The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Sam Boyd

Followed George Sauer. Sam Boyd held Baylor at Power Program III for 3 seasons.

15–15

1956–1958 · 1 stint

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.

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Baylor, 3 seasons

+0.5

Power Program III → Power Program III.

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.

3–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Abe Martin.

Rivalry record

3–3

50.0% · 2 rivals

One-score games

6–10–1

35.3% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

2–0

100.0%

Rivalry ledger

Texas Tech3–0100%

TCU0–30%

The toughest matchup

vs. Abe Martin0–3

3 meetings, 1956–1958

’56 L’57 L’58 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

2–0 100.0%

Power Program

4–11 26.7%

National Program

6–4 60.0%

Regional Program

1–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1956–1958

Baylorcaretaker

Power Program III → Power Program III

Sam Boyd held Baylor at Power Program III for 3 seasons.

3rd-best Baylor tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed George Sauer (1950–1955) · succeeded by John Bridgers (1959–1968).

15–15