The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Doug Scovil

Followed Claude Gilbert. Doug Scovil held San Diego State at National Program II for 5 seasons.

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1981–1985 · 1 stint
San Diego 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 careerSAN DIEGO STATENational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSan Diego State, 1981: 6-5, National Program II1981San Diego State, 1982: 7-5, National Program II1982San Diego State, 1983: 2-9, National Program III1983San Diego State, 1984: 4-7, National Program III1984San Diego State, 1985: 5-6, National Program III1985-4.1One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 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).

San Diego State, 5 seasons
−4.1
National Program II → 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.

Winless in 5 tries against LaVell Edwards.

One-score games
8–9–3
40.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
The toughest matchup
vs. LaVell Edwards0–5
5 meetings, 1981–1985
’81 L’82 L’83 L’84 L’85 L
0% win rate across a real, 5-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
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
0–6 0.0%
National Program
6–4 60.0%
Regional Program
14–18 43.8%

Coaching career

1981–1985
San Diego Statecaretaker
National Program II → National Program II
Doug Scovil held San Diego State at National Program II for 5 seasons.

5th-best San Diego State tenure of 11 by the numbers.

Followed Claude Gilbert (1973–1980) · succeeded by Dennis Stolz (1986–1988).

14 NFL Draft picks: Reuben Henderson (1981), Matt Kofler (1982), Vernon Dean (1982), Clinton Sampson (1983), Todd Seabaugh (1983), Phil Smith (1983), Doug Reed (1983), Sean McNanie (1984) + 6 more

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