The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Ron Meyer

Followed Dave Smith. Ron Meyer moved SMU from National Program III to National Program II in 6 seasons.

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1976–1981 · 1 stint
SMU
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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 careerSMUNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelSMU, 1976: 3-8, Regional Program I1976SMU, 1977: 4-7, Regional Program II1977SMU, 1978: 4-6, Regional Program I1978SMU, 1979: 5-6, Regional Program I1979SMU, 1980: 8-4, National Program III1980SMU, 1981: 10-1, National Program II1981+2.6One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 5th career season — faster than 14% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #547 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

SMU, 6 seasons
+2.6
Regional Program I → National Program II.

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.

11–1 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Emory Bellard.

Rivalry record
11–1
91.7% · 2 rivals
One-score games
5–13–1
26.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
1–6
14.3%
Rivalry ledger
TCU6–0100%
Rice5–183%
The toughest matchup
vs. Emory Bellard0–3
3 meetings, 1976–1978
’76 L’77 L’78 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
1–6 14.3%
Power Program
8–14 36.4%
National Program
4–9 30.8%
Regional Program
17–3 85.0%

Coaching career

1976–1981
SMUcaretaker
National Program III → National Program II
Ron Meyer moved SMU from National Program III to National Program II in 6 seasons.

8th-best SMU tenure of 18 by the numbers.

Followed Dave Smith (1973–1975) · succeeded by Bobby Collins (1982–1986).

8 NFL Draft picks: Henry Sheppard (1976), Wayne Morris (1976), Arthur Whittington (1978), Emanuel Tolbert (1980), John Simmons (1981), Lee Spivey (1981), Perry Hartnett (1982), Harvey Armstrong (1982)

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