Jim Dennison
Jim Dennison went 199–139–2 as a head coach, 1973–2012, at Akron and Walsh. Share
30 seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1973–74, 1976–85 at Akron (on file under another coach); 1995–2012 at Walsh. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 199–139–2 career
- Seasons
- 31
- Schools
- 2
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Best season
- 1975 7–4
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Akron * | 6–5 | ||||
| 1974 | Akron * | 5–5 | ||||
| 1975 | Akron | 7–4 | ||||
| 1976 | Akron * | 10–3 | NCAA Division II Championship (Pioneer) L | |||
| 1977 | Akron * | 6–4–1 | ||||
| 1978 | Akron * | 6–5 | 2nd | |||
| 1979 | Akron * | 6–5 | 3rd | |||
| 1980 | Akron * | 3–7–1 | 5th | |||
| 1981 | Akron * | 5–5 | T–4th | |||
| 1982 | Akron * | 6–5 | 2nd | |||
| 1983 | Akron * | 8–3 | T–2nd | |||
| 1984 | Akron * | 4–7 | 6th | |||
| 1985 | Akron * | 8–4 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I-AA First Round L | 10 | |
| 1986–94: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 1995 | Walsh * | 7–3 | ||||
| 1996 | Walsh * | 6–5 | 4th (MEL) | |||
| 1997 | Walsh * | 7–3 | 3rd (MEL) | |||
| 1998 | Walsh * | 6–5 | T–5th (MEL) | |||
| 1999 | Walsh * | 7–3 | 3rd (MEL) | |||
| 2000 | Walsh * | 6–5 | 2nd (MEL) | |||
| 2001 | Walsh * | 8–3 | T–1st (MEL) | |||
| 2002 | Walsh * | 8–3 | 3rd (MEL) | |||
| 2003 | Walsh * | 8–3 | 2nd (MEL) | |||
| 2004 | Walsh * | 8–3 | 2nd (MEL) | |||
| 2005 | Walsh * | 8–3 | T–2nd (MEL) | |||
| 2006 | Walsh * | 9–3 | T–2nd (MEL) | NAIA First Round L | ||
| 2007 | Walsh * | 5–6 | 6th (MEL) | |||
| 2008 | Walsh * | 3–8 | 5th (MEL) | |||
| 2009 | Walsh * | 8–3 | T–2nd (MEL) | |||
| 2010 | Walsh * | 7–4 | 5th (MEL) | |||
| 2011 | Walsh * | 5–6 | N / A (MEL) | |||
| 2012 | Walsh * | 3–8 | T–5th (South) | |||
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.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against rivals | 1 | 1–0 | 100% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 5 | 3–2 | 60% |
| At home | 6 | 5–1 | 83% |
| On the road | 5 | 2–3 | 40% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 5 | 4–1 | 80% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 6 | 3–3 | 50% |
His own 11 games on file, 1975, 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.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Michiganseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Templeseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Marshallseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Indiana Stateseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Central Stateseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Western Michiganseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Youngstown Stateseries | 1 | 1–0 |
| Delawareseries | 1 | 0–1 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Wadsworth HS (OH) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1961–63 | Elyria HS (OH) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1964 | Copley HS (OH) high school | Head coach | |
| 1965–72 | Akron | Assistant coach | |
| 1973–85 | Akron | Head coach | |
| 1995–2012 | Walsh | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Assistants who became head coaches
- Jim TresselOhio State, Youngstown State
- Paul WintersWayne State (MI)
- Ed WarinnerAvila
- Mark DantonioCincinnati, Michigan State
- Brian WrightFlorida Atlantic, Pittsburg State, Northern Arizona
Coached under him, later head coaches (5)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Tressel | Akron, 1975–78: graduate assistant | Ohio State, Youngstown State | |
| Paul Winters | Akron, 1982–83: graduate assistant; 1984–85: backfield coach | Wayne State (MI) | |
| Ed Warinner | Akron, 1984: running backs coach | Avila | |
| Mark Dantonio | Akron, 1985: defensive backs coach | Cincinnati, Michigan State | |
| Brian Wright | Walsh, 1995–96: graduate assistant; 1998: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach; 1999: co-special teams coach, passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2000: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Florida Atlantic, Pittsburg State, Northern Arizona |
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.