The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bernie Crimmins

Followed Clyde Smith. Bernie Crimmins held Indiana at National Program III for 5 seasons.

13–32
1952–1956 · 1 stint
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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 careerINDIANANational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelIndiana, 1952: 2-7, National Program III1952Indiana, 1953: 2-7, National Program III1953Indiana, 1954: 3-6, National Program III1954Indiana, 1955: 3-6, Regional Program I1955Indiana, 1956: 3-6, Regional Program I1956-5.5One 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).

Indiana, 5 seasons
−5.5
National Program III → Regional Program I.

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.

0–5 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Forest Evashevski.

Rivalry record
0–5
0.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
7–10
41.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–11
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Purdue0–50%
The toughest matchupNemesis
5 meetings, 1952–1956
’52 W’53 L’54 L’55 L’56 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–11 0.0%
Power Program
1–5 16.7%
National Program
2–14 12.5%
Regional Program
5–1 83.3%

Coaching career

1952–1956
Indianacaretaker
National Program III → National Program III
Bernie Crimmins held Indiana at National Program III for 5 seasons.

6th-best Indiana tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Clyde Smith (1948–1951) · succeeded by Bob Hicks (1957–1957).

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