The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Harkema

Followed Mike Stock. Jim Harkema moved Eastern Michigan from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 10 seasons.

41–57
1983–1992 · 1 stint
Eastern 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 careerEASTERN MICHIGANRegional Programthe building-block levelEastern Michigan, 1983: 1-10, Regional Program V1983Eastern Michigan, 1984: 2-7, Regional Program V1984Eastern Michigan, 1985: 4-7, Regional Program V1985Eastern Michigan, 1986: 6-5, Regional Program V1986Eastern Michigan, 1987: 10-2, Regional Program IV1987Eastern Michigan, 1988: 6-3, Regional Program IV1988Eastern Michigan, 1989: 7-3, Regional Program IV1989Eastern Michigan, 1990: 2-9, Regional Program IV1990Eastern Michigan, 1991: 3-7, Regional Program IV1991Eastern Michigan, 1992: 0-4, Regional Program V1992+5.5One 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).

Eastern Michigan, 10 seasons
+5.5
Regional Program V → Regional Program V.

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.

7–9 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Dennis Stolz.

Rivalry record
7–9–2
38.9% · 2 rivals
One-score games
22–19–5
47.8% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Central Michigan1–6–211%
Western Michigan6–367%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dennis Stolz0–3
3 meetings, 1983–1985
’83 L’84 L’85 L
0% win rate across a real, 3-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
2–8 20.0%
Regional Program
32–39 45.1%

Coaching career

1983–1992
Eastern Michigancaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV
Jim Harkema moved Eastern Michigan from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 10 seasons.

4th-best Eastern Michigan tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Mike Stock (1978–1982) · succeeded by Ron Cooper (1993–1994).

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