The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Raymond Wolf

Followed Henry Frnka. Raymond Wolf slid Tulane from Power Program III to National Program I in 2 seasons.

Peak, then fade
57–54
1936–1953 · 3 stints
North CarolinaFloridaTulane
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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 careerNORTH CAROLINAFLORIDATULANEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelNorth Carolina, 1936: 8-2, National Program I1936North Carolina, 1937: 7-1, Power Program III1937North Carolina, 1938: 6-2, Power Program III1938North Carolina, 1939: 8-1, Power Program III1939North Carolina, 1940: 6-4, Power Program III1940North Carolina, 1941: 3-7, National Program I1941+0.0Florida, 1946: 0-9, Regional Program II1946Florida, 1947: 4-5, Regional Program II1947Florida, 1948: 5-5, Regional Program III1948Florida, 1949: 4-5, Regional Program II1949-0.2Tulane, 1952: 5-5, National Program I1952Tulane, 1953: 1-8, National Program II1953-2.8One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 2nd career season — faster than 51% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #170 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

North Carolina, 6 seasons
+0.0
National Program I → National Program I.
Florida, 4 seasons
−0.2
Regional Program II → Regional Program II.
Tulane, 2 seasons
−2.8
National Program I → National 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.

5–9 against his rivals. Just 1–5 against Wallace Butts.

Rivalry record
5–9
35.7% · 4 rivals
One-score games
13–15–6
38.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Duke2–433%
Georgia1–325%
NC State2–0100%
LSU0–20%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Wallace Butts1–5
6 meetings, 1946–1953
’46 L’47 L’48 L’49 W’52 L’53 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
7–27 20.6%
National Program
4–15 21.1%
Regional Program
29–9 76.3%

Coaching career

1952–1953
Tulanecaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Raymond Wolf slid Tulane from Power Program III to National Program I in 2 seasons.

4th-best Tulane tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Followed Henry Frnka (1946–1951) · succeeded by Andy Pilney (1954–1961).

6–13
1946–1949
Floridacaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program II
Raymond Wolf held Florida at Regional Program II for 4 seasons.

22nd-best Florida tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Tom Lieb (1940–1945) · succeeded by Bob Woodruff (1950–1959).

13–24
1936–1941
North Carolinacaretaker
Power Program III
Raymond Wolf held North Carolina at Power Program III for 6 seasons.

4th-best North Carolina tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Jim Tatum (1942–1958).

38–17