Well, he beat a number one team in Alabama during that span. He beat UGA three years in a row with Lothridge as a runner up Heisman candidate. Good enough to go to the Sun Bowl and beat a Donny Anderson led heavily favored Texas Tech team. Went to the Orange Bowl in 1966 which would not be accomplished until 2014. However, he did come close, real close, to leaving for Texas due to frustrations with the Hill and some subpar recruiting years in the late 1950s. Coaches, even Hall of Fame coaches, go through ups and downs during the course of their careers. Some just go down like Bill Lewis among others but it is hard to stay on top for sure. Even the Bear was griping to Dodd one year that he would win 8, 9, or 10 games and the fans would be bitching about losing a bowl game. Dodd probably consoled him with... IIWII.