The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Duffy Daugherty

Followed Biggie Munn. Duffy Daugherty kept Michigan State a national power for 8 seasons.

109–69
1954–1972 · 1 stint
Michigan 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 careerMICHIGAN STATEBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderMichigan State, 1954: 3-6, Blue Blood1954Michigan State, 1955: 9-1, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1956: 7-2, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1957: 8-1, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1958: 3-5, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1959: 5-4, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1960: 6-2, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1961: 7-2, Blue BloodMichigan State, 1962: 5-4, Power Program IMichigan State, 1963: 6-2, Power Program IMichigan State, 1964: 4-5, Power Program IMichigan State, 1965: 10-1, Power Program IMichigan State, 1966: 9-0, Power Program IMichigan State, 1967: 3-7, Power Program IMichigan State, 1968: 5-5, Power Program IMichigan State, 1969: 4-6, Power Program IMichigan State, 1970: 4-6, Power Program IMichigan State, 1971: 6-5, Power Program IIMichigan State, 1972: 5-5, Power Program II1972+0.1One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 1st career season — faster than 59% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #1 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Michigan State, 19 seasons
+0.1
Blue Blood → Power 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.

12–7 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Forest Evashevski.

Rivalry record
12–7–2
57.1% · 2 rivals
One-score games
20–34–5
33.9% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
8–13
38.1%
Rivalry ledger
Michigan10–7–253%
Penn State2–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Forest Evashevski0–3
3 meetings, 1954–1960
’54 L’59 L’60 L
0% 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
8–13 38.1%
Power Program
41–29 58.6%
National Program
29–21 58.0%
Regional Program
28–6 82.4%

Coaching career

1954–1972
Michigan Statesustainer
Blue Blood → Blue Blood
Duffy Daugherty kept Michigan State a national power for 8 seasons.

1st-best Michigan State tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Biggie Munn (1947–1953) · succeeded by Dennis Stolz (1973–1975).

109–69