The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Donnie Duncan

Followed Earle Bruce. Donnie Duncan held Iowa State at National Program II for 4 seasons.

18–24
1979–1982 · 1 stint
Iowa State
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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 careerIOWA STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelIowa State, 1979: 3-8, National Program II1979Iowa State, 1980: 6-5, National Program II1980Iowa State, 1981: 5-5, National Program II1981Iowa State, 1982: 4-6, National Program III1982-5.2One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Iowa State, 4 seasons
−5.2
National Program II → National 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.

3–1 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Barry Switzer.

Rivalry record
3–1
75.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
4–8–2
28.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–8
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Iowa3–175%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Switzer0–3–1
4 meetings, 1979–1982
’79 L’80 L’81 T’82 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
Blue Blood
0–8 0.0%
Power Program
2–3 40.0%
National Program
6–7 46.2%
Regional Program
9–5 64.3%

Coaching career

1979–1982
Iowa Statecaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Donnie Duncan held Iowa State at National Program II for 4 seasons.

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

Followed Earle Bruce (1973–1978) · succeeded by Jim Criner (1983–1986).

5 NFL Draft picks: Mike Stensrud (1979), Kenny Neil (1981), Dwayne Crutchfield (1982), Dan Johnson (1982), Karl Nelson (1983)

18–24