The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Clyde Lee

Clyde Lee held Houston at National Program II for 6 seasons.

32–26
1949–1954 · 1 stint
Houston
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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 careerHOUSTONNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelHouston, 1949: 5-4, National Program III1949Houston, 1950: 4-6, National Program III1950Houston, 1951: 6-5, National Program II1951Houston, 1952: 8-2, National Program II1952Houston, 1953: 4-4, National Program II1953Houston, 1954: 5-5, National Program II1954+0.0One 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).

Houston, 6 seasons
+0.0
National 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.

Just 1–2 against John Brothers.

One-score games
8–6–2
50.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–0
100.0%
The toughest matchup
vs. John Brothers1–2
3 meetings, 1950–1952
’50 L’51 L’52 W
33% 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
Blue Blood
1–0 100.0%
Power Program
3–5 37.5%
National Program
11–10 52.4%
Regional Program
2–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1949–1954
Houstoncaretaker
National Program II
Clyde Lee held Houston at National Program II for 6 seasons.

8th-best Houston tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Bill Meek (1955–1956).

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