The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bunny Oakes

Followed Okie Blanchard. Bunny Oakes slid Wyoming from Regional Program V to Regional Program VI in 3 seasons.

Peak, then fade
26–31
1936–1946 · 2 stints
ColoradoWyoming
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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 careerCOLORADOWYOMINGPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelColorado, 1936: 4-3, Power Program III1936Colorado, 1937: 8-1, Power Program III1937Colorado, 1938: 3-4, Power Program III1938Colorado, 1939: 5-3, Power Program III1939+0.0Wyoming, 1941: 2-7, Regional Program VI1941Wyoming, 1942: 3-5, Regional Program VI1942Wyoming, 1946: 1-8, Regional Program VI1946-1.4One 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).

Colorado, 4 seasons
+0.0
Power Program III → Power Program III.
Wyoming, 3 seasons
−1.4
Regional Program VI → Regional Program VI.

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.

7–3 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against E. Lowell Romney.

Rivalry record
7–3–1
63.6% · 2 rivals
One-score games
7–5–1
53.8% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Colorado State4–357%
Utah3–0–175%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. E. Lowell Romney1–4
5 meetings, 1938–1946
’38 L’39 L’41 W’42 L’46 L
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
3–3 50.0%
National Program
1–7 12.5%
Regional Program
11–12 47.8%

Coaching career

1941–1946
Wyomingcaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program VI
Bunny Oakes slid Wyoming from Regional Program V to Regional Program VI in 3 seasons.

22nd-best Wyoming tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Okie Blanchard (1940–1940) · succeeded by Bowden Wyatt (1947–1952).

6–20
1936–1939
Coloradocaretaker
Power Program III
Bunny Oakes held Colorado at Power Program III for 4 seasons.

5th-best Colorado tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Frank Potts (1940–1945).

20–11