The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Billy Brewer

Followed Steve Sloan. Billy Brewer held Ole Miss at National Program II for 11 seasons.

The journeyman
75–69
1980–1993 · 2 stints
Louisiana TechOle Miss
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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 careerLOUISIANA TECHOLE MISSNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelLouisiana Tech, 1980: 5-6, National Program III1980Louisiana Tech, 1981: 4-6, Regional Program I1981-3.0Ole Miss, 1983: 6-6, National Program II1983Ole Miss, 1984: 4-6, National Program II1984Ole Miss, 1985: 4-6, National Program II1985Ole Miss, 1986: 8-3, National Program II1986Ole Miss, 1987: 3-8, National Program III1987Ole Miss, 1988: 5-6, National Program III1988Ole Miss, 1989: 8-4, National Program II1989Ole Miss, 1990: 9-3, National Program II1990Ole Miss, 1991: 5-6, National Program II1991Ole Miss, 1992: 9-3, National Program II1992Ole Miss, 1993: 5-6, National Program II1993+2.6One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 1st career season — faster than 41% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #1 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Louisiana Tech, 2 seasons
−3.0
National Program III → Regional Program I.
Ole Miss, 11 seasons
+2.6
National Program II → National 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.

19–14 against his rivals. Winless in 7 tries against Ken Hatfield.

Rivalry record
19–14–1
55.9% · 4 rivals
One-score games
22–23–3
45.8% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–8
11.1%
Rivalry ledger
Memphis7–3–164%
LSU4–736%
Mississippi State8–373%
Southern Miss0–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Ken Hatfield0–6–1
7 meetings, 1983–1989
’83 L’84 T’85 L’86 L’87 L’88 L’89 L
0% win rate across a real, 7-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
Blue Blood
1–8 11.1%
Power Program
13–32 28.9%
National Program
10–10 50.0%
Regional Program
36–14 72.0%

Coaching career

1983–1993
Ole Misscaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Billy Brewer held Ole Miss at National Program II for 11 seasons.

13th-best Ole Miss tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Steve Sloan (1978–1982) · succeeded by Joe Lee Dunn (1994–1994).

15 NFL Draft picks: Andre Townsend (1984), Freddie Joe Nunn (1985), Tim Moffett (1985), Lee Davis (1985), James Harbour (1985), Bill Smith (1987), Wesley Walls (1989), Stevon Moore (1989) + 7 more

66–57
1980–1981
Louisiana Techcaretaker
National Program III → National Program III
Billy Brewer held Louisiana Tech at National Program III for 2 seasons.

5th-best Louisiana Tech tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Larry Beightol (1979–1979).

2 NFL Draft picks: Johnny Robinson (1981), Ed Jackson (1982)

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