The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Carmody

Followed Bobby Collins. Jim Carmody slid Southern Miss from National Program II to National Program I in 6 seasons.

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1982–1987 · 1 stint
Southern 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 careerSOUTHERN MISSPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSouthern Miss, 1982: 7-4, National Program I1982Southern Miss, 1983: 7-4, National Program I1983Southern Miss, 1984: 4-7, National Program I1984Southern Miss, 1985: 7-4, National Program II1985Southern Miss, 1986: 6-5, National Program II1986Southern Miss, 1987: 6-5, National Program III1987-1.8One 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).

Southern Miss, 6 seasons
−1.8
National Program I → 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.

Winless in 4 tries against Pat Dye.

One-score games
12–8
60.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–5
16.7%
The toughest matchup
vs. Pat Dye0–4
4 meetings, 1982–1985
’82 L’83 L’84 L’85 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
1–5 16.7%
Power Program
0–9 0.0%
National Program
9–5 64.3%
Regional Program
19–7 73.1%

Coaching career

1982–1987
Southern Misscaretaker
National Program II → National Program I
Jim Carmody slid Southern Miss from National Program II to National Program I in 6 seasons.

2nd-best Southern Miss tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Bobby Collins (1975–1981) · succeeded by Curley Hallman (1988–1989).

4 NFL Draft picks: Sammy Winder (1982), Reggie Collier (1983), Louis Lipps (1984), Richard Byrd (1985)

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