The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Tommy Prothro

Followed Bill Barnes. Tommy Prothro raised UCLA from National Program I to Power Program II.

The empire-builder
104–55
1955–1970 · 2 stints
Oregon StateUCLA
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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 careerOREGON STATEUCLAPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOregon State, 1955: 6-3, Regional Program III1955Oregon State, 1956: 7-3, Regional Program IIOregon State, 1957: 8-2, Regional Program IOregon State, 1958: 6-4, Regional Program IOregon State, 1959: 3-7, Regional Program IOregon State, 1960: 6-3, National Program IIIOregon State, 1961: 5-5, National Program IIIOregon State, 1962: 9-2, National Program IIOregon State, 1963: 5-5, National Program IIOregon State, 1964: 8-3, National Program II1964+16.8UCLA, 1965: 8-2, Power Program III1965UCLA, 1966: 9-1, Power Program IIUCLA, 1967: 7-2, Power Program IIUCLA, 1968: 3-7, Power Program IIIUCLA, 1969: 8-1, Power Program IIUCLA, 1970: 6-5, Power Program II1970+12.7One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 11th career season — faster than 6% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #370 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Oregon State, 10 seasons
+16.8
Regional Program III → National Program II.
UCLA, 6 seasons
+12.7
Power Program III → Power 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.

8–6 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Forest Evashevski.

Rivalry record
8–6–2
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
42–21–5
61.8% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–5
16.7%
Rivalry ledger
Oregon5–3–250%
USC3–350%
The toughest matchup
vs. Forest Evashevski0–3
3 meetings, 1956–1960
’56 L’56 L’60 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
1–5 16.7%
Power Program
17–23 42.5%
National Program
43–19 69.4%
Regional Program
33–7 82.5%

Coaching career

1965–1970
UCLAbuilderborderline
National Program I → Power Program II
Tommy Prothro raised UCLA from National Program I to Power Program II.

8th-best UCLA tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Barnes (1958–1964) · succeeded by Pepper Rodgers (1971–1973).

8 NFL Draft picks: Mel Farr (1967), Gary Beban (1968), Larry Agajanian (1969), Ron Copeland (1969), George Farmer (1970), Mike Ballou (1970), Wes Grant (1970), Greg Jones (1970)

41–18
1955–1964
Oregon Statebuilder
Regional Program III → National Program II
Tommy Prothro raised Oregon State from Regional Program III to National Program II.

5th-best Oregon State tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Kip Taylor (1949–1954) · succeeded by Dee Andros (1965–1975).

63–37