The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Ron Blackledge

Followed Dennis Fitzgerald. Ron Blackledge held Kent State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

8–25

1978–1980 · 1 stint

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.

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).

Kent State, 3 seasons

−9.7

Regional Program I → 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.

Winless in 3 tries against Dennis Stolz.

One-score games

5–4

55.6% · margin ≤8

The toughest matchup

vs. Dennis Stolz0–3

3 meetings, 1978–1980

’78 L’79 L’80 L

0% win rate across a real, 3-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

National Program

0–10 0.0%

Regional Program

7–13 35.0%

Coaching career

1978–1980

Kent Statecaretaker

Regional Program I → Regional Program I

Ron Blackledge held Kent State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

6th-best Kent State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Dennis Fitzgerald (1975–1977) · succeeded by Ed Chlebek (1981–1982).

1 NFL Draft pick: Mike Zele (1979)

8–25