The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Wallace Wade

Wallace Wade held Duke at Power Program I for 11 seasons.

74–25
1936–1950 · 1 stint
Duke
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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 careerDUKEBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderDuke, 1936: 9-1, Power Program III1936Duke, 1937: 7-2, Power Program III1937Duke, 1938: 9-1, Power Program II1938Duke, 1939: 8-1, Power Program I1939Duke, 1940: 7-2, Power Program I1940Duke, 1941: 9-1, Power Program I1941Duke, 1946: 4-5, Power Program I1946Duke, 1947: 4-3, Power Program I1947Duke, 1948: 4-3, Power Program I1948Duke, 1949: 6-3, Power Program II1949Duke, 1950: 7-3, Power Program II1950+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

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).

Duke, 11 seasons
+0.0
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.

5–6 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Carl Snavely.

Rivalry record
5–6
45.5% · 1 rival
One-score games
16–12–5
48.5% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
2–3
40.0%
Rivalry ledger
North Carolina5–645%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Carl Snavely1–4
5 meetings, 1946–1950
’46 L’47 L’48 L’49 L’50 W
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
2–3 40.0%
Power Program
12–13 48.0%
National Program
16–8 66.7%
Regional Program
31–1 96.9%

Coaching career

1936–1950
Dukecaretaker
Power Program I
Wallace Wade held Duke at Power Program I for 11 seasons.

1st-best Duke tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Bill Murray (1951–1965).

74–25