The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Phil Sarboe

Phil Sarboe held Washington State at National Program III for 5 seasons.

17–26
1945–1949 · 1 stint
Washington State
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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 careerWASHINGTON STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelWashington State, 1945: 6-2, National Program III1945Washington State, 1946: 1-6, National Program III1946Washington State, 1947: 3-7, National Program III1947Washington State, 1948: 4-5, National Program III1948Washington State, 1949: 3-6, National Program III1949+0.0One 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).

Washington State, 5 seasons
+0.0
National Program III → National 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.

2–4 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Jeff Cravath.

Rivalry record
2–4
33.3% · 1 rival
One-score games
8–8–3
42.1% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Washington2–433%
The toughest matchup
vs. Jeff Cravath0–3
3 meetings, 1946–1949
’46 L’47 L’49 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
0–7 0.0%
National Program
7–18 28.0%
Regional Program
5–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1945–1949
Washington Statecaretaker
National Program III
Phil Sarboe held Washington State at National Program III for 5 seasons.

4th-best Washington State tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Forest Evashevski (1950–1951).

17–26