The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Dave Kragthorpe

Followed Joe Avezzano. Dave Kragthorpe held Oregon State at Regional Program V for 6 seasons.

17–48
1985–1990 · 1 stint
Oregon 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 careerOREGON STATERegional Programthe building-block levelOregon State, 1985: 3-8, Regional Program V1985Oregon State, 1986: 3-8, Regional Program V1986Oregon State, 1987: 2-9, Regional Program V1987Oregon State, 1988: 4-6, Regional Program V1988Oregon State, 1989: 4-7, Regional Program V1989Oregon State, 1990: 1-10, Regional Program IV1990+3.8One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Oregon State, 6 seasons
+3.8
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.

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.

1–5 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Larry Smith.

Rivalry record
1–5
16.7% · 1 rival
One-score games
8–4–2
57.1% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Oregon1–517%
The toughest matchup
vs. Larry Smith0–6
6 meetings, 1985–1990
’85 L’86 L’87 L’88 L’89 L’90 L
0% win rate across a real, 6-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
Power Program
3–21 12.5%
National Program
5–19 20.8%
Regional Program
6–6 50.0%

Coaching career

1985–1990
Oregon Statecaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program V
Dave Kragthorpe held Oregon State at Regional Program V for 6 seasons.

17th-best Oregon State tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Joe Avezzano (1980–1984) · succeeded by Jerry Pettibone (1991–1996).

4 NFL Draft picks: Erik Wilhelm (1989), Robb Thomas (1989), Pat Chaffey (1990), Esera Tuaolo (1991)

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