The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Barry Switzer

Followed Chuck Fairbanks. Barry Switzer took Oklahoma from Power Program I to Dynasty — 2 Dynasty seasons.

157–29
1973–1988 · 1 stint
Oklahoma
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerOKLAHOMADynastythe sport's summitOklahoma, 1973: 10-0, Power Program I1973Oklahoma, 1974: 11-0, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1975: 11-1, DynastyOklahoma, 1976: 9-2, DynastyOklahoma, 1977: 10-2, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1978: 11-1, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1979: 11-1, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1980: 10-2, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1981: 7-4, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1982: 8-4, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1983: 8-4, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1984: 9-2, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1985: 11-1, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1986: 11-1, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1987: 11-1, Blue BloodOklahoma, 1988: 9-3, Blue Blood1988+16.1One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Dynasty in his 3rd career season — faster than 80% of the 15 FBS coaches who have ever reached Dynasty (rank #3 of 15 by seasons-to-arrival).

Oklahoma, 16 seasons
+16.1
Power Program I → Blue Blood.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

24–6 against his rivals.

Rivalry record
24–6–2
75.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
31–11–4
67.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
15–10
60.0%
Rivalry ledger
Texas9–5–256%
Oklahoma State15–194%
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
15–10 60.0%
Power Program
33–16 67.3%
National Program
58–2 96.7%
Regional Program
48–1 98.0%

Coaching career

1973–1988
Oklahomatransformer
Power Program I → Dynasty
Barry Switzer took Oklahoma from Power Program I to Dynasty — 2 Dynasty seasons.

1st-best Oklahoma tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Chuck Fairbanks (1967–1972) · succeeded by Gary Gibbs (1989–1994).

68 NFL Draft picks: Derland Moore (1973), Greg Pruitt (1973), Al Chandler (1973), Leon Crosswhite (1973), Joe Wylie (1973), Tom Brahaney (1973), Ken Jones (1973), Durwood Keeton (1974) + 60 more

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