The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Steve Sloan

Followed Red Wilson. Steve Sloan held Duke at Regional Program I for 4 seasons.

Peak, then fade

68–86

1973–1986 · 4 stints

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.

Reached National Program in his 3rd career season — faster than 25% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #454 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Vanderbilt, 2 seasons

+2.4

Regional Program II → Regional Program II.

Texas Tech, 3 seasons

+6.0

National Program II → National Program I.

Ole Miss, 5 seasons

−9.1

National Program I → National Program II.

Duke, 4 seasons

−8.2

Regional Program I → Regional 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.

13–13 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Bear Bryant.

Rivalry record

13–13–2

46.4% · 8 rivals

One-score games

26–32–3

42.6% · margin ≤8

vs. Blue Blood or better

0–1

0.0%

Rivalry ledger

Memphis5–0100%

LSU0–4–10%

Mississippi State3–260%

North Carolina1–325%

Texas1–233%

Baylor3–0100%

Tennessee0–1–10%

Oklahoma State0–10%

The toughest matchup

vs. Bear Bryant0–5

5 meetings, 1973–1982

’73 L’74 L’80 L’81 L’82 L

0% win rate across a real, 5-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

1–9 10.0%

Power Program

9–36 20.0%

National Program

21–25 45.7%

Regional Program

34–15 69.4%

Coaching career

1983–1986

Dukecaretaker

Regional Program I → Regional Program I

Steve Sloan held Duke at Regional Program I for 4 seasons.

10th-best Duke tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Red Wilson (1979–1982) · succeeded by Steve Spurrier (1987–1989).

3 NFL Draft picks: Chris Castor (1983), Ben Bennett (1984), Mike Junkin (1987)

13–31

1978–1982

Ole Misscaretaker

Power Program III → National Program I

Steve Sloan slid Ole Miss from Power Program III to National Program I in 5 seasons.

9th-best Ole Miss tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Ken Cooper (1974–1977) · succeeded by Billy Brewer (1983–1993).

4 NFL Draft picks: Ken Coleman (1978), George Plasketes (1978), Jim Miller (1980), Ken Toler (1981)

20–34

1975–1977

Texas Techcaretaker

National Program II → National Program I

Steve Sloan moved Texas Tech from National Program II to National Program I in 3 seasons.

5th-best Texas Tech tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Jim Carlen (1970–1974) · succeeded by Rex Dockery (1978–1980).

7 NFL Draft picks: Lawrence Williams (1975), Curtis Jordan (1976), Thomas Howard (1977), Tommy Duniven (1977), Billy Taylor (1978), Eric Felton (1978), Jim Krahl (1978)

23–12

1973–1974

Vanderbiltcaretaker

Regional Program II → Regional Program II

Steve Sloan held Vanderbilt at Regional Program II for 2 seasons.

9th-best Vanderbilt tenure of 20 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Pace (1967–1972) · succeeded by Fred Pancoast (1975–1978).

3 NFL Draft picks: Rod Freeman (1973), Mark Ilgenfritz (1974), Doug Nettles (1974)

12–9