:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65374497/usa_today_13339305.0.jpg)
Coaching is one of those things where you get judged one week as being a bum, and praised the next for being a programs savior. I suppose the only on the field position that comes as close to coaching in the way people can go from patting you on the back to getting out the pitchforks as Quickly might be place kicking.
We’re not beyond Calling Coaches out for their failures, lord knows, but I thought given some of the comments I see on twitter it might be nice to put some things into perspective.
Let’s take a look at Leipold shall we?
Total Wins:
Leipold has a record at UB of 25-30, that 25 wins is good for fourth all time in Program History. He’s just ahead of Turner Gill (20) and behind Jim Peelle who coached UB for two stints, before and after world war II.
Leipold will need a couple of years to catch Peele, who was 38-34-1 all time at Buffalo
Winning Percentage:
Leipolds 45% is 12th all time for Buffalo coaches but there is a lot to talk about when it comes to those with a higher percentage.
| Coach | Tenure | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. W. Dibble | 1897 | 7 | 0 | 100% | |
| Bemus Pierce | 1899 | 6 | 0 | 100% | |
| Frank Clair | 1948-1949 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 75% |
| Dick Offenhamer | 1955-1965 | 58 | 37 | 5 | 61% |
| Doc Urich | 1966-1968 | 18 | 12 | 60% | |
| Jay L. Lee | 1929-1930 | 8 | 7 | 53% | |
| Jim Peelle | "1936-1942, | ||||
| 1946-1947" | 38 | 34 | 1 | 53% | |
| Ray Turnbull | 1903 | 3 | 3 | 50% | |
| Frank Mount Pleasant | 1915 | 3 | 3 | 50% | |
| Alex Wood† | 2014 | 2 | 2 | 50% | |
| Bill Dando | 1977-1989 | 59 | 64 | 1 | 48% |
| Lance Leipold | 2015-present | 25 | 30 | 45% | |
| James B. Wilson | "1932-1933, | ||||
| 1950-1951" | 12 | 15 | 3 | 44% |
Two of the top spots (in a three way tie for first) are occupied by student coaches who did it for one year back in the 19th century. That would be C.W. Dibble and Bemus Pierce.
Then you hit Frank Claire who coached two years, to a .750 winning percentage back in the 1940s.
Then you have the great Dick Offenhamer and Doc Urich who coached the team for more than a decade to records on average over .600
Then you drop back into the pre WW2 days and then you hit Bill Dando who Leipold could catch this year if he finished 7-5. And Alex Wood who’s four game stint at UB garnered the program a 2-2 record.
Division Titles:
UB was an independent for most of it’s pre mid american conference history. So not a lot to go off of. Though GIll won two division titles (lost the tiebreaker to Miami for the CCG spot in 2007).
Other than that Leipold 2018 title is the only one the school has.
It’s worth noting that Gill cashed in on his 2008 title in Detroit but Leipld came up short.
Bowl Games:
Four UB coaches have gotten teams invited to Bowl Games.
- Offenhammer turned down the 58 bowl because his African American players were not invited.
- Gill lost the International Bowl
- Quinn lost the spud bowl
- Leipold lost the Dollar General Bowl.
So right now Leipold is tied in Bowl invites, and sadly in bowl winning percentage.