The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim LaRue

Followed Edward Doherty. Jim LaRue moved Arizona from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 8 seasons.

41–37
1959–1966 · 1 stint
Arizona
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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 careerARIZONANational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelArizona, 1959: 4-6, Regional Program IV1959Arizona, 1960: 7-3, Regional Program IV1960Arizona, 1961: 8-1, Regional Program I1961Arizona, 1962: 5-5, Regional Program I1962Arizona, 1963: 5-5, Regional Program I1963Arizona, 1964: 6-3, Regional Program I1964Arizona, 1965: 3-7, Regional Program I1965Arizona, 1966: 3-7, Regional Program II1966+9.6One 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).

Arizona, 8 seasons
+9.6
Regional Program IV → Regional Program II.

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.

4–4 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Ben Martin.

Rivalry record
4–4
50.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
20–15–2
54.1% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Arizona State4–450%
The toughest matchup
vs. Ben Martin0–4
4 meetings, 1959–1965
’59 L’62 L’64 L’65 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
Power Program
1–3 25.0%
National Program
13–20 39.4%
Regional Program
22–14 61.1%

Coaching career

1959–1966
Arizonacaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program I
Jim LaRue moved Arizona from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 8 seasons.

16th-best Arizona tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Edward Doherty (1957–1958) · succeeded by Darrell Mudra (1967–1968).

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