The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Lynch

Followed Terry Hoeppner. Bill Lynch held Indiana at Regional Program III for 4 seasons.

The journeyman
56–83
1995–2010 · 2 stints
Ball StateIndiana
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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 careerBALL STATEINDIANARegional Programthe building-block levelBall State, 1995: 7-4, Regional Program III1995Ball State, 1996: 8-4, Regional Program II1996Ball State, 1997: 5-6, Regional Program II1997Ball State, 1998: 1-10, Regional Program III1998Ball State, 1999: 0-11, Regional Program IV1999Ball State, 2000: 5-6, Regional Program IV2000Ball State, 2001: 5-6, Regional Program IV2001Ball State, 2002: 6-6, Regional Program IV2002+1.4Indiana, 2007: 7-6, Regional Program III2007Indiana, 2008: 3-9, Regional Program III2008Indiana, 2009: 4-8, Regional Program III2009Indiana, 2010: 5-7, Regional Program III2010+0.8One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

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).

Ball State, 8 seasons
+1.4
Regional Program III → Regional Program IV.
Indiana, 4 seasons
+0.8
Regional Program III → Regional Program III.

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.

4–6 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Rick Rasnick.

Rivalry record
4–6
40.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
21–21
50.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Northern Illinois2–433%
Purdue2–250%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Rick Rasnick1–4
5 meetings, 1995–1999
’95 L’96 W’97 L’98 L’99 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
2–17 10.5%
National Program
5–19 20.8%
Regional Program
42–41 50.6%

Coaching career

2007–2010
Indianacaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program III
Bill Lynch held Indiana at Regional Program III for 4 seasons.

13th-best Indiana tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Terry Hoeppner (2005–2006) · succeeded by Kevin Wilson (2011–2016).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Edge from high school
100%
#191 of 208 stints
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints

7 NFL Draft picks: Tracy Porter (2008), James Hardy (2008), Rodger Saffold (2010), Jammie Kirlew (2010), Ray Fisher (2010), James Brewer (2011), Tandon Doss (2011)

19–30
1995–2002
Ball Statecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program II
Bill Lynch moved Ball State from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 8 seasons.

3rd-best Ball State tenure of 10 by the numbers.

Followed Paul Schudel (1985–1994) · succeeded by Brady Hoke (2003–2008).

2 NFL Draft picks: Brad Maynard (1997), Cory Gilliard (1997)

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