The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Paul Schudel

Followed Dwight Wallace. Paul Schudel held Ball State at Regional Program III for 10 seasons.

60–48
1985–1994 · 1 stint
Ball 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 careerBALL STATERegional Programthe building-block levelBall State, 1985: 4-7, Regional Program IV1985Ball State, 1986: 6-5, Regional Program IV1986Ball State, 1987: 4-7, Regional Program IV1987Ball State, 1988: 8-3, Regional Program III1988Ball State, 1989: 7-3, Regional Program III1989Ball State, 1990: 7-4, Regional Program III1990Ball State, 1991: 6-5, Regional Program III1991Ball State, 1992: 5-6, Regional Program III1992Ball State, 1993: 8-3, Regional Program III1993Ball State, 1994: 5-5, Regional Program III1994+0.4One 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).

Ball State, 10 seasons
+0.4
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III.

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.

4–0 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Gary Blackney.

Rivalry record
4–0
100.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
22–20–4
47.8% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Northern Illinois4–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Gary Blackney0–3–1
4 meetings, 1991–1994
’91 L’92 L’93 T’94 L
0% 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
Power Program
0–4 0.0%
National Program
1–6 14.3%
Regional Program
49–37 57.0%

Coaching career

1985–1994
Ball Statecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program III
Paul Schudel held Ball State at Regional Program III for 10 seasons.

4th-best Ball State tenure of 10 by the numbers.

Followed Dwight Wallace (1978–1984) · succeeded by Bill Lynch (1995–2002).

60–48