The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Don Faurot

Don Faurot held Missouri at National Program I for 18 seasons.

97–77
1936–1956 · 1 stint
Missouri
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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 careerMISSOURIPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelMissouri, 1936: 6-2, Regional Program III1936Missouri, 1937: 3-6, Regional Program IIIMissouri, 1938: 6-3, Regional Program IIMissouri, 1939: 8-2, Regional Program IMissouri, 1940: 6-3, National Program IIMissouri, 1941: 8-2, National Program IIMissouri, 1942: 8-3, National Program IMissouri, 1946: 5-4, National Program IIMissouri, 1947: 6-4, National Program IIMissouri, 1948: 8-3, National Program IMissouri, 1949: 7-4, National Program IMissouri, 1950: 4-5, National Program IMissouri, 1951: 2-8, National Program IIMissouri, 1952: 5-5, National Program IIMissouri, 1953: 6-4, National Program IIMissouri, 1954: 4-5, National Program IIIMissouri, 1955: 1-9, Regional Program IMissouri, 1956: 4-5, Regional Program I1956+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 5th career season — faster than 14% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #547 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Missouri, 18 seasons
+0.0
Regional 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.

13–4 against his rivals. Winless in 10 tries against Bud Wilkinson.

Rivalry record
13–4–1
72.2% · 1 rival
One-score games
26–34–7
38.8% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Kansas13–4–172%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bud Wilkinson0–10
10 meetings, 1947–1956
’47 L’48 L’49 L’50 L’51 L’52 L’53 L’54 L’55 L’56 L
0% win rate across a real, 10-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
0–9 0.0%
Power Program
12–31 27.9%
National Program
24–17 58.5%
Regional Program
42–15 73.7%

Coaching career

1936–1956
Missouricaretaker
National Program I
Don Faurot held Missouri at National Program I for 18 seasons.

7th-best Missouri tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Frank Broyles (1957–1957).

97–77