The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Roy Lester

Followed Robert Ward. Roy Lester slid Maryland from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 3 seasons.

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1969–1971 · 1 stint

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.

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).

Maryland, 3 seasons

−6.0

Regional Program II → Regional 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.

Winless in 3 tries against Ben Schwartzwalder.

One-score games

4–7

36.4% · margin ≤8

The toughest matchup

vs. Ben Schwartzwalder0–3

3 meetings, 1969–1971

’69 L’70 L’71 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

Power Program

0–6 0.0%

National Program

1–10 9.1%

Regional Program

5–6 45.5%

Coaching career

1969–1971

Marylandcaretaker

Regional Program I → Regional Program II

Roy Lester slid Maryland from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 3 seasons.

17th-best Maryland tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Robert Ward (1967–1968) · succeeded by Jerry Claiborne (1972–1981).

1 NFL Draft pick: Roland Merritt (1970)

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