The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Woody Widenhofer

Followed Ron Dowhower. Woody Widenhofer moved Vanderbilt from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 5 seasons.

Peak, then fade
27–71
1985–2001 · 2 stints
MissouriVanderbilt
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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 careerMISSOURIVANDERBILTNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelMissouri, 1985: 1-10, National Program I1985Missouri, 1986: 3-8, National Program II1986Missouri, 1987: 5-6, National Program II1987Missouri, 1988: 3-7, National Program III1988-12.6Vanderbilt, 1997: 3-8, Regional Program III1997Vanderbilt, 1998: 2-9, Regional Program III1998Vanderbilt, 1999: 5-6, Regional Program III1999Vanderbilt, 2000: 3-8, Regional Program III2000Vanderbilt, 2001: 2-9, Regional Program III2001+3.8One 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).

Missouri, 4 seasons
−12.6
National Program I → National Program III.
Vanderbilt, 5 seasons
+3.8
Regional Program III → 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.

3–6 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Phillip Fulmer.

Rivalry record
3–6
33.3% · 2 rivals
One-score games
9–23–1
27.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–18
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Tennessee0–50%
Kansas3–175%
The toughest matchup
vs. Phillip Fulmer0–5
5 meetings, 1997–2001
’97 L’98 L’99 L’00 L’01 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-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
0–18 0.0%
Power Program
0–17 0.0%
National Program
4–17 19.0%
Regional Program
21–16 56.8%

Coaching career

1997–2001
Vanderbiltcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program III
Woody Widenhofer moved Vanderbilt from Regional Program IV to Regional Program III in 5 seasons.

16th-best Vanderbilt tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Ron Dowhower (1995–1996) · succeeded by Bobby Johnson (2002–2009).

8 NFL Draft picks: Corey Chavous (1998), Jamie Duncan (1998), Antony Jordan (1998), Fred Vinson (1999), Jamie Winborn (2001), Matt Stewart (2001), John Markham (2001), Jimmy Williams (2001)

15–40
1985–1988
Missouricaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Woody Widenhofer slid Missouri from Power Program III to National Program I in 4 seasons.

9th-best Missouri tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed Warren Powers (1978–1984) · succeeded by Bob Stull (1989–1993).

3 NFL Draft picks: Tony Davis (1985), George Shorthose (1985), John Clay (1987)

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