The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Phil Dickens

Followed Bob Hicks. Phil Dickens moved Indiana from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 7 seasons.

Peak, then fade
49–52
1953–1964 · 2 stints
WyomingIndiana
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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 careerWYOMINGINDIANANational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWyoming, 1953: 5-4, Regional Program I1953Wyoming, 1954: 6-4, Regional Program I1954Wyoming, 1955: 8-3, National Program III1955Wyoming, 1956: 10-0, National Program III1956+4.3Indiana, 1958: 5-3, Regional Program III1958Indiana, 1959: 4-4, Regional Program II1959Indiana, 1960: 1-8, Regional Program III1960Indiana, 1961: 2-7, Regional Program III1961Indiana, 1962: 3-6, Regional Program III1962Indiana, 1963: 3-6, Regional Program II1963Indiana, 1964: 2-7, Regional Program I1964+4.1One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 3rd career season — faster than 25% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #454 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Wyoming, 4 seasons
+4.3
Regional Program I → National Program III.
Indiana, 7 seasons
+4.1
Regional Program III → Regional Program I.

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.

4–6 against his rivals. Winless in 7 tries against Woody Hayes.

Rivalry record
4–6–1
36.4% · 2 rivals
One-score games
20–24–2
43.5% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–10
9.1%
Rivalry ledger
Purdue1–5–114%
Colorado State3–175%
The toughest matchup
vs. Woody Hayes0–6–1
7 meetings, 1958–1964
’58 L’59 T’60 L’61 L’62 L’63 L’64 L
0% win rate across a real, 7-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
Blue Blood
1–10 9.1%
Power Program
7–18 28.0%
National Program
11–17 39.3%
Regional Program
21–6 77.8%

Coaching career

1958–1964
Indianacaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program I
Phil Dickens moved Indiana from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 7 seasons.

8th-best Indiana tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Bob Hicks (1957–1957) · succeeded by John Pont (1965–1972).

20–41
1953–1956
Wyomingcaretaker
Regional Program I → National Program III
Phil Dickens moved Wyoming from Regional Program I to National Program III in 4 seasons.

4th-best Wyoming tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Bowden Wyatt (1947–1952) · succeeded by Bob Devaney (1957–1961).

29–11