The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Thomas Cahill

Followed Paul Dietzel. Thomas Cahill slid Army from Power Program III to National Program I in 8 seasons.

40–39
1966–1973 · 1 stint
Army
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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 careerARMYPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelArmy, 1966: 8-2, National Program I1966Army, 1967: 8-2, National Program I1967Army, 1968: 7-3, National Program I1968Army, 1969: 4-5, National Program II1969Army, 1970: 1-9, National Program II1970Army, 1971: 6-4, National Program III1971Army, 1972: 6-4, Regional Program I1972Army, 1973: 0-10, Regional Program III1973-8.0One 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).

Army, 8 seasons
−8.0
National Program I → Regional 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.

7–6 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Ara Parseghian.

Rivalry record
7–6
53.8% · 2 rivals
One-score games
14–14–2
46.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Navy5–362%
Air Force2–340%
The toughest matchup
vs. Ara Parseghian0–4
4 meetings, 1966–1973
’66 L’69 L’70 L’73 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
3–11 21.4%
National Program
15–13 53.6%
Regional Program
18–9 66.7%

Coaching career

1966–1973
Armycaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Thomas Cahill slid Army from Power Program III to National Program I in 8 seasons.

6th-best Army tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Paul Dietzel (1962–1965) · succeeded by Homer Smith (1974–1978).

40–39