The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Frank Dobson

Frank Dobson held Maryland at Regional Program I for 4 seasons.

18–21
1936–1939 · 1 stint
Maryland
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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 careerMARYLANDNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelMaryland, 1936: 6-5, Regional Program I1936Maryland, 1937: 8-2, Regional Program I1937Maryland, 1938: 2-7, Regional Program III1938Maryland, 1939: 2-7, Regional Program III1939+0.0One 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).

Maryland, 4 seasons
+0.0
Regional Program I → Regional 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 3 tries against Bob Higgins.

One-score games
3–8
27.3% · margin ≤8
The toughest matchup
vs. Bob Higgins0–3
3 meetings, 1937–1939
’37 L’38 L’39 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
National Program
1–3 25.0%
Regional Program
7–13 35.0%

Coaching career

1936–1939
Marylandcaretaker
Regional Program I
Frank Dobson held Maryland at Regional Program I for 4 seasons.

16th-best Maryland tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Jack Faber (1940–1941).

18–21