The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Dave Smith

Followed Hayden Fry. Dave Smith held SMU at National Program III for 3 seasons.

The ascent
22–20
1972–1975 · 2 stints
Oklahoma StateSMU
← 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 careerOKLAHOMA STATESMUNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelOklahoma State, 1972: 6-5, Regional Program I1972+3.5SMU, 1973: 6-4, National Program III1973SMU, 1974: 6-4, National Program III1974SMU, 1975: 4-7, National Program III1975-0.1One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 2nd career season — faster than 33% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #402 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

SMU, 3 seasons
−0.1
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.

5–2 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Frank Broyles.

Rivalry record
5–2
71.4% · 3 rivals
One-score games
9–6–2
52.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Rice2–167%
TCU3–0100%
Oklahoma0–10%
The toughest matchup
vs. Frank Broyles0–2–2
4 meetings, 1972–1975
’72 L’73 T’74 T’75 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
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
0–4 0.0%
Power Program
2–4 33.3%
National Program
4–9 30.8%
Regional Program
14–2 87.5%

Coaching career

1973–1975
SMUcaretaker
National Program III → National Program III
Dave Smith held SMU at National Program III for 3 seasons.

11th-best SMU tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Hayden Fry (1962–1972) · succeeded by Ron Meyer (1976–1981).

4 NFL Draft picks: Louie Kelcher (1975), Oscar Roan (1975), Henry Sheppard (1976), Wayne Morris (1976)

16–15
1972–1972
Oklahoma Statecaretaker
Regional Program II → Regional Program I
Dave Smith moved Oklahoma State from Regional Program II to Regional Program I in 1 season.

13th-best Oklahoma State tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Floyd Gass (1969–1971) · succeeded by Jim Stanley (1973–1978).

6–5