The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Fred Goldsmith

Followed Barry Wilson. Fred Goldsmith slid Duke from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

The builder
40–70
1989–1998 · 2 stints
RiceDuke
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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 careerRICEDUKERegional Programthe building-block levelRice, 1989: 2-8, Regional Program V1989Rice, 1990: 5-6, Regional Program V1990Rice, 1991: 4-7, Regional Program IV1991Rice, 1992: 6-5, Regional Program IV1992Rice, 1993: 6-5, Regional Program IV1993+5.7Duke, 1994: 8-4, Regional Program II1994Duke, 1995: 3-8, Regional Program II1995Duke, 1996: 0-11, Regional Program III1996Duke, 1997: 2-9, Regional Program III1997Duke, 1998: 4-7, Regional Program III1998-2.1One 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).

Rice, 5 seasons
+5.7
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.
Duke, 5 seasons
−2.1
Regional Program II → 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.

6–9 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Bobby Bowden.

Rivalry record
6–9
40.0% · 3 rivals
One-score games
14–20–1
40.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–5
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
SMU5–0100%
Houston1–420%
North Carolina0–50%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bobby Bowden0–5
5 meetings, 1994–1998
’94 L’95 L’96 L’97 L’98 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
0–5 0.0%
Power Program
2–27 6.9%
National Program
10–18 35.7%
Regional Program
25–20 55.6%

Coaching career

1994–1998
Dukecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program II
Fred Goldsmith slid Duke from Regional Program III to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

13th-best Duke tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Barry Wilson (1990–1993) · succeeded by Carl Franks (1999–2003).

2 NFL Draft picks: Patrick Mannelly (1998), Lennie Friedman (1999)

17–39
1989–1993
Ricecaretaker
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV
Fred Goldsmith moved Rice from Regional Program V to Regional Program IV in 5 seasons.

9th-best Rice tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Jerry Berndt (1986–1988) · succeeded by Ken Hatfield (1994–2005).

3 NFL Draft picks: Courtney Hall (1989), Donald Hollas (1991), Bert Emanuel (1994)

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