The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Lewis

Followed Bobby Ross. Bill Lewis held Georgia Tech at National Program I for 2 seasons.

The ascent
44–45
1977–1993 · 3 stints
WyomingEast CarolinaGeorgia Tech
← all coaches

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 careerWYOMINGEAST CAROLINAGEORGIA TECHPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWyoming, 1977: 4-6, Regional Program II1977Wyoming, 1978: 5-7, Regional Program II1978Wyoming, 1979: 4-8, Regional Program II1979-3.7East Carolina, 1989: 5-5, Regional Program II1989East Carolina, 1990: 5-6, Regional Program II1990East Carolina, 1991: 11-1, Regional Program I1991+6.6Georgia Tech, 1992: 5-6, National Program I1992Georgia Tech, 1993: 5-6, National Program I1993-0.7One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 7th career season — faster than 9% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #597 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Wyoming, 3 seasons
−3.7
Regional Program II → Regional Program II.
East Carolina, 3 seasons
+6.6
Regional Program II → Regional Program I.
Georgia Tech, 2 seasons
−0.7
National Program I → 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.

3–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bobby Bowden.

Rivalry record
3–3
50.0% · 3 rivals
One-score games
18–19–2
46.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Colorado State2–167%
Georgia0–20%
NC State1–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bobby Bowden0–3
3 meetings, 1990–1993
’90 L’92 L’93 L
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
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
3–13 18.8%
National Program
11–17 39.3%
Regional Program
24–11 68.6%

Coaching career

1992–1993
Georgia Techcaretaker
National Program I → National Program I
Bill Lewis held Georgia Tech at National Program I for 2 seasons.

8th-best Georgia Tech tenure of 14 by the numbers.

Followed Bobby Ross (1987–1991) · succeeded by George O'Leary (1994–2001).

7 NFL Draft picks: Marco Coleman (1992), Mike Mooney (1992), Ken Swilling (1992), Coleman Rudolph (1993), Scott Sisson (1993), Gary Brown (1994), Dorsey Levens (1994)

10–12
1989–1991
East Carolinacaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program I
Bill Lewis moved East Carolina from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 3 seasons.

5th-best East Carolina tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Art Baker (1985–1988) · succeeded by Steve Logan (1992–2002).

5 NFL Draft picks: Walter Wilson (1990), Junior Robinson (1990), James Singletary (1990), Robert Jones (1992), Jeff Blake (1992)

21–12
1977–1979
Wyomingcaretaker
Regional Program I → Regional Program II
Bill Lewis slid Wyoming from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 3 seasons.

12th-best Wyoming tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Fred Akers (1975–1976) · succeeded by Pat Dye (1980–1980).

3 NFL Draft picks: Francis Chesley (1978), Ken Fantetti (1979), Danny Pittman (1980)

13–21