The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Rockey Felker

Followed Emory Bellard. Rockey Felker slid Mississippi State from National Program II to National Program III in 5 seasons.

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1986–1990 · 1 stint
Mississippi 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 careerMISSISSIPPI STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelMississippi State, 1986: 6-5, National Program III1986Mississippi State, 1987: 4-7, National Program III1987Mississippi State, 1988: 1-10, Regional Program I1988Mississippi State, 1989: 5-6, Regional Program I1989Mississippi State, 1990: 5-6, Regional Program I1990-7.0One 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).

Mississippi State, 5 seasons
−7.0
National Program III → 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.

1–4 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Billy Brewer.

Rivalry record
1–4
20.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
9–8
52.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–5
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Ole Miss1–420%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Billy Brewer1–4
5 meetings, 1986–1990
’86 L’87 W’88 L’89 L’90 L
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
3–16 15.8%
National Program
4–8 33.3%
Regional Program
10–4 71.4%

Coaching career

1986–1990
Mississippi Statecaretaker
National Program II → National Program III
Rockey Felker slid Mississippi State from National Program II to National Program III in 5 seasons.

16th-best Mississippi State tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Emory Bellard (1979–1985) · succeeded by Jackie Sherrill (1991–2003).

5 NFL Draft picks: Don Smith (1987), Kirby Jackson (1987), Jesse Anderson (1990), James Williams (1990), Robert Young (1991)

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