The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Rex Dockery

Followed Richard Williamson. Rex Dockery slid Memphis from National Program III to Regional Program I in 3 seasons.

Peak, then fade
23–40
1978–1983 · 2 stints
Texas TechMemphis
← 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 careerTEXAS TECHMEMPHISNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelTexas Tech, 1978: 7-4, National Program I1978Texas Tech, 1979: 3-6, National Program II1979Texas Tech, 1980: 5-6, National Program II1980-5.5Memphis, 1981: 1-10, Regional Program I1981Memphis, 1982: 1-10, Regional Program II1982Memphis, 1983: 6-4, Regional Program II1983-5.1One 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).

Texas Tech, 3 seasons
−5.5
National Program I → National Program II.
Memphis, 3 seasons
−5.1
Regional Program I → 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.

3–6 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Lou Holtz.

Rivalry record
3–6
33.3% · 3 rivals
One-score games
6–15–2
26.1% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–6
14.3%
Rivalry ledger
Texas1–233%
Baylor1–233%
Ole Miss1–233%
The toughest matchup
vs. Lou Holtz0–3
3 meetings, 1978–1980
’78 L’79 L’80 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
1–6 14.3%
Power Program
2–12 14.3%
National Program
6–14 30.0%
Regional Program
13–8 61.9%

Coaching career

1981–1983
Memphiscaretaker
National Program III → Regional Program I
Rex Dockery slid Memphis from National Program III to Regional Program I in 3 seasons.

12th-best Memphis tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Richard Williamson (1975–1980) · succeeded by Rey Dempsey (1984–1985).

1 NFL Draft pick: Richard Williams (1983)

8–24
1978–1980
Texas Techcaretaker
National Program I → National Program I
Rex Dockery held Texas Tech at National Program I for 3 seasons.

7th-best Texas Tech tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Steve Sloan (1975–1977) · succeeded by Jerry Moore (1981–1985).

6 NFL Draft picks: Billy Taylor (1978), Eric Felton (1978), Jim Krahl (1978), James Hadnot (1980), Larry Flowers (1980), Ted Watts (1981)

15–16