The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Monte Kiffin

Followed Bo Rein. Monte Kiffin slid NC State from Power Program III to National Program I in 3 seasons.

16–17
1980–1982 · 1 stint
NC State
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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 careerNC STATEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyNC State, 1980: 6-5, National Program I1980NC State, 1981: 4-7, National Program I1981NC State, 1982: 6-5, National Program I1982-6.3One 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).

NC State, 3 seasons
−6.3
National Program I → National 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.

3–3 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Dick Crum.

Rivalry record
3–3
50.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
7–4
63.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
North Carolina0–30%
East Carolina3–0100%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dick Crum0–3
3 meetings, 1980–1982
’80 L’81 L’82 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
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
0–11 0.0%
National Program
5–3 62.5%
Regional Program
8–2 80.0%

Coaching career

1980–1982
NC Statecaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Monte Kiffin slid NC State from Power Program III to National Program I in 3 seasons.

3rd-best NC State tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Bo Rein (1976–1979) · succeeded by Tom Reed (1983–1985).

7 NFL Draft picks: Jim Ritcher (1980), Chris Dieterich (1980), Bubba Green (1981), Mike Quick (1982), Robert Abraham (1982), Eric Williams (1983), Perry Williams (1983)

16–17