FORT WORTH, Texas -- Gary Patterson, a college assistant for 18 years,
is Texas Christian's new football coach.
Athletic department officials confirmed the hiring Friday and a news
conference was scheduled for later in the day.
The move comes a week after Dennis Franchione accepted an offer to coach
Alabama. The rest of Franchione's staff at TCU has followed him to Alabama.
This is the first head coaching job in college for the 40-year-old
Patterson. He has been Franchione's defensive coordinator the past five years,
two at New Mexico and the past three at TCU, which this season ranked first
nationally in total defense and scoring defense.
Hyman and other members of TCU's search committee met with Patterson for 2½
hours Wednesday night. The committee had already interviewed six other
candidates.
Patterson provides a smooth transition at TCU, which has gone from a 1-10
team Franchione inherited after the 1997 season to 10-1 and ranked 13th
nationally this season.
On Thursday, Patterson worked on the game plan for the TCU's appearance in
the Mobile Alabama Bowl on Dec. 20. The Horned Frogs will play Southern
Mississippi.
"I haven't worried about it," he said. "I figured they would take their
time."
Franchione has agreed to a seven-year deal worth $1.2 million to $1.4
million a year with Alabama. He turned down a new seven-year deal worth $1
million annually at TCU.
It's unknown what kind of deal Patterson will get at TCU. What also is
uncertain is if Franchione will coach the Horned Frogs in the bowl game as he
had planned.
"I would think they'd want me to turn the team over to him at that point,"
Franchione said in The Birmingham (Ala.) News on Thursday. "I mean, I'll do
whatever they want.
"If the players and administration want me to coach it, I'll do that. If
they want Gary to go ahead and coach it, that's what I'll do, too. I just will
leave that up to him."
Patterson said Thursday that Franchione should coach the final game
regardless of what happens.
"I told him than any way it went, the best thing for him is to coach the
game," Patterson said. "We started this together and we should end this
together."
Before joining Franchione in 1996, Patterson coached at Navy, Utah State,
Sonoma (Calif.) State, Pittsburg (Kan.) State, Cal Lutheran, Cal Davis,
Tennessee Tech and Kansas State.
Other candidates interviewed were TCU offensive coordinator Mike Schultz,
Auburn offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, Iowa State coach Dan McCarney,
Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower, Kansas Sate defensive coordinator Phil Bennett
and Colorado State coach Sonny Lubick.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2000, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved