The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Harry Mehre

Followed Ed Walker. Harry Mehre moved Ole Miss from National Program III to National Program I in 7 seasons.

The builder
50–33
1936–1945 · 2 stints
GeorgiaOle Miss
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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 careerGEORGIAOLE MISSPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelGeorgia, 1936: 5-4, National Program I1936Georgia, 1937: 6-3, National Program I1937+0.0Ole Miss, 1938: 9-2, National Program II1938Ole Miss, 1939: 7-2, National Program I1939Ole Miss, 1940: 9-2, National Program I1940Ole Miss, 1941: 6-2, National Program I1941Ole Miss, 1942: 2-7, National Program I1942Ole Miss, 1944: 2-6, National Program II1944Ole Miss, 1945: 4-5, National Program III1945+10.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

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).

Georgia, 2 seasons
+0.0
National Program I → National Program I.
Ole Miss, 7 seasons
+10.0
National Program II → National 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.

10–8 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bob Neyland.

Rivalry record
10–8–2
50.0% · 6 rivals
One-score games
13–9–4
50.0% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Mississippi State3–443%
LSU4–267%
Auburn0–1–10%
Florida1–150%
Georgia Tech1–0–150%
South Carolina1–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bob Neyland0–3
3 meetings, 1936–1938
’36 L’37 L’38 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
Power Program
7–14 33.3%
National Program
14–10 58.3%
Regional Program
6–6 50.0%

Coaching career

1938–1945
Ole Misscaretakerborderline
National Program III → National Program I
Harry Mehre moved Ole Miss from National Program III to National Program I in 7 seasons.

8th-best Ole Miss tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Ed Walker (1936–1937) · succeeded by Red Drew (1946–1946).

39–26
1936–1937
Georgiacaretaker
National Program I
Harry Mehre held Georgia at National Program I for 2 seasons.

8th-best Georgia tenure of 9 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Joel Hunt (1938–1938).

11–7