The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Cliff Speegle

Followed Jennings Whitworth. Cliff Speegle held Oklahoma State at National Program III for 8 seasons.

36–42
1955–1962 · 1 stint
Oklahoma State
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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 careerOKLAHOMA STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOklahoma State, 1955: 2-8, National Program III1955Oklahoma State, 1956: 3-5, National Program III1956Oklahoma State, 1957: 6-3, National Program III1957Oklahoma State, 1958: 8-3, National Program III1958Oklahoma State, 1959: 6-4, National Program III1959Oklahoma State, 1960: 3-7, National Program III1960Oklahoma State, 1961: 4-6, National Program III1961Oklahoma State, 1962: 4-6, National Program III1962-1.4One 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).

Oklahoma State, 8 seasons
−1.4
National Program III → National 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.

1–9 against his rivals. Just 1–7 against Jack Mitchell.

Rivalry record
1–9–1
9.1% · 2 rivals
One-score games
12–15–3
40.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Oklahoma0–80%
Texas Tech1–1–133%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Jack Mitchell1–7
8 meetings, 1955–1962
’55 L’56 L’57 L’58 W’59 L’60 L’61 L’62 L
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
0–2 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–6 0.0%
Power Program
1–3 25.0%
National Program
11–17 39.3%
Regional Program
15–11 57.7%

Coaching career

1955–1962
Oklahoma Statecaretaker
National Program III → National Program III
Cliff Speegle held Oklahoma State at National Program III for 8 seasons.

10th-best Oklahoma State tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Jennings Whitworth (1950–1954) · succeeded by Phil Cutchin (1963–1968).

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