The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Ike Armstrong

Ike Armstrong held Utah at Power Program II for 14 seasons.

78–38
1936–1949 · 1 stint
Utah
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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 careerUTAHPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyUtah, 1936: 6-3, Power Program II1936Utah, 1937: 5-3, Power Program II1937Utah, 1938: 7-1, Power Program II1938Utah, 1939: 6-1, Power Program II1939Utah, 1940: 7-2, Power Program III1940Utah, 1941: 6-0, Power Program III1941Utah, 1942: 6-3, Power Program III1942Utah, 1943: 0-7, National Program I1943Utah, 1944: 5-2, National Program I1944Utah, 1945: 4-4, National Program II1945Utah, 1946: 8-3, National Program II1946Utah, 1947: 8-1, National Program II1947Utah, 1948: 8-1, National Program I1948Utah, 1949: 2-7, National Program II1949+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Utah, 14 seasons
+0.0
Power Program II → National 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.

14–9 against his rivals. Just 1–2 against Frank Potts.

Rivalry record
14–9–3
53.8% · 2 rivals
One-score games
12–9–6
44.4% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Colorado6–8–140%
BYU8–1–273%
The toughest matchup
vs. Frank Potts1–2
3 meetings, 1940–1945
’40 W’44 L’45 L
33% 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
Power Program
1–5 16.7%
National Program
11–9 55.0%
Regional Program
44–7 86.3%

Coaching career

1936–1949
Utahcaretaker
Power Program II
Ike Armstrong held Utah at Power Program II for 14 seasons.

3rd-best Utah tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Jack Curtice (1950–1957).

78–38