The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Dickey

Followed Ellis Rainsberger. Jim Dickey moved Kansas State from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 8 seasons.

24–54
1978–1985 · 1 stint
Kansas State
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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 careerKANSAS STATERegional Programthe building-block levelKansas State, 1978: 4-7, Regional Program IV1978Kansas State, 1979: 3-8, Regional Program IV1979Kansas State, 1980: 3-8, Regional Program III1980Kansas State, 1981: 2-9, Regional Program III1981Kansas State, 1982: 6-5, Regional Program III1982Kansas State, 1983: 3-8, Regional Program IV1983Kansas State, 1984: 3-7, Regional Program IV1984Kansas State, 1985: 0-2, Regional Program IV1985+0.8One 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).

Kansas State, 8 seasons
+0.8
Regional Program IV → 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.

3–4 against his rivals. Winless in 7 tries against Barry Switzer.

Rivalry record
3–4
42.9% · 1 rival
One-score games
6–11–2
31.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–12
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Kansas3–443%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Switzer0–7
7 meetings, 1978–1984
’78 L’79 L’80 L’81 L’82 L’83 L’84 L
0% win rate across a real, 7-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
Blue Blood
0–12 0.0%
Power Program
2–13 13.3%
National Program
8–18 30.8%
Regional Program
9–8 52.9%

Coaching career

1978–1985
Kansas Statecaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III
Jim Dickey moved Kansas State from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 8 seasons.

10th-best Kansas State tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Ellis Rainsberger (1975–1977) · succeeded by Stan Parrish (1986–1988).

4 NFL Draft picks: Gary Spani (1978), Dan Manucci (1979), Steve Clark (1981), Eugene Goodlow (1982)

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