The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jack Christiansen

Followed John Ralston. Jack Christiansen held Stanford at Power Program II for 5 seasons.

30–22
1972–1976 · 1 stint
Stanford
← all coaches

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 careerSTANFORDPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyStanford, 1972: 6-5, Power Program II1972Stanford, 1973: 7-4, Power Program II1973Stanford, 1974: 5-4, Power Program III1974Stanford, 1975: 6-4, Power Program III1975Stanford, 1976: 6-5, National Program I1976-6.9One 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).

Stanford, 5 seasons
−6.9
Power Program II → National Program I.

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.

3–2 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Bo Schembechler.

Rivalry record
3–2
60.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
15–8–3
57.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–4
20.0%
Rivalry ledger
California3–260%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bo Schembechler0–3–1
4 meetings, 1973–1976
’73 L’74 L’75 T’76 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
1–4 20.0%
Power Program
0–11 0.0%
National Program
15–3 83.3%
Regional Program
13–4 76.5%

Coaching career

1972–1976
Stanfordcaretaker
Power Program II → Power Program II
Jack Christiansen held Stanford at Power Program II for 5 seasons.

6th-best Stanford tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed John Ralston (1963–1971) · succeeded by Bill Walsh (1977–1994).

13 NFL Draft picks: Greg Sampson (1972), Jeff Siemon (1972), Pete Lazetich (1972), Jim Merlo (1973), Mike Askea (1973), Mike Boryla (1974), Jim Ferguson (1974), John Winesberry (1974) + 5 more

30–22