The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bump Elliott

Followed Bennie Oosterbaan. Bump Elliott inherited a Power Program I Michigan and won with it.

51–42
1959–1968 · 1 stint
Michigan
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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 careerMICHIGANPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyMichigan, 1959: 4-5, Power Program II1959Michigan, 1960: 5-4, Power Program III1960Michigan, 1961: 6-3, Power Program III1961Michigan, 1962: 2-7, Power Program III1962Michigan, 1963: 3-4, Power Program III1963Michigan, 1964: 9-1, Power Program II1964Michigan, 1965: 4-6, Power Program II1965Michigan, 1966: 6-4, Power Program II1966Michigan, 1967: 4-6, Power Program II1967Michigan, 1968: 8-2, Power Program II1968-1.0One 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).

Michigan, 10 seasons
−1.0
Power Program II → Power 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.

5–14 against his rivals. Just 1–5 against Jack Mollenkopf.

Rivalry record
5–14–1
25.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
16–18–2
44.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
2–9
18.2%
Rivalry ledger
Michigan State2–7–120%
Ohio State3–730%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Jack Mollenkopf1–5
6 meetings, 1961–1966
’61 W’62 L’63 L’64 L’65 L’66 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
2–9 18.2%
Power Program
19–22 46.3%
National Program
22–8 73.3%
Regional Program
8–3 72.7%

Coaching career

1959–1968
Michiganinheritor
Power Program I → Power Program II
Bump Elliott inherited a Power Program I Michigan and won with it.

11th-best Michigan tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Bennie Oosterbaan (1948–1958) · succeeded by Bo Schembechler (1969–1989).

51–42