Earle Bruce
Earle Bruce went 154–90–2 as a head coach, 1972–1992, at Tampa, Iowa State, Ohio State, Northern Iowa and Colorado State. Share
Two seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1972 at Tampa; 1988 at Northern Iowa. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 154–90–2 career
- Seasons
- 21
- Schools
- 5
- Final AP top 10
- 3 seasons
- Hall of Fame
- 2002 inducted
- Best season
- 1979 11–1, No. 4
Season by season
10
4
4
4
198
8
8
411
159
159
129
99
139
149
710
6
5
5
9
3
5
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Tampa * | 10–2 | Tangerine W | |||
| 1973 | Iowa State | 4–7 | T–6th | |||
| 1974 | Iowa State | 4–7 | 6th | |||
| 1975 | Iowa State | 4–7 | 7th | |||
| 1976 | Iowa State | 8–3 | T–4th | 19 | ||
| 1977 | Iowa State | 8–4 | T–2nd | Peach Bowl L | ||
| 1978 | Iowa State | 8–4 | T–3rd | Hall of Fame Classic L | ||
| 1979 | Ohio State | 11–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl L | 4 | |
| 1980 | Ohio State | 9–3 | T–2nd | Fiesta Bowl L | 15 | |
| 1981 | Ohio State | 9–3 | T–1st | Liberty Bowl W | 15 | |
| 1982 | Ohio State | 9–3 | 2nd | Holiday Bowl W | 12 | |
| 1983 | Ohio State | 9–3 | 4th | Fiesta Bowl W | 9 | |
| 1984 | Ohio State | 9–3 | 1st | Rose Bowl L | 13 | |
| 1985 | Ohio State | 9–3 | T–4th | Citrus Bowl W | 14 | |
| 1986 | Ohio State | 10–3 | T–1st | Cotton Bowl W | 7 | |
| 1987 | Ohio State | 6–4–1 | 5th | |||
| 1988 | Northern Iowa * | 5–6 | 4th | |||
| 1989 | Colorado State | 5–5–1 | T–5th | |||
| 1990 | Colorado State | 9–4 | 2nd | Freedom Bowl W | ||
| 1991 | Colorado State | 3–8 | T–8th | |||
| 1992 | Colorado State | 5–7 | T–7th |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
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Art SchlichterFourth in the 1979 Heisman vote- Ken FritzConsensus All‑American, 1979
- Marcus MarekConsensus All‑American, 1982
- Tom TupaConsensus All‑American, 1987
- William RobertsNo. 27 pick, 1984
- Eric KumerowNo. 16 pick, 1988
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 58 | 20–37–1 | 35% |
| Against top-10 teams | 26 | 8–17–1 | 33% |
| Against rivals | 49 | 26–23 | 53% |
| Conference games | 146 | 90–56 | 62% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 11 | 6–5 | 55% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 84 | 43–39–2 | 52% |
| At home | 111 | 78–32–1 | 71% |
| On the road | 100 | 55–44–1 | 56% |
| At neutral sites | 12 | 6–6 | 50% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 137 | 106–31 | 77% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 86 | 33–51–2 | 40% |
His own 223 games on file, 1973–1992, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bo Schembechler 1979–1987 | 5–4 | Michigan | 9 | |
| Bill Mallory 1974–1987 | 4–5 | Colorado, Indiana | 9 | |
| Mike White 1980–1987 | 6–2 | Illinois | 8 | |
| Hayden Fry 1979–1987 | 5–2 | Iowa | 7 | |
| LaVell Edwards 1973–1991 | 4–3 | BYU | 7 | |
| Dave McClain 1979–1985 | 3–4 | Wisconsin | 7 | |
| Tom Osborne 1973–1991 | 2–5 | Nebraska | 7 | |
| Barry Switzer 1973–1983 | 1–6 | Oklahoma | 7 | |
| Jim Stanley 1973–1978 | 3–3 | Oklahoma State | 6 | |
| Dennis Green 1981–1985 | 5–0 | Northwestern | 5 |
Earle Bruce’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Coloradoseries | 10 | 3–7 |
| Indianaseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Minnesotaseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Illinoisseries | 9 | 7–2 |
| Iowaseries | 9 | 6–3 |
| Michiganseries | 9 | 5–4 |
| Wisconsinseries | 9 | 4–5 |
| Northwesternseries | 8 | 8–0 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1979 Ohio State: Eddie Robinson
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953–55 | Mansfield HS (OH) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1956–59 | Salem HS (OH) high school | Head coach | |
| 1960–63 | Sandusky HS (OH) high school | Head coach | |
| 1964–65 | Massillon Washington HS (OH) high school | Head coach | |
| 1966–71 | Ohio State | Assistant coach | |
| 1972 | Tampa | Head coach | |
| 1973–78 | Iowa State | Head coach | |
| 1979–87 | Ohio State | Head coach | |
| 1988 | Northern Iowa | Head coach | |
| 1989–92 | Colorado State | Head coach | |
| 1994 | Cleveland Thunderbolts | Head coach | |
| 1995–96 | St. Louis Stampede Arena | Head coach | |
| 2001 | Iowa Barnstormers Arena | Head coach | |
| 2004 | Columbus Destroyers Arena | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Bill PetersonMansfield HS (OH)
- Woody HayesOhio State
Earle Bruce
Assistants who became head coaches
- Bob SeamanWichita State, Emporia State
- Dennis FryzelTampa
- Bob TuckerWooster
- Jim WeaverVillanova
- Marv BradenTruman State, United States International
- Steve LoneyMorehead State, Drake
- Tom HarperWake Forest
- Tom LichtenbergOhio, Morehead State, Maine
- Glen MasonKent State, Kansas, Minnesota
- Pete RodriguezWestern Illinois
- Steve SzaboEdinboro
- Pete CarrollUSC, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders
- and 12 more
Worked under (2)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Peterson | Mansfield HS (OH) high school | 1953–54 | Assistant coach | |
| Woody Hayes | Ohio State | 1966–71 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (24)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Seaman | Sandusky HS (OH), 1960–63: assistant coach; Iowa State, 1974: defensive coordinator | Wichita State, Emporia State | |
| Dennis Fryzel | Tampa, 1972: defensive coordinator; Ohio State, 1979–81: defensive coordinator | Tampa | |
| Bob Tucker | Iowa State, 1973–78: defensive ends coach; Ohio State, 1979–81: offensive line coach; 1982–84: defensive coordinator | Wooster | |
| Jim Weaver | Iowa State, 1973: offensive coordinator | Villanova | |
| Marv Braden | Iowa State, 1973: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Truman State, United States International | |
| Steve Loney | Iowa State, 1974: graduate assistant; Colorado State, 1989–92: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | Morehead State, Drake | |
| Tom Harper | Iowa State, 1974–75: assistant coach | Wake Forest | |
| Tom Lichtenberg | Iowa State, 1974–78: offensive coordinator; Ohio State, 1986–87: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach; Northern Iowa, 1988: assistant coach; Columbus Destroyers, 2004: assistant coach | Ohio, Morehead State, Maine | |
| Glen Mason | Iowa State, 1975–76: offensive line and tight ends coach; Ohio State, 1979: offensive line and linebackers coach; 1980–85: offensive coordinator | Kent State, Kansas, Minnesota | |
| Pete Rodriguez | Iowa State, 1976–78: defensive coordinator | Western Illinois | |
| Steve Szabo | Iowa State, 1977–78: defensive line and kickers coach; Ohio State, 1979–81: defensive line and kickers coach; Northern Iowa, 1988: defensive line coach; Colorado State, 1989–90: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Edinboro | |
| Pete Carroll | Iowa State, 1978: secondary coordinator; Ohio State, 1979: secondary coordinator | USC, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Las Vegas Raiders | |
| Fred Zechman | Ohio State, 1979–82: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach | New Mexico State | |
| Nick Saban | Ohio State, 1980–81: defensive backs coach | Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama, Miami Dolphins | |
| Jim Tressel | Ohio State, 1983: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach; 1984–85: quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers coach | Ohio State, Youngstown State | |
| Mark Dantonio | Ohio State, 1983–84: graduate assistant | Cincinnati, Michigan State | |
| Gary Blackney | Ohio State, 1984: defensive backs coach; 1985–87: defensive coordinator | Bowling Green | |
| Urban Meyer | Ohio State, 1986–87: graduate assistant; Colorado State, 1990–92: wide receivers coach | Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, Ohio State, Jacksonville Jaguars | |
| Jay Norvell | Northern Iowa, 1988: wide receivers coach | Nevada, Colorado State | |
| Terry Allen | Northern Iowa, 1988: assistant coach | Kansas, Northern Iowa, Missouri State | |
| Kit Cartwright | Colorado State, 1989–92: assistant coach | Butler | |
| Skip Holtz | Colorado State, 1989: wide receivers coach | East Carolina, South Florida, Louisiana Tech, UConn, Birmingham Stallions | |
| Mike DeBord | Colorado State, 1990–91: offensive line coach | Central Michigan | |
| Todd Fitch | Colorado State, 1992: running backs and special teams coach | Vanderbilt |
Other assistants under him (8)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Randy Hart | Tampa, 1972: offensive line coach; Iowa State, 1973–76: defensive line coach; Ohio State, 1982–87: defensive line coach | |
| Fred Pagac | Ohio State, 1979–81: graduate assistant; 1982–87: linebackers coach | |
| Chuck Heater | Ohio State, 1985–87: defensive backs coach; Colorado State, 1991–92: defensive coordinator | |
| Dennis Remmert | Northern Iowa, 1988: assistant head coach | |
| Bob Wylie | Colorado State, 1989: offensive line coach | |
| John Benton | Colorado State, 1989: graduate assistant | |
| Kevin Cosgrove | Colorado State, 1989: linebackers coach | |
| Vance Bedford | Colorado State, 1989–92: defensive backs coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.