The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Brian Burke

Followed Bob Kappes. Brian Burke slid Ohio from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

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1979–1984 · 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 careerOHIORegional Programthe building-block levelOhio, 1979: 6-5, Regional Program III1979Ohio, 1980: 6-5, Regional Program II1980Ohio, 1981: 5-6, Regional Program II1981Ohio, 1982: 6-5, Regional Program III1982Ohio, 1983: 4-7, Regional Program IV1983Ohio, 1984: 4-6, Regional Program IV1984-1.1One 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).

Ohio, 6 seasons
−1.1
Regional Program III → Regional Program IV.

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.

5–1 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Bill Mallory.

Rivalry record
5–1
83.3% · 1 rival
One-score games
12–10–1
52.2% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Miami (OH)5–183%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bill Mallory0–4
4 meetings, 1980–1983
’80 L’81 L’82 L’83 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
National Program
9–13 40.9%
Regional Program
19–21 47.5%

Coaching career

1979–1984
Ohiocaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program II
Brian Burke slid Ohio from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

6th-best Ohio tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Bob Kappes (1978–1978) · succeeded by Cleve Bryant (1985–1989).

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