The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jerry Burns

Followed Forest Evashevski. Jerry Burns inherited a Power Program I Iowa and won with it.

16–27

1961–1965 · 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 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).

Iowa, 5 seasons

−11.7

Power Program I → Power Program III.

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.

2–8 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Jack Mollenkopf.

Rivalry record

2–8

20.0% · 2 rivals

One-score games

3–12–2

17.6% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

1–4

20.0%

Rivalry ledger

Wisconsin1–420%

Minnesota1–420%

The toughest matchupNemesis

vs. Jack Mollenkopf0–5

5 meetings, 1961–1965

’61 L’62 L’63 L’64 L’65 L

Performance by opponent class

Blue Blood

1–4 20.0%

Power Program

7–18 28.0%

National Program

2–3 40.0%

Regional Program

6–2 75.0%

Coaching career

1961–1965

Iowainheritor

Power Program I → Power Program I

Jerry Burns inherited a Power Program I Iowa and won with it.

2nd-best Iowa tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Forest Evashevski (1952–1960) · succeeded by Ray Nagel (1966–1970).

16–27