The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Lon Stiner

Lon Stiner held Oregon State at National Program I for 11 seasons.

59–37
1936–1948 · 1 stint
Oregon 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 careerOREGON STATEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOregon State, 1936: 4-6, National Program III1936Oregon State, 1937: 3-3, National Program II1937Oregon State, 1938: 5-3, National Program II1938Oregon State, 1939: 9-1, National Program II1939Oregon State, 1940: 5-3, National Program II1940Oregon State, 1941: 8-2, National Program I1941Oregon State, 1942: 4-5, National Program I1942Oregon State, 1945: 4-4, National Program II1945Oregon State, 1946: 7-1, National Program II1946Oregon State, 1947: 5-5, National Program II1947Oregon State, 1948: 5-4, National Program II1948+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Oregon State, 11 seasons
+0.0
National Program III → National 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.

9–3 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Howard Jones.

Rivalry record
9–3
75.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
19–11–11
46.3% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Oregon9–375%
The toughest matchup
vs. Howard Jones0–3–2
5 meetings, 1936–1940
’36 L’37 T’38 L’39 L’40 T
0% win rate across a real, 5-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
Power Program
13–17 43.3%
National Program
20–17 54.1%
Regional Program
8–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1936–1948
Oregon Statecaretaker
National Program I
Lon Stiner held Oregon State at National Program I for 11 seasons.

3rd-best Oregon State tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Kip Taylor (1949–1954).

59–37