The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Clark Shaughnessy

Followed Charles Bowser. Pittsburgh fell from Power Program II to National Program II under Clark Shaughnessy.

The journeyman
42–51
1936–1945 · 4 stints
ChicagoStanfordMarylandPittsburgh
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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 careerCHICAGOSTANFORDMARYLANDPITTSBURGHPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelChicago, 1936: 2-5, Regional Program I1936Chicago, 1937: 1-6, Regional Program II1937Chicago, 1938: 1-6, Regional Program IV1938Chicago, 1939: 2-6, Regional Program V1939+0.0Stanford, 1940: 10-0, Power Program II1940Stanford, 1941: 6-3, Power Program II1941+8.7Maryland, 1942: 7-2, Regional Program V1942Maryland, 1946: 3-6, Regional Program IV1946+1.1Pittsburgh, 1943: 3-5, Power Program III1943Pittsburgh, 1944: 4-5, National Program II1944Pittsburgh, 1945: 3-7, National Program II1945-17.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 5th career season — faster than 30% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #251 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Chicago, 4 seasons
+0.0
Regional Program I → Regional Program V.
Stanford, 2 seasons
+8.7
Power Program II → Power Program II.
Maryland, 2 seasons
+1.1
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.
Pittsburgh, 3 seasons
−17.0
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.

6–2 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Francis Schmidt.

Rivalry record
6–2
75.0% · 3 rivals
One-score games
8–6
57.1% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–5
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
West Virginia3–0100%
Penn State2–167%
California1–150%
The toughest matchup
vs. Francis Schmidt0–4
4 meetings, 1936–1939
’36 L’37 L’38 L’39 L
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
6–11 35.3%
National Program
6–20 23.1%
Regional Program
10–8 55.6%

Coaching career

1943–1945
Pittsburghdeclinerborderline
Power Program II → Power Program III
Pittsburgh fell from Power Program II to National Program II under Clark Shaughnessy.

12th-best Pittsburgh tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Followed Charles Bowser (1939–1942) · succeeded by Wesley Fesler (1946–1946).

10–17
1942–1946
Marylandcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV
Clark Shaughnessy held Maryland at Regional Program IV for 2 seasons.

20th-best Maryland tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Jack Faber (1940–1941) · succeeded by Jim Tatum (1947–1955).

10–8
1940–1941
Stanfordcaretaker
Power Program III → Power Program II
Clark Shaughnessy moved Stanford from Power Program III to Power Program II in 2 seasons.

3rd-best Stanford tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Tiny Thornhill (1936–1939) · succeeded by Marchy Schwartz (1942–1950).

16–3
1936–1939
Chicagocaretaker
Regional Program I
Clark Shaughnessy held Chicago at Regional Program I for 4 seasons.

1st-best Chicago tenure of 1 by the numbers.

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