The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Rick Rasnick

Followed Ron Cooper. Rick Rasnick moved Eastern Michigan from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

20–35
1995–1999 · 1 stint
Eastern Michigan
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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 careerEASTERN MICHIGANRegional Programthe building-block levelEastern Michigan, 1995: 6-5, Regional Program V1995Eastern Michigan, 1996: 3-8, Regional Program V1996Eastern Michigan, 1997: 4-7, Regional Program IV1997Eastern Michigan, 1998: 3-8, Regional Program IV1998Eastern Michigan, 1999: 4-7, Regional Program IV1999+5.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Eastern Michigan, 5 seasons
+5.0
Regional Program V → 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.

3–7 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Gary Darnell.

Rivalry record
3–7
30.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
9–12
42.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Central Michigan2–340%
Western Michigan1–420%
The toughest matchup
vs. Gary Darnell0–3
3 meetings, 1997–1999
’97 L’98 L’99 L
0% 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
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
0–2 0.0%
National Program
0–6 0.0%
Regional Program
20–25 44.4%

Coaching career

1995–1999
Eastern Michigancaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV
Rick Rasnick moved Eastern Michigan from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

5th-best Eastern Michigan tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Ron Cooper (1993–1994) · succeeded by Jeff Woodruff (2000–2003).

2 NFL Draft picks: Charlie Batch (1998), L.J. Shelton (1999)

20–35