The Zeitgeist List · coaching

John Jardine

Followed John Coatta. John Jardine moved Wisconsin from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 8 seasons.

37–47
1970–1977 · 1 stint
Wisconsin
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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 careerWISCONSINNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWisconsin, 1970: 4-5, Regional Program III1970Wisconsin, 1971: 4-6, Regional Program III1971Wisconsin, 1972: 4-7, Regional Program III1972Wisconsin, 1973: 4-7, Regional Program III1973Wisconsin, 1974: 7-4, Regional Program II1974Wisconsin, 1975: 4-6, Regional Program I1975Wisconsin, 1976: 5-6, Regional Program I1976Wisconsin, 1977: 5-6, Regional Program II1977+8.0One 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).

Wisconsin, 8 seasons
+8.0
Regional Program III → Regional 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.

8–10 against his rivals. Winless in 8 tries against Woody Hayes.

Rivalry record
8–10
44.4% · 3 rivals
One-score games
10–18–3
32.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–9
10.0%
Rivalry ledger
Iowa4–450%
Minnesota3–538%
Nebraska1–150%
The toughest matchup
vs. Woody Hayes0–8
8 meetings, 1970–1977
’70 L’71 L’72 L’73 L’74 L’75 L’76 L’77 L
0% win rate across a real, 8-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
1–9 10.0%
Power Program
3–18 14.3%
National Program
7–9 43.8%
Regional Program
24–11 68.6%

Coaching career

1970–1977
Wisconsincaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program I
John Jardine moved Wisconsin from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 8 seasons.

13th-best Wisconsin tenure of 14 by the numbers.

Followed John Coatta (1967–1969) · succeeded by Dave McClain (1978–1985).

6 NFL Draft picks: Bill Gregory (1971), Lance Moon (1972), Mike Webster (1974), Dennis Lick (1976), Steve Wagner (1976), Terry Stieve (1976)

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