The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Howard Jones

Howard Jones held USC at Power Program I for 5 seasons.

28–12
1936–1940 · 1 stint
USC
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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 careerUSCBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderUSC, 1936: 4-2, Power Program II1936USC, 1937: 4-4, Power Program II1937USC, 1938: 9-2, Power Program II1938USC, 1939: 8-0, Power Program I1939USC, 1940: 3-4, Power Program I1940+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

USC, 5 seasons
+0.0
Power Program II → Power 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.

5–2 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against James Phelan.

Rivalry record
5–2–3
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
10–6–9
40.0% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
UCLA3–0–260%
Notre Dame2–2–140%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. James Phelan1–4
5 meetings, 1936–1940
’36 L’37 L’38 L’39 W’40 L
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
12–12 50.0%
National Program
15–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1936–1940
USCcaretaker
Power Program I
Howard Jones held USC at Power Program I for 5 seasons.

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

Succeeded by Sam Barry (1941–1941).

28–12