The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Wallace Butts

Followed Joel Hunt. Wallace Butts took Georgia from National Program II to Power Program I.

140–86
1939–1960 · 1 stint
Georgia
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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 careerGEORGIABlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyGeorgia, 1939: 5-6, National Program II1939Georgia, 1940: 5-4, National Program IIGeorgia, 1941: 9-1, National Program IIGeorgia, 1942: 11-1, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1943: 6-4, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1944: 7-3, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1945: 9-2, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1946: 11-0, Power Program IGeorgia, 1947: 7-4, Power Program IGeorgia, 1948: 9-2, Power Program IGeorgia, 1949: 4-6, Power Program IGeorgia, 1950: 6-3, Power Program IGeorgia, 1951: 5-5, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1952: 7-4, Power Program IIGeorgia, 1953: 3-8, Power Program IIIGeorgia, 1954: 6-3, Power Program IIIGeorgia, 1955: 4-6, National Program IGeorgia, 1956: 3-6, National Program IIGeorgia, 1957: 3-7, National Program IIGeorgia, 1958: 4-6, National Program IIGeorgia, 1959: 10-1, Power Program IIIGeorgia, 1960: 6-4, Power Program III1960+23.9One 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).

Georgia, 22 seasons
+23.9
National Program II → 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.

37–32 against his rivals. Just 1–4 against Bernie Moore.

Rivalry record
37–32–1
52.9% · 4 rivals
One-score games
36–36–8
45.0% · margin ≤8
Rivalry ledger
Georgia Tech10–1245%
Florida12–957%
Auburn11–9–152%
South Carolina4–267%
The toughest matchupNemesis
vs. Bernie Moore1–4
5 meetings, 1943–1947
’43 L’43 L’44 L’45 L’47 W
Performance by opponent class
Power Program
26–43 37.7%
National Program
48–34 58.5%
Regional Program
33–5 86.8%

Coaching career

1939–1960
Georgiatransformerborderline
National Program II → Power Program I
Wallace Butts took Georgia from National Program II to Power Program I.

4th-best Georgia tenure of 9 by the numbers.

Followed Joel Hunt (1938–1938) · succeeded by Johnny Griffith (1961–1963).

140–86