Ralph Jordan
Ralph Jordan went 175–83–7 on the field as a head coach, 1951–1975, at Auburn; 176–83–6 officially, with 1975 (4–6–1) after forfeits. His teams claim two national titles: Auburn in 1957 and 1958. Share
- Record
- 176–83–6 official; 175–83–7 on the field
- Seasons
- 25
- Schools
- 1
- National titles
- 2 claimed: 1957 and 1958
- Hall of Fame
- 1982 inducted
- Best season
- 1957 10–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Auburn | 5–5 | 6th | |||
| 1952 | Auburn | 2–8 | 12th | |||
| 1953 | Auburn | 7–3–1 | 5th | Gator Bowl L | 17 | |
| 1954 | Auburn | 8–3 | T–6th | Gator Bowl W | 13 | |
| 1955 | Auburn | 8–2–1 | 3rd | Gator Bowl L | 8 | |
| 1956 | Auburn | 7–3 | 5th | |||
| 1957 | Auburn | 10–0 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 1958 | Auburn | 9–0–1 | 2nd | 4 | ||
| 1959 | Auburn | 7–3 | 5th | 15 | ||
| 1960 | Auburn | 8–2 | 4th | 13 | ||
| 1961 | Auburn | 6–4 | 7th | |||
| 1962 | Auburn | 6–3–1 | 6th | |||
| 1963 | Auburn | 9–2 | 2nd | Orange Bowl L | 5 | |
| 1964 | Auburn | 6–4 | 6th | |||
| 1965 | Auburn | 5–5–1 | 2nd | Liberty Bowl L | ||
| 1966 | Auburn | 4–6 | 8th | |||
| 1967 | Auburn | 6–4 | 7th | |||
| 1968 | Auburn | 7–4 | T–3rd | Sun Bowl W | 16 | |
| 1969 | Auburn | 8–3 | 3rd | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl L | 20 | |
| 1970 | Auburn | 9–2 | 3rd | Gator Bowl W | 10 | |
| 1971 | Auburn | 9–2 | T–2nd | Sugar Bowl L | 12 | |
| 1972 | Auburn | 10–1 | 2nd | Gator Bowl W | 5 | |
| 1973 | Auburn | 6–6 | T–8th | Sun Bowl L | ||
| 1974 | Auburn | 10–2 | T–2nd | Gator Bowl W | 8 | |
| 1975 | Auburn | 3–6–2 (4–6–1 official) | T–6th |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Pat Sullivan1971 Heisman- Ed DyasFourth in the 1960 Heisman vote
- Zeke Smith1958 Outland Trophy
- Buddy McClintonConsensus All‑American, 1969
- Ken BernichConsensus All‑American, 1974
- Larry WillinghamConsensus All‑American, 1970
- Dave MiddletonNo. 12 pick, 1955
- Jackie BurkettNo. 12 pick, 1959
- Forrest BlueNo. 15 pick, 1968
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 75 | 31–43–1 | 42% |
| Against top-10 teams | 41 | 15–26 | 37% |
| Against rivals | 150 | 84–64–2 | 57% |
| Conference games | 166 | 97–64–5 | 60% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 12 | 5–7 | 42% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 99 | 60–32–7 | 64% |
| At home | 135 | 108–25–2 | 81% |
| On the road | 84 | 47–32–5 | 59% |
| At neutral sites | 46 | 20–26 | 43% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 168 | 137–28–3 | 82% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 97 | 38–55–4 | 41% |
His own 265 games on file, 1951–1975, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Bryant 1958–1975 | 5–13 | Alabama | 18 | |
| Bobby Dodd 1951–1966 | 6–9–1 | Georgia Tech | 16 | |
| Vince Dooley 1964–1975 | 6–6 | Georgia | 12 | |
| Doug Dickey 1964–1975 | 5–6–1 | Tennessee, Florida | 12 | |
| Frank Howard 1951–1969 | 9–1 | Clemson | 10 | |
| Wallace Butts 1951–1960 | 7–3 | Georgia | 10 | |
| Ray Graves 1960–1969 | 7–3 | Florida | 10 | |
| Bob Woodruff 1951–1959 | 6–3 | Florida | 9 | |
| Blanton Collier 1954–1961 | 5–2–1 | Kentucky | 8 | |
| Charley Bradshaw 1962–1968 | 5–2 | Kentucky | 7 |
Ralph Jordan’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Floridaseries | 25 | 16–9 |
| Georgiaseries | 25 | 15–10 |
| Georgia Techseries | 25 | 14–10–1 |
| Alabamaseries | 25 | 9–16 |
| Mississippi Stateseries | 23 | 18–3–2 |
| Kentuckyseries | 20 | 15–4–1 |
| Tennesseeseries | 20 | 11–8–1 |
| Chattanoogaseries | 16 | 16–0 |
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1934–42 | Auburn | Assistant coach | |
| 1945 | Auburn | Assistant coach | |
| 1946 | Miami Seahawks AAFC | Assistant coach | |
| 1947–50 | Georgia | Assistant coach | |
| 1951–75 | Auburn | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Jack MeagherAuburn, Miami Seahawks
- Carl VoylesAuburn
- Wallace ButtsGeorgia
Assistants who became head coaches
- Vince DooleyGeorgia
- Erk RussellGeorgia Southern
- Billy KinardOle Miss, Gardner-Webb
- Bill OliverChattanooga
- Doug BarfieldAuburn
Worked under (3)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Meagher | Auburn | 1934–42 | Assistant coach | |
| Carl Voyles | Auburn | 1945 | Assistant coach | |
| Jack Meagher | Miami Seahawks pro | 1946 | Assistant coach | |
| Wallace Butts | Georgia | 1947–50 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (5)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vince Dooley | Auburn, 1956–60: quarterbacks coach; 1961–63: freshman coach | Georgia | |
| Erk Russell | Auburn, 1958–62: assistant coach | Georgia Southern | |
| Billy Kinard | Auburn, 1961–63: assistant coach | Ole Miss, Gardner-Webb | |
| Bill Oliver | Auburn, 1966–70: defensive backs coach | Chattanooga | |
| Doug Barfield | Auburn, 1972–73: assistant coach; 1974–75: offensive coordinator | Auburn |
Other assistants under him (1)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Hayley | Auburn, 1963–66: assistant coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.