The Zeitgeist List · coaching

F. Dry

Followed Jim Shofner. F. Dry held TCU at Regional Program IV for 6 seasons.

Peak, then fade
43–69
1972–1982 · 2 stints
TulsaTCU
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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 careerTULSATCUNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelTulsa, 1972: 3-2, Regional Program II1972Tulsa, 1973: 6-5, Regional Program II1973Tulsa, 1974: 8-3, Regional Program I1974Tulsa, 1975: 7-4, National Program II1975Tulsa, 1976: 7-4, National Program II1976+9.2TCU, 1977: 2-9, Regional Program IV1977TCU, 1978: 2-9, Regional Program V1978TCU, 1979: 2-8, Regional Program V1979TCU, 1980: 1-10, Regional Program V1980TCU, 1981: 2-7, Regional Program V1981TCU, 1982: 3-8, Regional Program IV1982-1.8One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 4th career season — faster than 19% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #505 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Tulsa, 5 seasons
+9.2
Regional Program II → National Program II.
TCU, 6 seasons
−1.8
Regional Program IV → 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.

1–11 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Fred Akers.

Rivalry record
1–11
8.3% · 2 rivals
One-score games
13–18–3
38.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–5
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
SMU0–60%
Baylor1–517%
The toughest matchup
vs. Fred Akers0–6
6 meetings, 1977–1982
’77 L’78 L’79 L’80 L’81 L’82 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
Blue Blood
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
3–30 9.1%
National Program
7–16 30.4%
Regional Program
18–12 60.0%

Coaching career

1977–1982
TCUcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV
F. Dry held TCU at Regional Program IV for 6 seasons.

13th-best TCU tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Jim Shofner (1974–1976) · succeeded by Jim Wacker (1983–1991).

5 NFL Draft picks: Mike Renfro (1978), James Wright (1978), Wesley Roberts (1980), Greg Townsend (1983), Darrell Patterson (1983)

12–51
1972–1976
Tulsacaretaker
Regional Program II → National Program II
F. Dry moved Tulsa from Regional Program II to National Program II in 5 seasons.

7th-best Tulsa tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Succeeded by John Cooper (1977–1984).

10 NFL Draft picks: Ralph McGill (1972), Jean Barrett (1972), Drane Scrivener (1973), Arthur Moore (1973), Jeb Blount (1976), Wes Hamilton (1976), Rick Engles (1976), Greg Fairchild (1976) + 2 more

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