The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Fred Pancoast

Followed Steve Sloan. Fred Pancoast slid Vanderbilt from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 4 seasons.

Peak, then fade
33–43
1972–1978 · 2 stints
MemphisVanderbilt
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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 careerMEMPHISVANDERBILTNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelMemphis, 1972: 5-5, National Program II1972Memphis, 1973: 8-3, National Program II1973Memphis, 1974: 7-4, National Program II1974-2.3Vanderbilt, 1975: 7-4, Regional Program I1975Vanderbilt, 1976: 2-9, Regional Program II1976Vanderbilt, 1977: 2-9, Regional Program II1977Vanderbilt, 1978: 2-9, Regional Program IV1978-4.3One 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).

Memphis, 3 seasons
−2.3
National Program II → National Program II.
Vanderbilt, 4 seasons
−4.3
Regional Program I → Regional Program IV.

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.

3–4 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Bear Bryant.

Rivalry record
3–4
42.9% · 2 rivals
One-score games
17–9–1
63.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Tennessee1–325%
Ole Miss2–167%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bear Bryant0–4
4 meetings, 1975–1978
’75 L’76 L’77 L’78 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
0–4 0.0%
Power Program
3–21 12.5%
National Program
6–7 46.2%
Regional Program
21–9 70.0%

Coaching career

1975–1978
Vanderbiltcaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program I
Fred Pancoast slid Vanderbilt from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 4 seasons.

10th-best Vanderbilt tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Steve Sloan (1973–1974) · succeeded by George MacIntyre (1979–1985).

3 NFL Draft picks: Jay Chesley (1976), Barry Burton (1976), Dennis Harrison (1978)

13–31
1972–1974
Memphiscaretaker
National Program I → National Program II
Fred Pancoast slid Memphis from National Program I to National Program II in 3 seasons.

3rd-best Memphis tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Billy Murphy (1960–1971) · succeeded by Richard Williamson (1975–1980).

3 NFL Draft picks: Charles Babb (1972), Ray Jamieson (1972), Cliff Taylor (1974)

20–12