The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Elliot Uzelac

Followed Gary Tranquill. Elliot Uzelac slid Navy from Regional Program II to Regional Program III in 3 seasons.

The journeyman
46–64
1975–1989 · 2 stints
Western MichiganNavy
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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 careerWESTERN MICHIGANNAVYNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWestern Michigan, 1975: 1-10, Regional Program III1975Western Michigan, 1976: 7-4, Regional Program III1976Western Michigan, 1977: 4-7, Regional Program II1977Western Michigan, 1978: 7-4, Regional Program II1978Western Michigan, 1979: 6-5, Regional Program II1979Western Michigan, 1980: 7-4, Regional Program II1980Western Michigan, 1981: 6-5, Regional Program I1981+1.0Navy, 1987: 2-9, Regional Program III1987Navy, 1988: 3-8, Regional Program III1988Navy, 1989: 3-8, Regional Program III1989-4.4One 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).

Western Michigan, 7 seasons
+1.0
Regional Program III → Regional Program I.
Navy, 3 seasons
−4.4
Regional Program III → 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.

8–11 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Dick Crum.

Rivalry record
8–11
42.1% · 4 rivals
One-score games
9–18
33.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Central Michigan1–614%
Eastern Michigan6–0100%
Air Force0–30%
Army1–233%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dick Crum0–4
4 meetings, 1975–1987
’75 L’76 L’77 L’87 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
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
0–10 0.0%
National Program
10–28 26.3%
Regional Program
28–16 63.6%

Coaching career

1987–1989
Navycaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program III
Elliot Uzelac slid Navy from Regional Program II to Regional Program III in 3 seasons.

16th-best Navy tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Gary Tranquill (1982–1986) · succeeded by George Chaump (1990–1994).

8–25
1975–1981
Western Michigancaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program II
Elliot Uzelac held Western Michigan at Regional Program II for 7 seasons.

5th-best Western Michigan tenure of 10 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Doolittle (1964–1974) · succeeded by Jack Harbaugh (1982–1986).

38–39