The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Neil Wheelwright

Followed Edward Doherty. Neil Wheelwright moved Holy Cross from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

The journeyman
61–72
1968–1980 · 2 stints
ColgateHoly Cross
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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 careerCOLGATEHOLY CROSSRegional Programthe building-block levelColgate, 1968: 5-5, Regional Program IV1968Colgate, 1969: 5-3, Regional Program IV1969Colgate, 1970: 5-6, Regional Program IV1970Colgate, 1971: 6-4, Regional Program IV1971Colgate, 1972: 5-4, Regional Program IV1972Colgate, 1973: 5-5, Regional Program IV1973Colgate, 1974: 4-6, Regional Program IV1974Colgate, 1975: 6-4, Regional Program IV1975-2.1Holy Cross, 1976: 3-8, Regional Program V1976Holy Cross, 1977: 2-9, Regional Program V1977Holy Cross, 1978: 7-4, Regional Program V1978Holy Cross, 1979: 5-6, Regional Program IV1979Holy Cross, 1980: 3-8, Regional Program IV1980+0.6One 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).

Colgate, 8 seasons
−2.1
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV.
Holy Cross, 5 seasons
+0.6
Regional Program V → 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.

Just 1–4 against Frank Burns.

One-score games
9–6–1
56.2% · margin ≤8
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Frank Burns1–4
5 meetings, 1973–1979
’73 W’74 L’75 L’78 L’79 L
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
0–1 0.0%
National Program
7–11 38.9%
Regional Program
10–18 35.7%

Coaching career

1976–1980
Holy Crosscaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV
Neil Wheelwright moved Holy Cross from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

4th-best Holy Cross tenure of 4 by the numbers.

Followed Edward Doherty (1971–1975).

20–35
1968–1975
Colgatecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program IV
Neil Wheelwright slid Colgate from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 8 seasons.

4th-best Colgate tenure of 4 by the numbers.

Followed Hal Lahar (1952–1967).

1 NFL Draft pick: Mark van Eeghen (1974)

41–37