The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Dan Devine

Followed Ara Parseghian. Dan Devine kept Notre Dame a national power for 6 seasons.

The ascent
172–57
1955–1980 · 3 stints
Arizona StateMissouriNotre Dame
← all coaches

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 careerARIZONA STATEMISSOURINOTRE DAMEDynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelArizona State, 1955: 8-2, National Program III1955Arizona State, 1956: 9-1, National Program IIArizona State, 1957: 10-0, National Program I1957+13.4Missouri, 1958: 5-4, Regional Program I1958Missouri, 1959: 6-5, National Program IIIMissouri, 1960: 10-1, National Program IIMissouri, 1961: 7-2, National Program IMissouri, 1962: 8-1, National Program IMissouri, 1963: 7-3, National Program IMissouri, 1964: 6-3, Power Program IIIMissouri, 1965: 8-2, Power Program IIIMissouri, 1966: 6-3, Power Program IIIMissouri, 1967: 7-3, Power Program IIIMissouri, 1968: 8-3, Power Program IIIMissouri, 1969: 9-2, Power Program IIMissouri, 1970: 5-6, Power Program II1970+24.2Notre Dame, 1975: 8-3, Blue Blood1975Notre Dame, 1976: 9-3, Blue BloodNotre Dame, 1977: 11-1, Blue BloodNotre Dame, 1978: 9-3, Blue BloodNotre Dame, 1979: 7-4, Blue BloodNotre Dame, 1980: 9-2, Blue Blood1980+0.6One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 17th career season — faster than 6% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #92 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Arizona State, 3 seasons
+13.4
National Program III → National Program I.
Missouri, 13 seasons
+24.2
Regional Program I → Power Program II.
Notre Dame, 6 seasons
+0.6
Blue Blood → Blue Blood.

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.

14–11 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against John Robinson.

Rivalry record
14–11–2
51.9% · 6 rivals
One-score games
41–26–8
54.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–0
100.0%
Rivalry ledger
Kansas8–3–262%
USC1–517%
Arizona2–167%
Michigan2–167%
Vanderbilt0–10%
Arkansas1–0100%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. John Robinson1–4
5 meetings, 1976–1980
’76 L’77 W’78 L’79 L’80 L
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
1–0 100.0%
Blue Blood
7–13 35.0%
Power Program
28–16 63.6%
National Program
48–22 68.6%
Regional Program
71–6 92.2%

Coaching career

1975–1980
Notre Damesustainer
Blue Blood → Blue Blood
Dan Devine kept Notre Dame a national power for 6 seasons.

4th-best Notre Dame tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Ara Parseghian (1964–1974) · succeeded by Gerry Faust (1981–1985).

22 NFL Draft picks: Mike Fanning (1975), Greg Collins (1975), Drew Mahalic (1975), Kevin Nosbusch (1975), Wayne Bullock (1975), Steve Niehaus (1976), Ed Bauer (1976), Ken MacAfee (1978) + 14 more

53–16
1958–1970
Missouribuilder
Regional Program I → Power Program II
Dan Devine raised Missouri from Regional Program I to Power Program II.

1st-best Missouri tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed Frank Broyles (1957–1957) · succeeded by Al Onofrio (1971–1977).

92–38
1955–1957
Arizona Statebuilderborderline
National Program III → National Program I
Dan Devine raised Arizona State from National Program III to National Program I.

9th-best Arizona State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Clyde Smith (1952–1954) · succeeded by Frank Kush (1958–1979).

27–3