The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Joe Lee Dunn

Followed Billy Brewer. Joe Lee Dunn held Ole Miss at National Program II for 1 season.

The ascent
21–37
1983–1994 · 2 stints
New MexicoOle Miss
← 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 careerNEW MEXICOOLE MISSNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelNew Mexico, 1983: 6-6, Regional Program II1983New Mexico, 1984: 4-8, Regional Program III1984New Mexico, 1985: 3-8, Regional Program III1985New Mexico, 1986: 4-8, Regional Program III1986-6.1Ole Miss, 1994: 4-7, National Program II1994+0.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 5th career season — faster than 14% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #547 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

New Mexico, 4 seasons
−6.1
Regional Program II → Regional 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.

5–2 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Dick Tomey.

Rivalry record
5–2
71.4% · 4 rivals
One-score games
8–13
38.1% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–3
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
New Mexico State4–0100%
LSU1–0100%
Memphis0–10%
Mississippi State0–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dick Tomey0–4
4 meetings, 1983–1986
’83 L’84 L’85 L’86 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
Blue Blood
0–3 0.0%
Power Program
0–9 0.0%
National Program
2–9 18.2%
Regional Program
17–15 53.1%

Coaching career

1994–1994
Ole Misscaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Joe Lee Dunn held Ole Miss at National Program II for 1 season.

12th-best Ole Miss tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Billy Brewer (1983–1993) · succeeded by Tommy Tuberville (1995–1998).

6 NFL Draft picks: Tim Bowens (1994), Dewayne Dotson (1994), Jeff Miller (1995), Alundis Brice (1995), Roell Preston (1995), Norman Hand (1995)

4–7
1983–1986
New Mexicocaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program II
Joe Lee Dunn held New Mexico at Regional Program II for 4 seasons.

4th-best New Mexico tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Joe Morrison (1980–1982) · succeeded by Mike Sheppard (1987–1991).

2 NFL Draft picks: Jimmie Carter (1984), Derwin Williams (1984)

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