The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Wayne Howard

Followed Tom Lovat. Wayne Howard moved Utah from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 5 seasons.

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1977–1981 · 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).

Utah, 5 seasons

+3.6

Regional Program IV → Regional Program I.

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.

1–4 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against LaVell Edwards.

Rivalry record

1–4

20.0% · 1 rival

One-score games

9–4–2

60.0% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–2

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

BYU1–420%

The toughest matchup

vs. LaVell Edwards1–4

5 meetings, 1977–1981

’77 L’78 W’79 L’80 L’81 L

20% 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

Blue Blood

0–2 0.0%

Power Program

0–10 0.0%

National Program

7–6 53.8%

Regional Program

17–5 77.3%

Coaching career

1977–1981

Utahcaretaker

Regional Program III → Regional Program I

Wayne Howard moved Utah from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 5 seasons.

13th-best Utah tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Tom Lovat (1974–1976) · succeeded by Chuck Stobart (1982–1984).

5 NFL Draft picks: Dean Miraldi (1981), Jeff Griffin (1981), Darryl Haley (1982), Del Rodgers (1982), Jack Campbell (1982)

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