The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Tatum

Followed Clark Shaughnessy. Jim Tatum took Maryland from Regional Program IV to Blue Blood.

The ascent
100–35
1942–1955 · 3 stints
North CarolinaOklahomaMaryland
← all coaches

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 careerNORTH CAROLINAOKLAHOMAMARYLANDBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelNorth Carolina, 1942: 5-2, National Program I1942North Carolina, 1956: 2-7, National Program III1956North Carolina, 1957: 6-4, National Program III1957North Carolina, 1958: 6-4, National Program II1958-11.5Oklahoma, 1946: 8-3, Power Program III1946+3.8Maryland, 1947: 7-2, Regional Program IV1947Maryland, 1948: 6-4, Regional Program III1948Maryland, 1949: 9-1, Regional Program II1949Maryland, 1950: 7-2, National Program III1950Maryland, 1951: 10-0, Power Program III1951Maryland, 1952: 7-2, Power Program II1952Maryland, 1953: 10-1, Power Program I1953Maryland, 1954: 7-2, Blue Blood1954Maryland, 1955: 10-1, Blue Blood1955+51.2One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 13th career season — faster than 11% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #86 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

North Carolina, 4 seasons
−11.5
National Program I → National Program II.
Maryland, 9 seasons
+51.2
Regional Program IV → Blue Blood.

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.

2–6 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Bud Wilkinson.

Rivalry record
2–6
25.0% · 4 rivals
One-score games
17–16–5
44.7% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
NC State0–30%
Duke1–233%
Texas0–10%
Oklahoma State1–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bud Wilkinson0–3
3 meetings, 1953–1956
’53 L’55 L’56 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
Dynasty
0–1 0.0%
Blue Blood
2–7 22.2%
Power Program
20–13 60.6%
National Program
27–5 84.4%
Regional Program
33–8 80.5%

Coaching career

1947–1955
Marylandtransformer
Regional Program IV → Blue Blood
Jim Tatum took Maryland from Regional Program IV to Blue Blood.

1st-best Maryland tenure of 21 by the numbers.

Followed Clark Shaughnessy (1942–1946) · succeeded by Tommy Mont (1956–1958).

73–15
1946–1946
Oklahomacaretaker
Power Program III → Power Program III
Jim Tatum held Oklahoma at Power Program III for 1 season.

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

Followed Snorter Luster (1941–1945) · succeeded by Bud Wilkinson (1947–1963).

8–3
1942–1958
North Carolinacaretaker
National Program I → National Program I
Jim Tatum held North Carolina at National Program I for 4 seasons.

8th-best North Carolina tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Raymond Wolf (1936–1941) · succeeded by James Hickey (1959–1966).

19–17