The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Dave Puddington

Followed Leo Strang. Dave Puddington held Kent State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

9–21

1968–1970 · 1 stint

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.

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).

Kent State, 3 seasons

−5.4

Regional Program I → Regional 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.

Winless in 3 tries against Bill Hess.

One-score games

3–5

37.5% · margin ≤8

The toughest matchup

vs. Bill Hess0–3

3 meetings, 1968–1970

’68 L’69 L’70 L

0% 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

National Program

1–10 9.1%

Regional Program

5–9 35.7%

Coaching career

1968–1970

Kent Statecaretaker

Regional Program I → Regional Program I

Dave Puddington held Kent State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

4th-best Kent State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Leo Strang (1964–1967) · succeeded by Don James (1971–1974).

3 NFL Draft picks: Don Fitzgerald (1968), William Perry (1968), Jim Corrigall (1970)

9–21