The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Steve Roberts

Followed Joe Hollis. Steve Roberts moved Arkansas State from Regional Program VI to Regional Program V in 9 seasons.

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2002–2010 · 1 stint
Arkansas 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 careerARKANSAS STATERegional Programthe building-block levelArkansas State, 2002: 6-7, Regional Program VI2002Arkansas State, 2003: 5-7, Regional Program VI2003Arkansas State, 2004: 3-8, Regional Program VI2004Arkansas State, 2005: 6-6, Regional Program VI2005Arkansas State, 2006: 6-6, Regional Program VI2006Arkansas State, 2007: 5-7, Regional Program V2007Arkansas State, 2008: 6-6, Regional Program V2008Arkansas State, 2009: 4-8, Regional Program V2009Arkansas State, 2010: 4-8, Regional Program V2010+4.8One 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).

Arkansas State, 9 seasons
+4.8
Regional Program VI → Regional Program V.

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.

5–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against David Cutcliffe.

Rivalry record
5–3
62.5% · 1 rival
One-score games
22–22
50.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
UL Monroe5–362%
The toughest matchup
vs. David Cutcliffe0–3
3 meetings, 2002–2004
’02 L’03 L’04 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
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
0–7 0.0%
National Program
1–14 6.7%
Regional Program
33–39 45.8%

Coaching career

2002–2010
Arkansas Statecaretaker
Regional Program VI → Regional Program V
Steve Roberts moved Arkansas State from Regional Program VI to Regional Program V in 9 seasons.

9th-best Arkansas State tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed Joe Hollis (1997–2001) · succeeded by Hugh Freeze (2011–2011).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Tackle from high school
100%
#198 of 223 stints
Grows D-line from high school
100%
#214 of 239 stints

6 NFL Draft picks: Corey Williams (2004), Oren O'Neal (2007), Tyrell Johnson (2008), David Johnson (2009), Alex Carrington (2010), Derek Newton (2011)

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