The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Lee Owens

Followed Gerry Faust. Lee Owens held Akron at Regional Program IV for 9 seasons.

40–61
1995–2003 · 1 stint
Akron
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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 careerAKRONRegional Programthe building-block levelAkron, 1995: 2-9, Regional Program V1995Akron, 1996: 4-7, Regional Program V1996Akron, 1997: 2-9, Regional Program V1997Akron, 1998: 4-7, Regional Program V1998Akron, 1999: 7-4, Regional Program V1999Akron, 2000: 6-5, Regional Program IV2000Akron, 2001: 4-7, Regional Program IV2001Akron, 2002: 4-8, Regional Program IV2002Akron, 2003: 7-5, Regional Program IV2003+3.5One 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).

Akron, 9 seasons
+3.5
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.

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.

12–2 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Rick Rasnick.

Rivalry record
12–2
85.7% · 2 rivals
One-score games
16–17
48.5% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Kent State7–278%
Buffalo5–0100%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Rick Rasnick1–4
5 meetings, 1995–1999
’95 L’96 L’97 L’98 W’99 L
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
1–8 11.1%
National Program
1–16 5.9%
Regional Program
34–35 49.3%

Coaching career

1995–2003
Akroncaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV
Lee Owens held Akron at Regional Program IV for 9 seasons.

4th-best Akron tenure of 9 by the numbers.

Followed Gerry Faust (1987–1994) · succeeded by J.D. Brookhart (2004–2009).

3 NFL Draft picks: Jason Taylor (1997), Dwight Smith (2001), Jake Schifino (2002)

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