The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Red Dawson

Red Dawson moved Pittsburgh from Regional Program I to National Program III in 3 seasons.

Peak, then fade
45–30
1936–1954 · 2 stints
TulanePittsburgh
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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 careerTULANEPITTSBURGHPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelTulane, 1936: 6-3, Power Program III1936Tulane, 1937: 5-4, Power Program III1937Tulane, 1938: 7-2, Power Program III1938Tulane, 1939: 8-1, Power Program II1939Tulane, 1940: 5-5, Power Program II1940Tulane, 1941: 5-4, Power Program II1941+0.0Pittsburgh, 1952: 6-3, National Program III1952Pittsburgh, 1953: 3-5, National Program III1953Pittsburgh, 1954: 0-3, National Program III1954+3.2One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 1st career season — faster than 57% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #1 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Tulane, 6 seasons
+0.0
Power Program III → Power Program II.
Pittsburgh, 3 seasons
+3.2
National Program III → 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.

2–8 against his rivals. Just 1–5 against Frank Thomas.

Rivalry record
2–8
20.0% · 3 rivals
One-score games
13–12–5
43.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–0
100.0%
Rivalry ledger
LSU2–433%
West Virginia0–20%
Penn State0–20%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Frank Thomas1–5
6 meetings, 1936–1941
’36 L’37 L’38 L’39 W’40 L’41 L
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
1–0 100.0%
Blue Blood
1–2 33.3%
Power Program
9–13 40.9%
National Program
18–10 64.3%
Regional Program
6–2 75.0%

Coaching career

1952–1954
Pittsburghcaretaker
Regional Program I → National Program III
Red Dawson moved Pittsburgh from Regional Program I to National Program III in 3 seasons.

19th-best Pittsburgh tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Succeeded by John Michelosen (1955–1965).

9–11
1936–1941
Tulanecaretaker
Power Program II
Red Dawson held Tulane at Power Program II for 6 seasons.

1st-best Tulane tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Succeeded by Claude Simons (1942–1945).

36–19