The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Bill Pace

Followed Jack Green. Bill Pace moved Vanderbilt from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

22–38
1967–1972 · 1 stint
Vanderbilt
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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 careerVANDERBILTNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelVanderbilt, 1967: 2-7, Regional Program III1967Vanderbilt, 1968: 5-4, Regional Program III1968Vanderbilt, 1969: 4-6, Regional Program II1969Vanderbilt, 1970: 4-7, Regional Program II1970Vanderbilt, 1971: 4-6, Regional Program II1971Vanderbilt, 1972: 3-8, Regional Program II1972+6.8One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Vanderbilt, 6 seasons
+6.8
Regional Program III → Regional Program II.

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.

0–6 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Vince Dooley.

Rivalry record
0–6
0.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
8–11–3
36.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Tennessee0–60%
The toughest matchup
vs. Vince Dooley0–5
5 meetings, 1968–1972
’68 L’69 L’70 L’71 L’72 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
1–4 20.0%
Power Program
0–19 0.0%
National Program
3–2 60.0%
Regional Program
11–11 50.0%

Coaching career

1967–1972
Vanderbiltcaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program II
Bill Pace moved Vanderbilt from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 6 seasons.

11th-best Vanderbilt tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Jack Green (1963–1966) · succeeded by Steve Sloan (1973–1974).

6 NFL Draft picks: Gary Davis (1968), Bob Goodridge (1968), Chip Healy (1969), Bob Asher (1970), Pat Toomay (1970), Rod Freeman (1973)

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