The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Homer Smith

Followed Thomas Cahill. Homer Smith slid Army from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

The journeyman
45–57
1965–1978 · 2 stints
DavidsonArmy
← 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 careerDAVIDSONARMYRegional Programthe building-block levelDavidson, 1965: 6-4, Regional Program VI1965Davidson, 1966: 4-5, Regional Program VI1966Davidson, 1967: 4-5, Regional Program VI1967Davidson, 1968: 3-6, Regional Program VI1968Davidson, 1969: 7-4, Regional Program V1969+2.1Army, 1974: 3-8, Regional Program IV1974Army, 1975: 2-9, Regional Program IV1975Army, 1976: 5-6, Regional Program IV1976Army, 1977: 7-4, Regional Program IV1977Army, 1978: 4-6, Regional Program IV1978-5.2One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Davidson, 5 seasons
+2.1
Regional Program VI → Regional Program V.
Army, 5 seasons
−5.2
Regional Program IV → 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.

5–5 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against George Welsh.

Rivalry record
5–5
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
8–7–1
50.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Air Force4–180%
Navy1–420%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. George Welsh1–4
5 meetings, 1974–1978
’74 L’75 L’76 L’77 W’78 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
0–11 0.0%
National Program
2–10 16.7%
Regional Program
16–22 42.1%

Coaching career

1974–1978
Armycaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program IV
Homer Smith slid Army from Regional Program III to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

10th-best Army tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Thomas Cahill (1966–1973) · succeeded by Lou Saban (1979–1979).

21–33
1965–1969
Davidsoncaretaker
Regional Program VI → Regional Program V
Homer Smith moved Davidson from Regional Program VI to Regional Program V in 5 seasons.

2nd-best Davidson tenure of 2 by the numbers.

1 NFL Draft pick: Gordon Slade (1970)

24–24