The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Red Drew

Followed Frank Thomas. Red Drew inherited a Power Program I Alabama and won with it.

The ascent
56–35
1946–1954 · 2 stints
Ole MissAlabama
← 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 careerOLE MISSALABAMABlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOle Miss, 1946: 2-7, National Program III1946-2.2Alabama, 1947: 8-3, Power Program I1947Alabama, 1948: 6-4, Power Program I1948Alabama, 1949: 6-3, Power Program I1949Alabama, 1950: 9-2, Power Program I1950Alabama, 1951: 5-6, Power Program I1951Alabama, 1952: 10-2, Power Program I1952Alabama, 1953: 6-3, Power Program I1953Alabama, 1954: 4-5, Power Program I1954-2.7One 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).

Alabama, 8 seasons
−2.7
Power Program I → Power 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.

10–10 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bill Edwards.

Rivalry record
10–10–3
43.5% · 4 rivals
One-score games
14–13–7
41.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–2
33.3%
Rivalry ledger
Tennessee2–4–225%
LSU3–3–143%
Auburn5–271%
Mississippi State0–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bill Edwards0–3
3 meetings, 1949–1951
’49 L’50 L’51 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
Blue Blood
1–2 33.3%
Power Program
17–15 53.1%
National Program
11–11 50.0%
Regional Program
13–3 81.2%

Coaching career

1947–1954
Alabamainheritor
Power Program I → Power Program I
Red Drew inherited a Power Program I Alabama and won with it.

9th-best Alabama tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed Frank Thomas (1936–1946) · succeeded by Ears Whitworth (1955–1957).

54–28
1946–1946
Ole Misscaretaker
National Program III → National Program III
Red Drew held Ole Miss at National Program III for 1 season.

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

Followed Harry Mehre (1938–1945) · succeeded by John Vaught (1947–1973).

2–7