The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Tom Amstutz

Followed Gary Pinkel. Tom Amstutz moved Toledo from Regional Program I to National Program III in 8 seasons.

58–41
2001–2008 · 1 stint
Toledo
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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 careerTOLEDONational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelToledo, 2001: 10-2, National Program III2001Toledo, 2002: 9-5, National Program III2002Toledo, 2003: 8-4, National Program III2003Toledo, 2004: 9-4, National Program III2004Toledo, 2005: 9-3, National Program III2005Toledo, 2006: 5-7, National Program III2006Toledo, 2007: 5-7, Regional Program I2007Toledo, 2008: 3-9, Regional Program II2008+2.9One 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).

Toledo, 8 seasons
+2.9
National Program III → Regional 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.

10–6 against his rivals. Just 1–3 against Bill Cubit.

Rivalry record
10–6
62.5% · 2 rivals
One-score games
18–10
64.3% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Northern Illinois6–275%
Bowling Green4–450%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bill Cubit1–3
4 meetings, 2005–2008
’05 W’06 L’07 L’08 L
25% win rate across a real, 4-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
1–3 25.0%
National Program
6–10 37.5%
Regional Program
46–27 63.0%

Coaching career

2001–2008
Toledocaretaker
Regional Program I → National Program III
Tom Amstutz moved Toledo from Regional Program I to National Program III in 8 seasons.

6th-best Toledo tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Gary Pinkel (1991–2000) · succeeded by Tim Beckman (2009–2010).

6 NFL Draft picks: Chester Taylor (2002), Carl Ford (2003), Nick Kaczur (2005), Bruce Gradkowski (2006), John Greco (2008), Jalen Parmele (2008)

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