The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Henry Frnka

Followed Claude Simons. Henry Frnka held Tulane at Power Program III for 6 seasons.

The builder
71–32
1941–1951 · 2 stints
TulsaTulane
← all coaches

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 careerTULSATULANEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyTulsa, 1941: 8-2, National Program III1941Tulsa, 1942: 10-1, National Program I1942Tulsa, 1943: 6-1, Power Program III1943Tulsa, 1944: 8-2, Power Program II1944Tulsa, 1945: 8-3, Power Program II1945+20.2Tulane, 1946: 3-7, National Program I1946Tulane, 1947: 2-5, National Program I1947Tulane, 1948: 9-1, National Program I1948Tulane, 1949: 7-2, Power Program III1949Tulane, 1950: 6-2, Power Program III1950Tulane, 1951: 4-6, Power Program III1951+1.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 3rd career season — faster than 46% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #194 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Tulsa, 5 seasons
+20.2
National Program III → Power Program II.
Tulane, 6 seasons
+1.3
National Program I → Power Program III.

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.

1–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Frank Leahy.

Rivalry record
1–3–2
16.7% · 1 rival
One-score games
7–14–4
28.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
LSU1–3–217%
The toughest matchup
vs. Frank Leahy0–4
4 meetings, 1946–1950
’46 L’47 L’49 L’50 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
0–3 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
8–15 34.8%
National Program
21–10 67.7%
Regional Program
18–2 90.0%

Coaching career

1946–1951
Tulanecaretaker
Power Program III → Power Program III
Henry Frnka held Tulane at Power Program III for 6 seasons.

3rd-best Tulane tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Followed Claude Simons (1942–1945) · succeeded by Raymond Wolf (1952–1953).

31–23
1941–1945
Tulsabuilderborderline
National Program III → Power Program II
Henry Frnka raised Tulsa from National Program III to Power Program II.

2nd-best Tulsa tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Chet Benefiel (1939–1940) · succeeded by John Brothers (1946–1952).

40–9