The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Dan Simrell

Followed Chuck Stobart. Dan Simrell held Toledo at Regional Program I for 8 seasons.

49–38
1982–1989 · 1 stint
Toledo
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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 careerTOLEDONational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelToledo, 1982: 6-5, Regional Program I1982Toledo, 1983: 9-2, Regional Program I1983Toledo, 1984: 8-3, Regional Program I1984Toledo, 1985: 4-7, Regional Program II1985Toledo, 1986: 7-4, Regional Program II1986Toledo, 1987: 3-7, Regional Program II1987Toledo, 1988: 6-5, Regional Program III1988Toledo, 1989: 6-5, Regional Program III1989-1.5One 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).

Toledo, 8 seasons
−1.5
Regional Program I → 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.

9–7 against his rivals. Just 1–2 against Al Molde.

Rivalry record
9–7
56.2% · 2 rivals
One-score games
23–12–2
62.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Northern Illinois4–450%
Bowling Green5–362%
The toughest matchup
vs. Al Molde1–2
3 meetings, 1987–1989
’87 L’88 L’89 W
33% 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
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
0–1 0.0%
National Program
6–6 50.0%
Regional Program
35–29 54.7%

Coaching career

1982–1989
Toledocaretaker
Regional Program I → Regional Program I
Dan Simrell held Toledo at Regional Program I for 8 seasons.

10th-best Toledo tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Chuck Stobart (1977–1981) · succeeded by Nick Saban (1990–1990).

2 NFL Draft picks: Jeff Jackson (1982), Brent Williams (1986)

49–38