The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Chuck Fairbanks

Followed Bill Mallory. Colorado fell from Power Program III to National Program II under Chuck Fairbanks.

The builder
59–41
1967–1981 · 2 stints
OklahomaColorado
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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 careerOKLAHOMACOLORADODynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyOklahoma, 1967: 10-1, Blue Blood1967Oklahoma, 1968: 7-4, Power Program I1968Oklahoma, 1969: 6-4, Power Program I1969Oklahoma, 1970: 7-4, Power Program I1970Oklahoma, 1971: 11-1, Power Program I1971Oklahoma, 1972: 11-1, Power Program I1972+6.6Colorado, 1979: 3-8, Power Program III1979Colorado, 1980: 1-10, National Program I1980Colorado, 1981: 3-8, National Program II1981-16.8One 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).

Oklahoma, 6 seasons
+6.6
Blue Blood → Power Program I.
Colorado, 3 seasons
−16.8
Power Program III → National 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.

8–7 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Barry Switzer.

Rivalry record
8–7
53.3% · 3 rivals
One-score games
14–14–1
48.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–1
50.0%
Rivalry ledger
Texas2–433%
Oklahoma State6–0100%
Nebraska0–30%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Switzer0–3
3 meetings, 1979–1981
’79 L’80 L’81 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
Dynasty
1–1 50.0%
Blue Blood
3–12 20.0%
Power Program
10–11 47.6%
National Program
21–8 72.4%
Regional Program
24–9 72.7%

Coaching career

1979–1981
Coloradodeclinerborderline
Power Program III → Power Program III
Colorado fell from Power Program III to National Program II under Chuck Fairbanks.

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

Followed Bill Mallory (1974–1978) · succeeded by Bill McCartney (1982–1994).

13 NFL Draft picks: James Mayberry (1979), Matt Miller (1979), Ruben Vaughan (1979), Mark Haynes (1980), Stan Brock (1980), Bill Roe (1980), Jesse Johnson (1980), Laval Short (1980) + 5 more

7–26
1967–1972
Oklahomainheritor
Blue Blood → Power Program I
Chuck Fairbanks inherited a Blue Blood Oklahoma and won with it.

6th-best Oklahoma tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Jim MacKenzie (1966–1966) · succeeded by Barry Switzer (1973–1988).

17 NFL Draft picks: Jim Riley (1967), Ben Hart (1967), James Roy Jackson (1967), Eddie Hinton (1969), Steve Zabel (1970), Jim Files (1970), Steve Owens (1970), Ken Mendenhall (1970) + 9 more

52–15