4, Regional Program IOhio, 1977: 1-10, Regional Program II1977+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Ohio, 16 seasons
+0.0
National Program II → Regional 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.

7–9 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Joe Paterno.

Rivalry record
7–9
43.8% · 1 rival
One-score games
18–27–3
37.5% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Miami (OH)7–944%
The toughest matchup
vs. Joe Paterno0–5
5 meetings, 1967–1974
’67 L’69 L’70 L’73 L’74 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-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
Power Program
1–9 10.0%
National Program
23–32 41.8%
Regional Program
43–32 57.3%

Coaching career

1962–1977
Ohiocaretaker
National Program II
Bill Hess held Ohio at National Program II for 16 seasons.

1st-best Ohio tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Bob Kappes (1978–1978).

80–83