The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Joe Novak

Followed Charlie Sadler. Joe Novak raised Northern Illinois from Regional Program V to Regional Program I.

63–76
1996–2007 · 1 stint
Northern Illinois
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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 careerNORTHERN ILLINOISNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelNorthern Illinois, 1996: 1-10, Regional Program V1996Northern Illinois, 1997: 0-11, Regional Program V1997Northern Illinois, 1998: 2-9, Regional Program V1998Northern Illinois, 1999: 5-6, Regional Program V1999Northern Illinois, 2000: 6-5, Regional Program V2000Northern Illinois, 2001: 6-5, Regional Program IV2001Northern Illinois, 2002: 8-4, Regional Program IV2002Northern Illinois, 2003: 10-2, Regional Program III2003Northern Illinois, 2004: 9-3, Regional Program II2004Northern Illinois, 2005: 7-5, Regional Program II2005Northern Illinois, 2006: 7-6, Regional Program I2006Northern Illinois, 2007: 2-10, Regional Program II2007+12.2One 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).

Northern Illinois, 12 seasons
+12.2
Regional Program V → 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.

8–14 against his rivals. Just 1–6 against Tom Amstutz.

Rivalry record
8–14
36.4% · 2 rivals
One-score games
19–23
45.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Toledo1–109%
Ball State7–464%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Tom Amstutz1–6
7 meetings, 2001–2007
’01 L’02 L’03 L’04 L’05 W’06 L’07 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
1–7 12.5%
National Program
4–15 21.1%
Regional Program
51–45 53.1%

Coaching career

1996–2007
Northern Illinoisbuilderborderline
Regional Program V → Regional Program I
Joe Novak raised Northern Illinois from Regional Program V to Regional Program I.

4th-best Northern Illinois tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Charlie Sadler (1991–1995) · succeeded by Jerry Kill (2008–2010).

6 NFL Draft picks: Ryan Diem (2001), Justin McCareins (2001), Darrell Hill (2002), Michael Turner (2004), Garrett Wolfe (2007), Doug Free (2007)

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