The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Lou Little

Lou Little held Columbia at National Program II for 21 seasons.

72–104
1936–1956 · 1 stint
Columbia
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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 careerCOLUMBIANational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelColumbia, 1936: 5-3, National Program III1936Columbia, 1937: 2-5, National Program IIIColumbia, 1938: 3-6, National Program IIIColumbia, 1939: 2-4, National Program IIIColumbia, 1940: 5-2, National Program IIIColumbia, 1941: 3-5, National Program IIIColumbia, 1942: 3-6, National Program IIIColumbia, 1943: 0-8, Regional Program IIColumbia, 1944: 2-6, Regional Program IIColumbia, 1945: 8-1, Regional Program IColumbia, 1946: 6-3, National Program IIIColumbia, 1947: 7-2, National Program IIColumbia, 1948: 4-5, National Program IIColumbia, 1949: 2-7, National Program IIIColumbia, 1950: 4-5, National Program IIIColumbia, 1951: 5-3, National Program IIIColumbia, 1952: 2-6, Regional Program IColumbia, 1953: 4-5, Regional Program IColumbia, 1954: 1-8, Regional Program IIIColumbia, 1955: 1-8, Regional Program IVColumbia, 1956: 3-6, Regional Program IV1956+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Columbia, 21 seasons
+0.0
National Program III → 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.

Winless in 13 tries against George Munger.

One-score games
16–28–7
31.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–4
20.0%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. George Munger0–13
13 meetings, 1938–1952
’38 L’41 L’42 L’43 L’44 L’45 L’46 L’47 L’48 L’49 L’50 L’51 L’52 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
1–4 20.0%
Power Program
4–10 28.6%
National Program
20–55 26.7%
Regional Program
12–20 37.5%

Coaching career

1936–1956
Columbiacaretaker
National Program II
Lou Little held Columbia at National Program II for 21 seasons.

1st-best Columbia tenure of 2 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Aldo Donelli (1957–1967).

72–104