The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Charles McClendon

Followed Paul Dietzel. Charles McClendon kept LSU a national power for 6 seasons.

135–61
1962–1979 · 1 stint
LSU
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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 careerLSUBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderLSU, 1962: 9-1, Blue Blood1962LSU, 1963: 7-4, Blue BloodLSU, 1964: 8-2, Blue BloodLSU, 1965: 8-3, Blue BloodLSU, 1966: 5-4, Blue BloodLSU, 1967: 7-3, Blue BloodLSU, 1968: 8-3, Power Program ILSU, 1969: 9-1, Power Program ILSU, 1970: 9-3, Power Program ILSU, 1971: 9-3, Power Program ILSU, 1972: 9-2, Power Program ILSU, 1973: 9-3, Power Program ILSU, 1974: 5-5, Power Program ILSU, 1975: 4-7, Power Program ILSU, 1976: 6-4, Power Program ILSU, 1977: 8-4, Power Program IILSU, 1978: 8-4, Power Program IILSU, 1979: 7-5, Power Program II1979-3.4One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 1st career season — faster than 59% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #1 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

LSU, 18 seasons
−3.4
Blue Blood → 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.

38–27 against his rivals. Just 2–14 against Bear Bryant.

Rivalry record
38–27–2
56.7% · 5 rivals
One-score games
43–33–7
51.8% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–4
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Ole Miss9–8–150%
Tulane16–289%
Alabama2–1412%
Texas A&M10–3–171%
Arkansas1–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bear Bryant2–14
16 meetings, 1964–1979
’64 L’65 L’66 L’67 L’68 L’69 W’70 W’71 L’72 L’73 L’74 L’75 L’76 L’77 L’78 L’79 L
12% win rate across a real, 16-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
0–4 0.0%
Blue Blood
3–13 18.8%
Power Program
32–25 56.1%
National Program
40–15 72.7%
Regional Program
58–4 93.5%

Coaching career

1962–1979
LSUsustainer
Blue Blood → Blue Blood
Charles McClendon kept LSU a national power for 6 seasons.

3rd-best LSU tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Paul Dietzel (1955–1961) · succeeded by Jerry Stovall (1980–1983).

135–61