The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Alton Kircher

Followed Forest Evashevski. Alton Kircher held Washington State at National Program III for 4 seasons.

13–25

1952–1955 · 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 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).

Washington State, 4 seasons

−4.2

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.

2–2 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Jess Hill.

Rivalry record

2–2

50.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

4–4–2

40.0% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–1

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

Washington2–250%

The toughest matchup

vs. Jess Hill0–4

4 meetings, 1952–1955

’52 L’53 L’54 L’55 L

0% 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

Blue Blood

0–1 0.0%

Power Program

0–12 0.0%

National Program

5–4 55.6%

Regional Program

3–6 33.3%

Coaching career

1952–1955

Washington Statecaretaker

National Program III → National Program III

Alton Kircher held Washington State at National Program III for 4 seasons.

6th-best Washington State tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Forest Evashevski (1950–1951) · succeeded by Jim Sutherland (1956–1963).

13–25