The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Mike Sanford Sr.

Followed John Robinson. Mike Sanford Sr. slid UNLV from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

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2005–2009 · 1 stint
UNLV
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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 careerUNLVRegional Programthe building-block levelUNLV, 2005: 2-9, Regional Program IV2005UNLV, 2006: 2-10, Regional Program IV2006UNLV, 2007: 2-10, Regional Program IV2007UNLV, 2008: 5-7, Regional Program IV2008UNLV, 2009: 5-7, Regional Program IV2009-4.0One 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).

UNLV, 5 seasons
−4.0
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.

1–7 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Chris Ault.

Rivalry record
1–7
12.5% · 2 rivals
One-score games
10–15
40.0% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Nevada0–50%
Hawai'i1–233%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Chris Ault0–5
5 meetings, 2005–2009
’05 L’06 L’07 L’08 L’09 L
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
1–11 8.3%
National Program
1–9 10.0%
Regional Program
12–23 34.3%

Coaching career

2005–2009
UNLVcaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program IV
Mike Sanford Sr. slid UNLV from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

8th-best UNLV tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed John Robinson (1999–2004) · succeeded by Bobby Hauck (2010–2014).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Interior line from high school
100%
#198 of 224 stints

6 NFL Draft picks: Adam Seward (2005), Ryan Claridge (2005), Eric Wright (2007), Beau Bell (2008), Frank Summers (2009), Joseph Hawley (2010)

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