The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jennings Whitworth

Followed Jim Lookabaugh. Jennings Whitworth held Oklahoma State at National Program II for 5 seasons.

22–27

1950–1954 · 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).

Oklahoma State, 5 seasons

−6.2

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.

0–6 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Bud Wilkinson.

Rivalry record

0–6–1

0.0% · 2 rivals

One-score games

8–8–1

47.1% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–5

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

Oklahoma0–50%

Texas Tech0–1–10%

The toughest matchup

vs. Bud Wilkinson0–5

5 meetings, 1950–1954

’50 L’51 L’52 L’53 L’54 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

0–2 0.0%

National Program

9–16 36.0%

Regional Program

4–0 100.0%

Coaching career

1950–1954

Oklahoma Statecaretaker

National Program II → National Program II

Jennings Whitworth held Oklahoma State at National Program II for 5 seasons.

8th-best Oklahoma State tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Jim Lookabaugh (1939–1949) · succeeded by Cliff Speegle (1955–1962).

22–27