Len Casanova
Len Casanova went 104–94–11 as a head coach, 1946–1966, at Santa Clara, Pittsburgh and Oregon. Share
- Record
- 104–94–11 career
- Seasons
- 21
- Schools
- 3
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Hall of Fame
- 1977 inducted
- Best season
- 1949 8–2–1, No. 15
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Santa Clara | 2–5–1 | ||||
| 1947 | Santa Clara | 4–4 | ||||
| 1948 | Santa Clara | 7–2–1 | ||||
| 1949 | Santa Clara | 8–2–1 | Orange Bowl W | 15 | ||
| 1950 | Pittsburgh | 1–8 | ||||
| 1951 | Oregon | 2–8 | 8th | |||
| 1952 | Oregon | 2–7–1 | T–6th | |||
| 1953 | Oregon | 4–5–1 | 8th | |||
| 1954 | Oregon | 6–4 | 3rd | |||
| 1955 | Oregon | 6–4 | 4th | |||
| 1956 | Oregon | 4–4–2 | T–4th | |||
| 1957 | Oregon | 7–4 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 17 | |
| 1958 | Oregon | 4–6 | 5th | |||
| 1959 | Oregon | 8–2 | ||||
| 1960 | Oregon | 7–3–1 | Liberty Bowl L | |||
| 1961 | Oregon | 4–6 | ||||
| 1962 | Oregon | 6–3–1 | ||||
| 1963 | Oregon | 8–3 | Sun Bowl W | |||
| 1964 | Oregon | 7–2–1 | T–6th | |||
| 1965 | Oregon | 4–5–1 | 8th | |||
| 1966 | Oregon | 3–7 | T–6th |
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.
Players he coached
George ShawNo. 1 pick, 1955
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 | 31 | 8–20–3 | 31% |
| Against top-10 teams | 12 | 1–10–1 | 13% |
| Against rivals | 57 | 21–33–3 | 39% |
| Conference games | 74 | 29–41–4 | 42% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 4 | 2–2 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 99 | 39–49–11 | 45% |
| At home | 95 | 50–41–4 | 55% |
| On the road | 107 | 50–50–7 | 50% |
| At neutral sites | 7 | 4–3 | 57% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 114 | 73–35–6 | 67% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 95 | 31–59–5 | 35% |
His own 209 games on file, 1946–1966, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Prothro 1955–1964 | 3–5–2 | Oregon State | 10 | |
| Jim Owens 1957–1966 | 2–7–1 | Washington | 10 | |
| Jim Sutherland 1956–1963 | 6–2–1 | Washington State | 9 | |
| Pappy Waldorf 1947–1956 | 3–5–1 | California | 9 | |
| Skip Stahley 1954–1961 | 8–0 | Idaho | 8 | |
| Jack Curtice 1954–1962 | 6–1 | Utah, Stanford | 7 | |
| Red Sanders 1949–1957 | 2–5 | UCLA | 7 | |
| Chuck Taylor 1951–1957 | 2–5 | Stanford | 7 | |
| Robert Titchenal 1957–1963 | 5–1 | San José State | 6 | |
| Ray Nagel 1959–1965 | 4–1 | Utah | 5 |
Len Casanova’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stanfordseries | 20 | 11–8–1 |
| Washington Stateseries | 17 | 8–7–2 |
| Oregon Stateseries | 16 | 4–10–2 |
| Washingtonseries | 16 | 3–12–1 |
| Idahoseries | 15 | 15–0 |
| Californiaseries | 14 | 6–7–1 |
| San José Stateseries | 10 | 8–2 |
| UCLAseries | 9 | 2–7 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | St. Joseph Mil. Acad. (CA) | Head coach | |
| 1928–35 | Sequoia HS (CA) high school | Head coach | |
| 1936–42 | Santa Clara | Assistant coach | |
| 1946–49 | Santa Clara | Head coach | |
| 1950 | Pittsburgh | Head coach | |
| 1951–66 | Oregon | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Buck ShawSanta Clara
Assistants who became head coaches
- John McKayUSC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jerry FreiOregon
- John RobinsonUSC, UNLV, Los Angeles Rams
- Bruce SnyderUtah State, California, Arizona State
Worked under (1)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buck Shaw | Santa Clara | 1936–42 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (4)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| John McKay | Oregon, 1951–58: assistant coach | USC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| Jerry Frei | Oregon, 1955–66: assistant coach | Oregon | |
| John Robinson | Oregon, 1960–66: assistant coach | USC, UNLV, Los Angeles Rams | |
| Bruce Snyder | Oregon, 1966: assistant coach | Utah State, California, Arizona State |
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.