The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Mike Holovak

Followed Denny Myers. Mike Holovak held Boston College at National Program II for 9 seasons.

49–29
1951–1959 · 1 stint
Boston College
← 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 careerBOSTON COLLEGENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelBoston College, 1951: 3-6, National Program II1951Boston College, 1952: 4-4, National Program III1952Boston College, 1953: 5-3, Regional Program I1953Boston College, 1954: 8-1, National Program III1954Boston College, 1955: 5-2, National Program III1955Boston College, 1956: 5-4, National Program III1956Boston College, 1957: 7-2, National Program II1957Boston College, 1958: 7-3, National Program II1958Boston College, 1959: 5-4, National Program II1959-0.7One 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).

Boston College, 9 seasons
−0.7
National Program II → 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.

Winless in 4 tries against Frank Howard.

One-score games
4–4–2
40.0% · margin ≤8
The toughest matchup
vs. Frank Howard0–3–1
4 meetings, 1951–1958
’51 L’52 L’53 T’58 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
0–7 0.0%
National Program
4–8 33.3%
Regional Program
10–3 76.9%

Coaching career

1951–1959
Boston Collegecaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Mike Holovak held Boston College at National Program II for 9 seasons.

13th-best Boston College tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Denny Myers (1941–1950) · succeeded by Ernest Hefferle (1960–1961).

49–29