The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Colletto

Followed Fred Akers. Jim Colletto moved Purdue from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

20–43
1991–1996 · 1 stint
Purdue
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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 careerPURDUENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelPurdue, 1991: 4-7, Regional Program III1991Purdue, 1992: 4-7, Regional Program III1992Purdue, 1993: 1-10, Regional Program III1993Purdue, 1994: 4-5, Regional Program III1994Purdue, 1995: 4-6, Regional Program II1995Purdue, 1996: 3-8, Regional Program II1996+3.7One 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).

Purdue, 6 seasons
+3.7
Regional Program III → 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.

2–4 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Lou Holtz.

Rivalry record
2–4
33.3% · 1 rival
One-score games
7–16–3
26.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–8
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Indiana2–433%
The toughest matchup
vs. Lou Holtz0–6
6 meetings, 1991–1996
’91 L’92 L’93 L’94 L’95 L’96 L
0% win rate across a real, 6-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
3–13 18.8%
National Program
7–14 33.3%
Regional Program
10–8 55.6%

Coaching career

1991–1996
Purduecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program II
Jim Colletto moved Purdue from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

19th-best Purdue tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Fred Akers (1987–1990) · succeeded by Joe Tiller (1997–2008).

5 NFL Draft picks: Steve Jackson (1991), Scott Conover (1991), Frank Kmet (1992), Jeff Zgonina (1993), Ryan Grigson (1995)

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