The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Yeager

Jim Yeager slid Colorado from Power Program III to National Program I in 5 seasons.

The ascent
40–36
1937–1947 · 2 stints
Iowa StateColorado
← 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 careerIOWA STATECOLORADOPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelIowa State, 1937: 3-6, Regional Program III1937Iowa State, 1938: 7-1, Regional Program III1938Iowa State, 1939: 2-7, Regional Program III1939Iowa State, 1940: 4-5, Regional Program III1940-3.4Colorado, 1941: 3-4, National Program I1941Colorado, 1942: 7-2, National Program I1942Colorado, 1943: 5-2, National Program I1943Colorado, 1946: 5-4, National Program I1946Colorado, 1947: 4-5, National Program II1947-8.9One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 5th career season — faster than 14% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #547 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Iowa State, 4 seasons
−3.4
Regional Program III → Regional Program III.
Colorado, 5 seasons
−8.9
National Program I → National 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.

6–4 against his rivals. Just 1–7 against Don Faurot.

Rivalry record
6–4
60.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
13–6–2
61.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Utah2–433%
Colorado State4–0100%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Don Faurot1–7
8 meetings, 1937–1947
’37 L’38 W’39 L’40 L’41 L’42 L’46 L’47 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
1–10 9.1%
National Program
4–9 30.8%
Regional Program
23–8 74.2%

Coaching career

1941–1947
Coloradocaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Jim Yeager slid Colorado from Power Program III to National Program I in 5 seasons.

12th-best Colorado tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Dallas Ward (1948–1958).

24–17
1937–1940
Iowa Statecaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program III
Jim Yeager slid Iowa State from Regional Program II to Regional Program III in 4 seasons.

12th-best Iowa State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed George Veenker (1936–1936) · succeeded by Ray Donels (1941–1942).

16–19