Top 25
21-67-1
- Games
- 89
- Win rate
- 24.2%
Coach Profile
1976-2000 • Arizona, Missouri, Tulane, USC
4 schools coached, anchored by Arizona.
Larry Smith coached 24 seasons, won 53.1%, and posted an average SRS of 6.8. Best season: 1988 USC. The profile was balanced with a highly volatile profile. 4 stints shaped the career arc.
Career Dossier
The profile below keeps the headline numbers visible, then moves into tenure shape, school impact, and full season detail.
Primary school anchor
Arizona
Balanced profile with 4 program stops and a peak score of 92.3.
Track how the coach's season-to-season performance changed over time, where the peak landed, and where each school stint appears.
Focus on where peaks separate, where floors hold, and how the shape of each career changed over time.
Active comparison point
10-2 • SRS 24.9 • SP Overall 30.5
Win %
83.3%
YoY SRS
+11.4
SP Off / Def
42.4 / 11.8
Finish
#7
Comparison context
Focus a point to inspect how it stacks up against the rest of the field.
Track career record against ranked opponents with switchable poll source and ranking timing.
Using AP Top 25 rankings at the time of each game; week-one games use the week-one ranking release when available.
Top 25
21-67-1
Top 10
11-32-1
Top 5
4-19
| 2000 Regular Week 13 | Missouri | Kansas State | #9 | L24-28 |
| 2000 Regular Week 6 | Missouri | Nebraska | #1 | L24-42 |
| 2000 Regular Week 4 | Missouri | Michigan State | #22 | L10-13 |
| 2000 Regular Week 3 | Missouri | Clemson | #17 | L9-62 |
| 1999 Regular Week 13 | Missouri | Kansas State | #9 | L0-66 |
| 1999 Regular Week 5 | Missouri | Nebraska | #6 | L10-40 |
| 1998 Regular Week 13 | Missouri | Kansas State | #2 | L25-31 |
| 1998 Regular Week 12 | Missouri | Texas A&M | #6 | L14-17 |
| 1998 Regular Week 9 | Missouri | Nebraska | #7 | L13-20 |
| 1998 Regular Week 4 | Missouri | Ohio State | #1 | L14-35 |
| 1997 Regular Week 12 | Missouri | Nebraska | #1 | L38-45 |
| 1997 Regular Week 10 | Missouri | Oklahoma State | #12 | W51-50 |
| 1997 Regular Week 8 | Missouri | Kansas State | #22 | L11-41 |
| 1997 Regular Week 6 | Missouri | Ohio State | #7 | L10-31 |
| 1997 Postseason Week 1 | Missouri | Colorado State | #17 | L24-35 |
| 1996 Regular Week 12 | Missouri | Nebraska | #5 | L7-51 |
| 1996 Regular Week 11 | Missouri | Colorado | #7 | L13-41 |
| 1996 Regular Week 8 | Missouri | Kansas State | #22 | L10-35 |
| 1996 Regular Week 2 | Missouri | Texas | #8 | L10-40 |
| 1995 Regular Week 12 | Missouri | Colorado | #9 | L0-21 |
| 1995 Regular Week 11 | Missouri | Kansas | #11 | L23-42 |
| 1995 Regular Week 10 | Missouri | Oklahoma | #23 | L9-13 |
| 1995 Regular Week 8 | Missouri | Nebraska | #2 | L0-57 |
| 1995 Regular Week 7 | Missouri | Kansas State | #13 | L0-30 |
| 1994 Regular Week 12 | Missouri | Kansas State | #11 | L18-21 |
| 1994 Regular Week 9 | Missouri | Nebraska | #3 | L7-42 |
| 1994 Regular Week 7 | Missouri | Colorado | #5 | L23-38 |
| 1992 Regular Week 14 | USC | Notre Dame | #5 | L23-31 |
| 1992 Regular Week 12 | USC | Arizona | #9 | W14-7 |
| 1992 Regular Week 11 | USC | Stanford | #21 | L9-23 |
| 1992 Regular Week 9 | USC | Washington State | #13 | W31-21 |
| 1992 Regular Week 6 | USC | Washington | #1 | L10-17 |
| 1992 Regular Week 4 | USC | Oklahoma | #13 | W20-10 |
| 1992 Postseason Week 1 | USC | Fresno State | #24 | L7-24 |
| 1991 Regular Week 13 | USC | UCLA | #25 | L21-24 |
| 1991 Regular Week 11 | USC | Washington | #2 | L3-14 |
| 1991 Regular Week 10 | USC | California | #10 | L30-52 |
| 1991 Regular Week 9 | USC | Notre Dame | #5 | L20-24 |
| 1991 Regular Week 3 | USC | Penn State | #5 | W21-10 |
| 1990 Regular Week 14 | USC | Notre Dame | #7 | L6-10 |
| 1990 Regular Week 9 | USC | Arizona | #23 | L26-35 |
| 1990 Regular Week 6 | USC | Ohio State | #20 | W35-26 |
| 1990 Regular Week 5 | USC | Washington | #12 | L0-31 |
| 1990 Postseason Week 1 | USC | Michigan State | #16 | L16-17 |
| 1989 Regular Week 11 | USC | Arizona | #25 | W24-3 |
| 1989 Regular Week 8 | USC | Notre Dame | #1 | L24-28 |
| 1989 Regular Week 5 | USC | Washington State | #19 | W18-17 |
| 1989 Regular Week 4 | USC | Ohio State | #25 | W42-3 |
| 1989 Postseason Week 1 | USC | Michigan | #7 | W17-10 |
| 1988 Regular Week 14 | USC | Notre Dame | #1 | L10-27 |
| 1988 Regular Week 13 | USC | UCLA | #6 | W31-22 |
| 1988 Regular Week 8 | USC | Washington | #16 | W28-27 |
| 1988 Regular Week 7 | USC | Oregon | #18 | W42-14 |
| 1988 Regular Week 5 | USC | Oklahoma | #3 | W23-7 |
| 1988 Postseason Week 1 | USC | Michigan | #4 | L14-22 |
| 1987 Regular Week 13 | USC | UCLA | #11 | W17-13 |
| 1987 Regular Week 9 | USC | Notre Dame | #9 | L15-26 |
| 1987 Regular Week 7 | USC | Oregon | #16 | L27-34 |
| 1987 Regular Week 2 | USC | Michigan State | #17 | L13-27 |
| 1987 Postseason Week 1 | USC | Michigan State | #8 | L17-20 |
| 1986 Regular Week 14 | Arizona | Stanford | #20 | L24-29 |
| 1986 Regular Week 13 | Arizona | Arizona State | #8 | W34-17 |
| 1986 Regular Week 10 | Arizona | USC | #14 | L13-20 |
| 1986 Regular Week 7 | Arizona | UCLA | #19 | L25-32 |
| 1985 Regular Week 11 | Arizona | UCLA | #14 | L19-24 |
| 1985 Regular Week 6 | Arizona | SMU | #3 | W28-6 |
| 1984 Regular Week 10 | Arizona | Washington | #1 | L12-28 |
| 1984 Regular Week 9 | Arizona | USC | #20 | L14-17 |
| 1983 Regular Week 11 | Arizona | Washington | #18 | L22-23 |
| 1982 Regular Week 13 | Arizona | Arizona State | #6 | W28-18 |
| 1982 Regular Week 11 | Arizona | USC | #16 | L41-48 |
| 1982 Regular Week 7 | Arizona | Notre Dame | #9 | W16-13 |
| 1982 Regular Week 6 | Arizona | UCLA | #8 | T24-24 |
| 1982 Regular Week 3 | Arizona | Washington | #1 | L13-23 |
| 1981 Regular Week 13 | Arizona | Arizona State | #18 | L13-24 |
| 1981 Regular Week 8 | Arizona | Washington State | #16 | L19-34 |
| 1981 Regular Week 6 | Arizona | USC | #1 | W13-10 |
| 1981 Regular Week 2 | Arizona | UCLA | #12 | L18-35 |
| 1980 Regular Week 10 | Arizona | UCLA | #8 | W23-17 |
| 1980 Regular Week 9 | Arizona | Notre Dame | #3 | L3-20 |
| 1980 Regular Week 7 | Arizona | USC | #2 | L10-27 |
| 1979 Postseason Week 1 | Tulane | Penn State | #20 | L6-9 |
| 1978 Regular Week 5 | Tulane | Stanford | #17 | L14-17 |
| 1978 Regular Week 3 | Tulane | Pittsburgh | #11 | L6-24 |
| 1978 Regular Week 2 | Tulane | Maryland | #20 | L7-31 |
| 1977 Regular Week 9 | Tulane | Pittsburgh | #12 | L0-48 |
| 1976 Regular Week 11 | Tulane | Rutgers | #19 | L20-29 |
| 1976 Regular Week 4 | Tulane | Boston College | #15 | L3-27 |
| 1976 Regular Week 3 | Tulane | Ole Miss | #17 | L7-34 |
Each stint expands by seasons coached. Deeper color signals a stronger average SRS over that stretch.
Missouri
1994-2000 • 7 seasons
Avg SRS -0.5 • Win % 41.9%
USC
1987-1992 • 6 seasons
Avg SRS 15.5 • Win % 63.2%
Arizona
1980-1986 • 7 seasons
Avg SRS 9.2 • Win % 62.7%
Tulane
1976-1979 • 4 seasons
Avg SRS 2.4 • Win % 40.0%
Compare strength, identity, steadiness, and ceiling through normalized bars with raw SP and SRS context underneath.
These bars are normalized against the full coach dataset. Raw SP and SRS values stay visible so the profile reads as evidence, not decoration.
Start with total quality before splitting style and variance.
Larry Smith sets the reference point in overall strength.
Larry Smith sets the reference point in overall strength.
Normalized score; raw SP overall stays underneath for reference.
Larry Smith
Strong
Strong
Normalized against the full tracked coach pool.
See how each stint compared with what that program usually looked like outside that same span.
1994-2000 • 33-46-1
Compared with this school's baseline outside that stint over the prior 5 seasons (5 baseline seasons found).
Avg wins
Higher is better
4.7 during vs 3.0 baseline
+1.7
Avg SRS
Higher is better
-0.5 during vs -4.0 baseline
+3.5
Avg SP Overall
Higher is better
1.2 during vs -5.3 baseline
+6.5
Ranked finish rate
Higher is better
28.6% during vs 0.0% baseline
+28.6%
1987-1992 • 44-25-3
Compared with this school's baseline outside that stint over the prior 5 seasons (5 baseline seasons found).
Avg wins
Higher is better
7.3 during vs 6.8 baseline
+0.5
Avg SRS
Higher is better
15.5 during vs 11.0 baseline
+4.5
Avg SP Overall
Higher is better
19.8 during vs 14.0 baseline
+5.8
Ranked finish rate
Higher is better
66.7% during vs 40.0% baseline
+26.7%
1980-1986 • 48-28-3
Compared with this school's baseline outside that stint over the prior 5 seasons (5 baseline seasons found).
Avg wins
Higher is better
6.9 during vs 6.0 baseline
+0.9
Avg SRS
Higher is better
9.2 during vs 6.7 baseline
+2.5
Avg SP Overall
Higher is better
9.4 during vs 5.1 baseline
+4.3
Ranked finish rate
Higher is better
14.3% during vs 20.0% baseline
-5.7%
1976-1979 • 18-27
Compared with this school's baseline outside that stint over the prior 5 seasons (5 baseline seasons found).
Avg wins
Higher is better
4.5 during vs 5.4 baseline
-0.9
Avg SRS
Higher is better
2.4 during vs 2.9 baseline
-0.5
Avg SP Overall
Higher is better
-4.0 during vs 0.9 baseline
-4.9
Ranked finish rate
Higher is better
0.0% during vs 20.0% baseline
-20.0%
High Points
Best Season
USC 1988
10-2 • SRS 24.9
Biggest Improvement
Tulane 1979
9-3 • 14.0 SRS
Best Offensive Season
USC 1988
10-2 • SP Off 42.4
Best Defensive Season
USC 1989
9-2-1 • SP Def 10.7
Setbacks
Worst Season
Missouri 1995
3-8 • SRS -7.3
Biggest Drop
Missouri 1999
4-7 • -22.6 SRS
Full transparency into every season in the coaching record. Positive YoY values indicate improvement from the prior season.
| Missouri | 2000 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 27.3% | — | — | -5.0 | -5.2 | 30.3 | 34.9 | -0.1 | -9.1% |
| Missouri | 1999 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 36.4% | — | — | -4.9 | -0.5 | 32.9 | 33.6 | -22.6 | -30.3% |
| Missouri | 1998 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.7% | — | #21 | 17.7 | 23.2 | 39.3 | 17.5 | +13.4 | +8.3% |
| Missouri | 1997 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 58.3% | — | #23 | 4.3 | 9.6 | 42.1 | 34.8 | +5.8 | +12.9% |
| Missouri | 1996 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 45.5% | — | — | -1.5 | -2.2 | 35.4 | 36.8 | +5.8 | +18.2% |
| Missouri | 1995 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 27.3% | — | — | -7.3 | -7.1 | 24.5 | 31.2 | -0.4 | -1.9% |
| Missouri | 1994 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 29.2% | — | — | -6.9 | -9.4 | 23.3 | 31.4 | -19.0 | -25.0% |
| USC | 1992 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 54.2% | — | — | 12.1 | 18.6 | 34.2 | 17.2 | +4.0 | +26.9% |
| USC | 1991 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 27.3% | #16 | — | 8.1 | 11.2 | 32.7 | 23.2 | -4.5 | -38.1% |
| USC | 1990 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 65.4% | #9 | #20 | 12.6 | 14.9 | 35.7 | 22.4 | -9.4 | -13.8% |
| USC | 1989 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 79.2% | #5 | #8 | 22.0 | 25.8 | 35.7 | 10.7 | -2.9 | -4.2% |
| USC | 1988 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 83.3% | #6 | #7 | 24.9 | 30.5 | 42.4 | 11.8 | +11.4 | +16.7% |
| USC | 1987 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.7% | #19 | #18 | 13.5 | 17.9 | 35.7 | 19.4 | -4.0 | -8.3% |
| Arizona | 1986 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.0% | — | #11 | 17.5 | 18.2 | 36.1 | 19.6 | +7.9 | +4.2% |
| Arizona | 1985 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 70.8% | — | — | 9.6 | 13.0 | 25.7 | 13.1 | +2.7 | +7.2% |
| Arizona | 1984 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 63.6% | — | — | 6.9 | 11.0 | 30.3 | 20.5 | -3.6 | -4.5% |
| Arizona | 1983 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 68.2% | #14 | — | 10.5 | 11.4 | 34.4 | 24.7 | -4.2 | +9.1% |
| Arizona | 1982 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 59.1% | — | — | 14.7 | 16.1 | 36.2 | 22.2 | +9.4 | +4.5% |
| Arizona | 1981 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 54.5% | — | — | 5.3 | 0.5 | 25.5 | 25.4 | +5.4 | +9.1% |
| Arizona | 1980 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 45.5% | — | — | -0.1 | -4.6 | 25.1 | 29.7 | -14.7 | -29.5% |
| Tulane | 1979 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 75.0% | — | — | 14.6 | 10.8 | 29.8 | 20.0 | +14.0 | +38.6% |
| Tulane | 1978 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 36.4% | — | — | 0.6 | -9.7 | 16.8 | 26.1 | +2.7 | +9.1% |
| Tulane | 1977 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 27.3% | — | — | -2.1 | -6.7 | 23.3 | 29.2 | +1.4 | +9.1% |
| Tulane | 1976 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 18.2% | — | — | -3.5 | -10.4 | 15.4 | 25.4 | — | — |
Related profiles are matched by style, strength band, volatility band, peak range, and career length.
same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.8
Avg SRS 6.1 • Peak SRS 22.9 • 23 seasons
Best finish Unranked • Volatility 9.3
Open profile →same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.5
Avg SRS 6.3 • Peak SRS 21.2 • 11 seasons
Best finish #2 • Volatility 9.6
Open profile →same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.1
Avg SRS 6.9 • Peak SRS 24.0 • 12 seasons
Best finish Unranked • Volatility 8.3
Open profile →same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.7
Avg SRS 7.5 • Peak SRS 21.9 • 25 seasons
Best finish #5 • Volatility 7.3
Open profile →same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.1
Avg SRS 7.0 • Peak SRS 29.6 • 26 seasons
Best finish #2 • Volatility 10.7
Open profile →same balanced identity • avg SRS within 0.7
Avg SRS 6.2 • Peak SRS 17.7 • 22 seasons
Best finish #9 • Volatility 8.2
Open profile →