The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Fred Taylor

Followed Abe Martin. Fred Taylor held TCU at National Program II for 4 seasons.

15–25

1967–1970 · 1 stint

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.

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).

TCU, 4 seasons

−5.8

National Program II → Regional Program I.

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.

5–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Frank Broyles.

Rivalry record

5–3

62.5% · 2 rivals

One-score games

4–7–1

33.3% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

1–4

20.0%

Rivalry ledger

Baylor4–0100%

SMU1–325%

The toughest matchup

vs. Frank Broyles0–4

4 meetings, 1967–1970

’67 L’68 L’69 L’70 L

0% win rate across a real, 4-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

1–4 20.0%

Power Program

0–11 0.0%

National Program

9–8 52.9%

Regional Program

4–2 66.7%

Coaching career

1967–1970

TCUcaretaker

National Program II → National Program II

Fred Taylor held TCU at National Program II for 4 seasons.

6th-best TCU tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Abe Martin (1953–1966) · succeeded by Jim Pittman (1971–1971).

5 NFL Draft picks: Bruce Alford (1967), Mickey McCarty (1968), Ross Montgomery (1969), Larry Adams (1969), Norman Bulaich (1970)

15–25