The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Mike O'Cain

Followed Dick Sheridan. Mike O'Cain held NC State at National Program I for 7 seasons.

41–40
1993–1999 · 1 stint
NC 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 careerNC STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelNC State, 1993: 7-5, National Program I1993NC State, 1994: 9-3, National Program II1994NC State, 1995: 3-8, National Program II1995NC State, 1996: 3-8, National Program II1996NC State, 1997: 6-5, National Program III1997NC State, 1998: 7-5, National Program II1998NC State, 1999: 6-6, National Program II1999-6.0One 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).

NC State, 7 seasons
−6.0
National Program I → 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.

1–9 against his rivals. Just 1–5 against George O'Leary.

Rivalry record
1–9
10.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
18–10
64.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–9
10.0%
Rivalry ledger
North Carolina0–70%
East Carolina1–233%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. George O'Leary1–5
6 meetings, 1994–1999
’94 W’95 L’96 L’97 L’98 L’99 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
1–9 10.0%
Power Program
5–12 29.4%
National Program
11–10 52.4%
Regional Program
20–8 71.4%

Coaching career

1993–1999
NC Statecaretaker
National Program I → National Program I
Mike O'Cain held NC State at National Program I for 7 seasons.

7th-best NC State tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Dick Sheridan (1986–1992) · succeeded by Chuck Amato (2000–2006).

17 NFL Draft picks: Mike Reid (1993), Sebastian Savage (1993), David Merritt (1993), Dewayne Washington (1994), Gary Downs (1994), George Hegamin (1994), Damien Covington (1995), William Strong (1995) + 9 more

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