The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Ray Graves

Followed Bob Woodruff. Ray Graves moved Florida from National Program I to Power Program II in 10 seasons.

70–31
1960–1969 · 1 stint
Florida
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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 careerFLORIDAPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyFlorida, 1960: 9-2, National Program I1960Florida, 1961: 4-5, National Program I1961Florida, 1962: 7-4, National Program I1962Florida, 1963: 6-3, Power Program III1963Florida, 1964: 7-3, Power Program III1964Florida, 1965: 7-4, Power Program III1965Florida, 1966: 9-2, Power Program II1966Florida, 1967: 6-4, Power Program II1967Florida, 1968: 6-3, Power Program III1968Florida, 1969: 9-1, Power Program III1969+7.2One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 4th career season — faster than 37% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #215 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Florida, 10 seasons
+7.2
National Program I → Power 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.

13–5 against his rivals. Just 3–7 against Ralph Jordan.

Rivalry record
13–5–2
65.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
29–12–4
64.4% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
4–5
44.4%
Rivalry ledger
Florida State7–2–170%
Georgia6–3–160%
The toughest matchup
vs. Ralph Jordan3–7
10 meetings, 1960–1969
’60 L’61 L’62 W’63 L’64 W’65 L’66 W’67 L’68 L’69 L
30% win rate across a real, 10-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
4–5 44.4%
Power Program
19–17 52.8%
National Program
22–8 73.3%
Regional Program
24–1 96.0%

Coaching career

1960–1969
Floridacaretaker
National Program I → Power Program II
Ray Graves moved Florida from National Program I to Power Program II in 10 seasons.

17th-best Florida tenure of 22 by the numbers.

Followed Bob Woodruff (1950–1959) · succeeded by Doug Dickey (1970–1978).

70–31