The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Lynn Stiles

Followed Darryl Rogers. Lynn Stiles moved San José State from Regional Program I to National Program III in 3 seasons.

18–16
1976–1978 · 1 stint
San José State
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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 careerSAN JOSÉ STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSan José State, 1976: 7-4, National Program III1976San José State, 1977: 4-7, National Program III1977San José State, 1978: 7-5, National Program III1978+1.2One 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).

San José State, 3 seasons
+1.2
National Program III → National 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.

Just 1–2 against Bruce Snyder.

One-score games
0–4
0.0% · margin ≤8
The toughest matchup
vs. Bruce Snyder1–2
3 meetings, 1976–1978
’76 W’77 L’78 L
33% win rate across a real, 3-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
Power Program
0–4 0.0%
National Program
0–5 0.0%
Regional Program
5–5 50.0%

Coaching career

1976–1978
San José Statecaretaker
Regional Program I → National Program III
Lynn Stiles moved San José State from Regional Program I to National Program III in 3 seasons.

5th-best San José State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Darryl Rogers (1973–1975) · succeeded by Jack Elway (1979–1983).

6 NFL Draft picks: Kim Bokamper (1976), Carl Ekern (1976), Wilson Faumuina (1977), Rick Kane (1977), Gerald Small (1978), Frank Manumaleuga (1979)

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