The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jerry Berndt

Followed Bruce Arians. Jerry Berndt slid Temple from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 4 seasons.

The journeyman
18–69
1981–1992 · 3 stints
PennsylvaniaRiceTemple
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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 careerPENNSYLVANIARICETEMPLERegional Programthe building-block levelPennsylvania, 1981: 1-9, Regional Program V1981-1.4Rice, 1986: 4-7, Regional Program V1986Rice, 1987: 2-9, Regional Program V1987Rice, 1988: 0-11, Regional Program V1988+0.4Temple, 1989: 1-10, Regional Program II1989Temple, 1990: 7-4, Regional Program II1990Temple, 1991: 2-9, Regional Program III1991Temple, 1992: 1-10, Regional Program IV1992-9.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

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).

Rice, 3 seasons
+0.4
Regional Program V → Regional Program V.
Temple, 4 seasons
−9.3
Regional Program II → 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.

1–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Joe Paterno.

Rivalry record
1–3
25.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
10–12
45.5% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Houston1–233%
SMU0–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Joe Paterno0–4
4 meetings, 1989–1992
’89 L’90 L’91 L’92 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
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
1–23 4.2%
National Program
4–15 21.1%
Regional Program
7–17 29.2%

Coaching career

1989–1992
Templecaretaker
Regional Program I → Regional Program II
Jerry Berndt slid Temple from Regional Program I to Regional Program II in 4 seasons.

10th-best Temple tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Bruce Arians (1983–1988) · succeeded by Ron Dickerson (1993–1997).

11–33
1986–1988
Ricecaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program V
Jerry Berndt held Rice at Regional Program V for 3 seasons.

15th-best Rice tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Watson Brown (1984–1985) · succeeded by Fred Goldsmith (1989–1993).

1 NFL Draft pick: Courtney Hall (1989)

6–27
1981–1981
Pennsylvaniacaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program V
Jerry Berndt slid Pennsylvania from Regional Program IV to Regional Program V in 1 season.

4th-best Pennsylvania tenure of 4 by the numbers.

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