The Zeitgeist List · coaching

James Stewart

James Stewart slid SMU from Power Program III to National Program I in 3 seasons.

10–18
1942–1944 · 1 stint
SMU
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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 careerSMUPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakySMU, 1942: 3-6, National Program I1942SMU, 1943: 2-7, National Program I1943SMU, 1944: 5-5, National Program I1944-7.8One 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).

SMU, 3 seasons
−7.8
National Program I → National 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.

3–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Dana Bible.

Rivalry record
3–3
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
3–6–2
27.3% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
TCU2–167%
Rice1–233%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dana Bible0–3
3 meetings, 1942–1944
’42 L’43 L’44 L
0% win rate across a real, 3-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
Power Program
2–11 15.4%
National Program
2–3 40.0%
Regional Program
1–1 50.0%

Coaching career

1942–1944
SMUcaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
James Stewart slid SMU from Power Program III to National Program I in 3 seasons.

6th-best SMU tenure of 18 by the numbers.

10–18