The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Gary Gibbs

Followed Barry Switzer. Gary Gibbs kept Oklahoma a national power for 6 seasons.

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1989–1994 · 1 stint
Oklahoma
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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 careerOKLAHOMADynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierOklahoma, 1989: 7-4, Blue Blood1989Oklahoma, 1990: 8-3, Blue Blood1990Oklahoma, 1991: 9-3, Blue Blood1991Oklahoma, 1992: 5-4, Blue Blood1992Oklahoma, 1993: 9-3, Blue Blood1993Oklahoma, 1994: 6-6, Blue Blood1994-12.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 1st career season — faster than 59% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #1 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Oklahoma, 6 seasons
−12.0
Blue Blood → Blue Blood.

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.

6–5 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Bill McCartney.

Rivalry record
6–5–1
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
5–7–2
35.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Oklahoma State5–0–183%
Texas1–517%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Bill McCartney0–5–1
6 meetings, 1989–1994
’89 L’90 L’91 L’92 T’93 L’94 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
6–16 27.3%
National Program
9–1 90.0%
Regional Program
28–4 87.5%

Coaching career

1989–1994
Oklahomasustainer
Blue Blood → Blue Blood
Gary Gibbs kept Oklahoma a national power for 6 seasons.

4th-best Oklahoma tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Barry Switzer (1973–1988) · succeeded by Howard Schnellenberger (1995–1995).

15 NFL Draft picks: Anthony Stafford (1989), Eric Mitchel (1989), Kevin Thompson (1990), Adrian Cooper (1991), James Goode (1991), Frank Blevins (1991), Joe Bowden (1992), Brian Brauninger (1992) + 7 more

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