The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Ellis Rainsberger

Followed Vince Gibson. Ellis Rainsberger held Kansas State at Regional Program III for 3 seasons.

5–28

1975–1977 · 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).

Kansas State, 3 seasons

−2.8

Regional Program III → Regional Program IV.

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.

0–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Al Onofrio.

Rivalry record

0–3

0.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

2–7

22.2% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–2

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

Kansas0–30%

The toughest matchup

vs. Al Onofrio0–3

3 meetings, 1975–1977

’75 L’76 L’77 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

Dynasty

0–2 0.0%

Blue Blood

0–4 0.0%

Power Program

0–9 0.0%

National Program

2–12 14.3%

Regional Program

1–1 50.0%

Coaching career

1975–1977

Kansas Statecaretaker

Regional Program III → Regional Program III

Ellis Rainsberger held Kansas State at Regional Program III for 3 seasons.

8th-best Kansas State tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Vince Gibson (1967–1974) · succeeded by Jim Dickey (1978–1985).

2 NFL Draft picks: Steve Grogan (1975), Gary Spani (1978)

5–28