The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Sparky Woods

Followed Joe Morrison. Sparky Woods held South Carolina at National Program II for 5 seasons.

24–28
1989–1993 · 1 stint
South Carolina
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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 careerSOUTH CAROLINANational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSouth Carolina, 1989: 6-4, National Program II1989South Carolina, 1990: 6-5, National Program II1990South Carolina, 1991: 3-6, National Program II1991South Carolina, 1992: 5-6, National Program II1992South Carolina, 1993: 4-7, National Program II1993-2.8One 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).

South Carolina, 5 seasons
−2.8
National Program II → National 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.

3–4 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bobby Bowden.

Rivalry record
3–4
42.9% · 2 rivals
One-score games
7–7–3
41.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Clemson1–325%
Georgia2–167%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bobby Bowden0–3
3 meetings, 1989–1991
’89 L’90 L’91 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
3–12 20.0%
National Program
8–7 53.3%
Regional Program
9–4 69.2%

Coaching career

1989–1993
South Carolinacaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Sparky Woods held South Carolina at National Program II for 5 seasons.

8th-best South Carolina tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Joe Morrison (1983–1988) · succeeded by Brad Scott (1994–1998).

9 NFL Draft picks: Derrick Little (1989), Kevin Hendrix (1989), Harold Green (1990), Calvin Stephens (1991), Corey Miller (1991), Robert Brooks (1992), Gerald Dixon (1992), Ernest Dye (1993) + 1 more

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