The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Don Fambrough

Followed Pepper Rodgers. Don Fambrough slid Kansas from National Program II to National Program III in 8 seasons.

36–49
1971–1982 · 1 stint
Kansas
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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 careerKANSASNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelKansas, 1971: 4-7, National Program III1971Kansas, 1972: 4-7, National Program III1972Kansas, 1973: 7-4, National Program III1973Kansas, 1974: 4-7, National Program II1974Kansas, 1979: 3-8, National Program III1979Kansas, 1980: 4-5, Regional Program I1980Kansas, 1981: 8-4, National Program III1981Kansas, 1982: 2-7, Regional Program I1982-3.3One 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).

Kansas, 8 seasons
−3.3
National Program III → Regional Program I.

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.

10–6 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Barry Switzer.

Rivalry record
10–6
62.5% · 2 rivals
One-score games
17–10–5
53.1% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Kansas State6–275%
Missouri4–450%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Switzer0–6
6 meetings, 1973–1982
’73 L’74 L’79 L’80 L’81 L’82 L
0% win rate across a real, 6-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
0–2 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–12 0.0%
Power Program
3–14 17.6%
National Program
18–13 58.1%
Regional Program
15–7 68.2%

Coaching career

1971–1982
Kansascaretaker
National Program II → National Program III
Don Fambrough slid Kansas from National Program II to National Program III in 8 seasons.

6th-best Kansas tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Pepper Rodgers (1967–1970) · succeeded by Mike Gottfried (1983–1985).

36 NFL Draft picks: John Riggins (1971), Steve Lawson (1971), Larry Brown (1971), Bob Childs (1972), Steve Conley (1972), Roger Bernhardt (1973), Gery Palmer (1973), Don Goode (1974) + 28 more

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