The Wolf.
In his very first game as YSU HC, we were beating Penn St at the end of the first quarter. In his second season he gave eventual national champs NDSU their only loss. The next year (2012) he just doesn't beat a P5 team...but humiliates them in their house. The next season, he improves to 8-4/5-3. In his final season, in addition to a winning record, he was beating a P5 BIG team in Q4 (the butt punt changed the dynamic of that game). No scandals, no convicted gang rapists...just Youngstown-style football that made you look forward to Saturdays.
Here's the Wolf record:
2010 Youngstown State 3–8 1–7 9th
2011 Youngstown State 6–5 4–4 T–4th
2012 Youngstown State 7–4 4–4 T–6th
2013 Youngstown State 8–4 5–3 T–2nd
2014 Youngstown State 7–5 4–4 T–5th
One losing conference record...his first season.
About finishing strong, one year his final three games were SDSU (advanced to second round of playoffs), NDSU (eventual champs), and UNI. How many teams that entered the playoffs that year that would've also gone 0-3...prolly most of them. Today we'd kill for a season like that.
And oh yeah....he beat UNI...something his incompetent and lethargic predecessor couldn’t do in 9 tries...