Jim Sweeney
Jim Sweeney went 200–154–4 on the field as a head coach, 1963–1996, at Montana State, Washington State and Fresno State; 202–153–3 officially, with 1976 (5–7), 1983 (7–4) and 1984 (7–5) after forfeits. Share
Five seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1963–67 at Montana State. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 202–153–3 official; 200–154–4 on the field
- Seasons
- 32
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Best season
- 1972 7–4, No. 19
Season by season
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
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 | 32 | 5–26–1 | 17% |
| Against top-10 teams | 12 | 1–11 | 8% |
| Against rivals | 58 | 34–23–1 | 59% |
| Conference games | 180 | 95–82–3 | 54% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 7 | 5–2 | 71% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 96 | 44–48–4 | 48% |
| At home | 154 | 103–49–2 | 68% |
| On the road | 145 | 61–82–2 | 43% |
| At neutral sites | 8 | 5–3 | 63% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 182 | 136–43–3 | 76% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 125 | 33–91–1 | 27% |
His own 307 games on file, 1968–1996, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gene Murphy 1980–1991 | 8–4 | Cal State Fullerton | 12 | |
| Chuck Shelton 1986–1995 | 5–2–1 | Utah State, Pacific | 8 | |
| Claude Gilbert 1976–1989 | 4–4 | San Diego State, San José State | 8 | |
| Dee Andros 1968–1975 | 2–6 | Oregon State | 8 | |
| Mike Sheppard 1984–1991 | 6–1 | Long Beach State, New Mexico | 7 | |
| Jim Owens 1968–1974 | 3–4 | Washington | 7 | |
| John McKay 1969–1975 | 0–7 | USC | 7 | |
| Bob Cope 1983–1988 | 4–2 | Pacific | 6 | |
| John Ralston 1968–1996 | 3–2–1 | Stanford, San José State | 6 | |
| Dave Currey 1977–1983 | 4–1 | Long Beach State | 5 |
Jim Sweeney’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pacificseries | 17 | 14–3 |
| San José Stateseries | 17 | 9–8 |
| Oregon Stateseries | 17 | 8–9 |
| Long Beach Stateseries | 14 | 13–1 |
| Cal State Fullertonseries | 14 | 10–4 |
| UNLVseries | 13 | 10–3 |
| Utah Stateseries | 13 | 7–5–1 |
| Oregonseries | 11 | 6–5 |
Also a player: Jim Sweeney’s playing career.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Portland Columbia HS (OR) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1951 | Butte Central Catholic HS (MT) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1952–55 | Butte Central Catholic HS (MT) high school | Head coach | |
| 1956–59 | Kalispell Flathead HS (MT) high school | Head coach | |
| 1960–62 | Montana State | Assistant coach | |
| 1963–67 | Montana State | Head coach | |
| 1968–75 | Washington State | Head coach | |
| 1976–77 | Fresno State | Head coach | |
| 1978 | Oakland Raiders NFL | Assistant coach | |
| 1979 | St. Louis Cardinals NFL | Assistant coach | |
| 1980–96 | Fresno State | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- John MaddenOakland Raiders
- Bud WilkinsonSt. Louis Cardinals
Assistants who became head coaches
- Joe TillerWyoming, Purdue
- Mike PriceWashington State, UTEP, Weber State, Alabama
- Leon BurtnettPurdue
- Jack ElwaySan José State, Stanford, Grays Harbor, Cal State Northridge, Frankfurt Galaxy
- Larry DonovanMontana, BC Lions
- Ray BraunMontana Tech, Garden City
- Dennis EricksonWyoming, Washington State, Miami, Oregon State, Idaho, Arizona State, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Salt Lake Stallions
- Mike RasmussenSaint Mary’s, Monterey Peninsula
- Pat HillFresno State
- Steve MooshagianFresno City, Sacramento State, Feather River, Ventura
- Jeff TedfordCalifornia, Fresno State, BC Lions
- Robin RossWestern Washington
Worked under (2)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Madden | Oakland Raiders NFL | 1978 | Assistant coach | |
| Bud Wilkinson | St. Louis Cardinals NFL | 1979 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (12)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Tiller | Montana State, 1965–67: offensive line and defensive line coach; Washington State, 1971: defensive line coach; 1972–73: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | Wyoming, Purdue | |
| Mike Price | Washington State, 1969–70: graduate assistant; 1974–75: running backs coach | Washington State, UTEP, Weber State, Alabama | |
| Leon Burtnett | Washington State, 1971: defensive backs coach; Fresno State, 1994–95: defensive coordinator | Purdue | |
| Jack Elway | Washington State, 1972–75: assistant coach | San José State, Stanford, Grays Harbor, Cal State Northridge, Frankfurt Galaxy | |
| Larry Donovan | Washington State, 1972–75: assistant coach | Montana, BC Lions | |
| Ray Braun | Washington State, 1972–73: defensive coordinator | Montana Tech, Garden City | |
| Dennis Erickson | Fresno State, 1976–77: offensive coordinator | Wyoming, Washington State, Miami, Oregon State, Idaho, Arizona State, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Salt Lake Stallions | |
| Mike Rasmussen | Fresno State, 1981–83: running backs coach | Saint Mary’s, Monterey Peninsula | |
| Pat Hill | Fresno State, 1984–89: offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | Fresno State | |
| Steve Mooshagian | Fresno State, 1985–94: assistant coach | Fresno City, Sacramento State, Feather River, Ventura | |
| Jeff Tedford | Fresno State, 1992: quarterbacks coach; 1993–96: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | California, Fresno State, BC Lions | |
| Robin Ross | Fresno State, 1996: defensive coordinator | Western Washington |
Other assistants under him (4)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Mal Moore | Montana State, 1963: assistant coach | |
| Sam Jankovich | Washington State, 1971: defensive coordinator | |
| Willy Robinson | Fresno State, 1980–86: defensive backs coach; 1987–89: outside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator; 1990–91: defensive backs and special teams coach; 1992–93: defensive coordinator | |
| Bobby Turner | Fresno State, 1983–88: running 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.