The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jack Harbaugh

Followed Elliot Uzelac. Jack Harbaugh slid Western Michigan from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

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1982–1986 · 1 stint
Western Michigan
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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 MICHIGANNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWestern Michigan, 1982: 7-2, Regional Program II1982Western Michigan, 1983: 6-5, Regional Program II1983Western Michigan, 1984: 5-6, Regional Program II1984Western Michigan, 1985: 4-6, Regional Program II1985Western Michigan, 1986: 3-8, Regional Program II1986-1.6One 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, 5 seasons
−1.6
Regional Program II → 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.

2–6 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Herb Deromedi.

Rivalry record
2–6–1
22.2% · 2 rivals
One-score games
8–13–2
34.8% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Central Michigan0–4–10%
Eastern Michigan2–250%
The toughest matchup
vs. Herb Deromedi0–4–1
5 meetings, 1982–1986
’82 T’83 L’84 L’85 L’86 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-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
3–8 27.3%
Regional Program
16–18 47.1%

Coaching career

1982–1986
Western Michigancaretaker
Regional Program I → Regional Program II
Jack Harbaugh slid Western Michigan from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

7th-best Western Michigan tenure of 10 by the numbers.

Followed Elliot Uzelac (1975–1981) · succeeded by Al Molde (1987–1996).

3 NFL Draft picks: Tom Toth (1985), John Offerdahl (1986), Mark Garalczyk (1987)

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