The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Lambright

Followed Don James. Jim Lambright inherited a Power Program I Washington and won with it.

44–25
1993–1998 · 1 stint
Washington
← all coaches

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 careerWASHINGTONBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderWashington, 1993: 7-4, Power Program I1993Washington, 1994: 7-4, Power Program I1994Washington, 1995: 7-4, Power Program I1995Washington, 1996: 9-3, Power Program I1996Washington, 1997: 8-4, Power Program I1997Washington, 1998: 6-6, Power Program I1998-6.4One 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).

Washington, 6 seasons
−6.4
Power Program I → Power Program I.

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.

6–6 against his rivals. Just 1–3 against Mike Bellotti.

Rivalry record
6–6
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
10–9–1
50.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Oregon2–433%
Washington State4–267%
The toughest matchup
vs. Mike Bellotti1–3
4 meetings, 1995–1998
’95 L’96 W’97 L’98 L
25% 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
0–2 0.0%
Blue Blood
1–3 25.0%
Power Program
14–11 56.0%
National Program
17–9 65.4%
Regional Program
12–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1993–1998
Washingtoninheritor
Power Program I → Power Program I
Jim Lambright inherited a Power Program I Washington and won with it.

2nd-best Washington tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Don James (1975–1992) · succeeded by Rick Neuheisel (1999–2002).

27 NFL Draft picks: Lincoln Kennedy (1993), Billy Joe Hobert (1993), Jaime Fields (1993), Mark Brunell (1993), Dave Hoffmann (1993), Darius Turner (1993), Pete Pierson (1994), Napoleon Kaufman (1995) + 19 more

44–25