Rodney Dangerfields of Coaches: Mid-Major Mentors Deserving More Respect
September 15th, 2026 - 11:49
Mark Byington (James Madison/Vanderbilt), Ryan Odom (Utah State/VCU/Virginia), Josh Schertz (Indiana State/Saint Louis), Takayo Siddle (UNC Wilmington) and Russell Turner (UC Irvine) deserve much respect for averaging at least 25 victories in last four or five seasons. Turner is among an impressive list of sustained mid-major excellence of at least a dozen years at a single school, joining John Becker (Vermont), Travis DeCuire (Montana), Tod Kowalczyk (Toledo), Leon Rice (Boise State), David Richman (North Dakota State) and Rob Senderoff (Kent State). Amid power-conference members garnering majority of headlines, consider the following most overlooked long-standing coaching tenures:
| Mid-Major Coach | School | Long-standing Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| John Becker | Vermont | won at least 20 games in each of first 14 full seasons |
| Travis DeCuire | Montana | averaged 20 triumphs in first 12 campaigns |
| Tod Kowalczyk | Toledo | 15 consecutive non-losing seasons, averaging 21 victories annually in that span |
| Leon Rice | Boise State | total of 13 20-win seasons since inaugural year in 2010-11 |
| David Richman | North Dakota State | averaged 20 wins in his 12 years |
| Rob Senderoff | Kent State | won at least 19 games in 11 of 15 seasons |
| Russell Turner | UC Irvine | 14 consecutive winning records, averaging 25 victories annually in last four campaigns |