The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Wacker

Followed John Gutekunst. Jim Wacker held Minnesota at Regional Program II for 5 seasons.

The builder
56–97
1983–1996 · 2 stints
TCUMinnesota
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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 careerTCUMINNESOTARegional Programthe building-block levelTCU, 1983: 1-8, Regional Program IV1983TCU, 1984: 8-4, Regional Program III1984TCU, 1985: 3-8, Regional Program IV1985TCU, 1986: 3-8, Regional Program IV1986TCU, 1987: 5-6, Regional Program IV1987TCU, 1988: 4-7, Regional Program III1988TCU, 1989: 4-7, Regional Program III1989TCU, 1990: 5-6, Regional Program III1990TCU, 1991: 7-4, Regional Program III1991+5.6Minnesota, 1992: 2-9, Regional Program II1992Minnesota, 1993: 4-7, Regional Program III1993Minnesota, 1994: 3-8, Regional Program III1994Minnesota, 1995: 3-8, Regional Program III1995Minnesota, 1996: 4-7, Regional Program III1996-3.7One 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).

TCU, 9 seasons
+5.6
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III.
Minnesota, 5 seasons
−3.7
Regional Program II → 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.

9–17 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Jackie Sherrill.

Rivalry record
9–17
34.6% · 4 rivals
One-score games
17–25–2
38.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Baylor3–633%
SMU3–443%
Wisconsin2–340%
Iowa1–420%
The toughest matchup
vs. Jackie Sherrill0–6
6 meetings, 1983–1988
’83 L’84 L’85 L’86 L’87 L’88 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
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
7–43 14.0%
National Program
17–35 32.7%
Regional Program
26–15 63.4%

Coaching career

1992–1996
Minnesotacaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program II
Jim Wacker held Minnesota at Regional Program II for 5 seasons.

14th-best Minnesota tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed John Gutekunst (1986–1991) · succeeded by Glen Mason (1997–2006).

1 NFL Draft pick: Sean Lumpkin (1992)

16–39
1983–1991
TCUcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III
Jim Wacker moved TCU from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 9 seasons.

12th-best TCU tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed F. Dry (1977–1982) · succeeded by Pat Sullivan (1992–1997).

12 NFL Draft picks: Greg Townsend (1983), Darrell Patterson (1983), Kyle Clifton (1984), Robert Lyles (1984), Sean Thomas (1985), James Maness (1985), Kenneth Davis (1986), Mitchell Benson (1989) + 4 more

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