The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Tom Harp

Tom Harp held Indiana State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

Peak, then fade
52–70
1961–1977 · 3 stints
CornellDukeIndiana 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 careerCORNELLDUKEINDIANA STATEPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelCornell, 1961: 3-6, Regional Program IV1961Cornell, 1962: 4-5, Regional Program IV1962Cornell, 1963: 5-4, Regional Program IV1963Cornell, 1964: 3-5, Regional Program III1964Cornell, 1965: 4-3, Regional Program II1965+2.6Duke, 1966: 5-5, National Program I1966Duke, 1967: 4-6, National Program II1967Duke, 1968: 4-6, National Program II1968Duke, 1969: 3-6, National Program III1969Duke, 1970: 6-5, National Program III1970-12.5Indiana State, 1975: 5-5, Regional Program I1975Indiana State, 1976: 3-7, Regional Program II1976Indiana State, 1977: 3-7, Regional Program III1977+0.0One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached National Program in his 6th career season — faster than 12% of the 675 FBS coaches who have ever reached National Program (rank #580 of 675 by seasons-to-arrival).

Cornell, 5 seasons
+2.6
Regional Program IV → Regional Program II.
Duke, 5 seasons
−12.5
National Program I → National Program III.
Indiana State, 3 seasons
+0.0
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.

2–3 against his rivals. Winless in 4 tries against Hal Lahar.

Rivalry record
2–3
40.0% · 1 rival
One-score games
20–23–4
42.6% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–2
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
North Carolina2–340%
The toughest matchup
vs. Hal Lahar0–3–1
4 meetings, 1962–1965
’62 L’63 L’64 L’65 T
0% win rate across a real, 4-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
0–2 0.0%
Power Program
2–8 20.0%
National Program
12–25 32.4%
Regional Program
25–25 50.0%

Coaching career

1975–1977
Indiana Statecaretaker
Regional Program I
Tom Harp held Indiana State at Regional Program I for 3 seasons.

1st-best Indiana State tenure of 1 by the numbers.

11–19
1966–1970
Dukecaretaker
Power Program III → National Program I
Tom Harp slid Duke from Power Program III to National Program I in 5 seasons.

3rd-best Duke tenure of 15 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Murray (1951–1965) · succeeded by Mike McGee (1971–1978).

22–28
1961–1965
Cornellcaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program II
Tom Harp moved Cornell from Regional Program IV to Regional Program II in 5 seasons.

4th-best Cornell tenure of 5 by the numbers.

Followed George James (1947–1960).

19–23