The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Rey Dempsey

Followed Rex Dockery. Rey Dempsey moved Memphis from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 2 seasons.

The builder
61–49
1976–1985 · 2 stints
Southern IllinoisMemphis
← 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 careerSOUTHERN ILLINOISMEMPHISNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSouthern Illinois, 1976: 7-4, Regional Program IV1976Southern Illinois, 1977: 3-8, Regional Program IV1977Southern Illinois, 1978: 7-4, Regional Program IV1978Southern Illinois, 1979: 8-3, Regional Program III1979Southern Illinois, 1980: 3-8, Regional Program III1980Southern Illinois, 1981: 7-4, Regional Program III1981Southern Illinois, 1982: 6-5, Regional Program III1982Southern Illinois, 1983: 13-1, Regional Program III1983+3.7Memphis, 1984: 5-5, Regional Program I1984Memphis, 1985: 2-7, Regional Program I1985+3.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Southern Illinois, 8 seasons
+3.7
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III.
Memphis, 2 seasons
+3.3
Regional Program I → Regional 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.

0–1 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bill Davidson.

Rivalry record
0–1–1
0.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
10–13–2
40.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Ole Miss0–1–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bill Davidson0–3
3 meetings, 1976–1978
’76 L’77 L’78 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
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
0–5 0.0%
National Program
4–13 23.5%
Regional Program
22–18 55.0%

Coaching career

1984–1985
Memphiscaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program I
Rey Dempsey moved Memphis from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 2 seasons.

10th-best Memphis tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Rex Dockery (1981–1983) · succeeded by Charlie Bailey (1986–1988).

7 NFL Draft picks: Derrick Burroughs (1985), Tim Long (1985), Donnie Elder (1985), Jack Oliver (1985), Jeff Walker (1986), Tim Harris (1986), Gary Hunt (1986)

7–12
1976–1983
Southern Illinoiscaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III
Rey Dempsey moved Southern Illinois from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 8 seasons.

1st-best Southern Illinois tenure of 2 by the numbers.

Followed Doug Weaver (1974–1975).

4 NFL Draft picks: Andre Herrera (1977), Kevin House (1980), John Harper (1983), Terry Taylor (1984)

54–37