Gary Patterson
Encyclopedia
Gary Patterson is the head coach
of the TCU Horned Frogs
college football
team. He grew up in Rozel, Kansas
and played football at Dodge City Community College
and Kansas State University
. Patterson is married to Kelsey Patterson (née Hayes). He has three sons: Josh, Cade and Blake. He received his bachelor's degree from KSU, where he became a member of the Acacia Fraternity
, in physical education in 1983. While coaching at Tennessee Tech he earned a master's degree in educational administration in 1984.
, as an assistant to head coach Jim Dickey
. After subsequently serving a number of years as an assistant coach at a number of different schools, Patterson was hired as Defensive Coordinator
at the University of New Mexico
in 1996. He served in that job for two years before leaving to take the same position at TCU
in 1998. He was named head coach at TCU prior to the Mobile Alabama Bowl
in December 2000, replacing Dennis Franchione
who left to become the head coach at the University of Alabama
.
Patterson remains friends with current Minnesota
head coach Jerry Kill
from their time as coaches on Franchione's staffs. Kill served as the best man during Patterson's wedding to wife Kelsey in 2004.
's 109), and he is the only coach in school history to have won a Rose Bowl and record six 10-win seasons. His teams have only failed to reach a bowl game once (2004); the Frogs have earned a spot in the Final Top 25 seven times, if Patterson's partial season as head coach in 2000 is counted. In 2005, Patterson led the Frogs to the Mountain West Conference
championship in their first season of league play. Over the course of the 2005 & 2006 seasons, the Frogs won four consecutive games against Big 12
opponents, with only one of the four coming at home. Patterson was named the 2005 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Patterson turned down a head coaching offer from Minnesota
worth over $2 million per year to stay at TCU.
In the 2009 college football season, Patterson led the Horned Frogs
to a perfect 12-0 regular season record, a Mountain West Conference Championship, a #4 BCS
season-ending ranking, and an invitation to the 2010 Fiesta Bowl
, where they fell by a score of 17-10 to undefeated #6 Boise State (14-0). The 2009 Horned Frogs became the second "BCS Buster" from the Mountain West Conference (and the fourth, overall) and seriously threatened to "bust into" the 2010 BCS National Championship Game
. The results of two games on December 5 likely denied the Horned Frogs a final #2 BCS ranking: a last-second, game-winning field goal by Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game
and an epic fourth quarter rally needed by Cincinnati
to win over Pitt
. The following year he led the Horned Frogs
to a second consecutive undefeated regular season, a #3 BCS
season-ending ranking, and the first school from a Non-AQ conference to be invited to the Rose Bowl
. The Horned Frogs won the game 21-19 over Wisconsin.
Patterson was named the 2009 AP Coach of the Year
, becoming the first head coach of a non-BCS conference
team to win the award. He won a total of seven national "Coach of the Year" awards in 2009 in addition to being named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year for the second time (his third conference "Coach of the Year" award, overall).
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the TCU Horned Frogs
TCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team. He grew up in Rozel, Kansas
Rozel, Kansas
Rozel is a city in Pawnee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 156.-Geography:Rozel is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
and played football at Dodge City Community College
Dodge City Community College
Dodge City Community College is located on the Central High Plains in Ford County, southwest Kansas.-Campus:For 22 years, the College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 1601 First Avenue. By 1957, it had grown large enough to require a move to a different...
and Kansas State University
Kansas State Wildcats football
The Kansas State Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I Bowl Subdivision, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference...
. Patterson is married to Kelsey Patterson (née Hayes). He has three sons: Josh, Cade and Blake. He received his bachelor's degree from KSU, where he became a member of the Acacia Fraternity
Acacia Fraternity
Acacia Fraternity is a Greek social fraternity originally based out of Masonic tradition. At its founding in 1904, membership was originally restricted to those who had taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was built on those ideals and principles. Within one year, four other Masonic...
, in physical education in 1983. While coaching at Tennessee Tech he earned a master's degree in educational administration in 1984.
Early years
Patterson began his coaching career in 1982 at Kansas StateKansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
, as an assistant to head coach Jim Dickey
Jim Dickey
-External links:...
. After subsequently serving a number of years as an assistant coach at a number of different schools, Patterson was hired as Defensive Coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in 1996. He served in that job for two years before leaving to take the same position at TCU
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in 1998. He was named head coach at TCU prior to the Mobile Alabama Bowl
GMAC Bowl
The GoDaddy.com Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played annually at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama since 1999. It currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference, and...
in December 2000, replacing Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...
who left to become the head coach at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
Patterson remains friends with current Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
head coach Jerry Kill
Jerry Kill
Jerry Kill is the head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Before assuming this position with the Golden Gophers in December 2010, Kill served as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State University , Emporia State University , Southern Illinois University Carbondale , and Northern...
from their time as coaches on Franchione's staffs. Kill served as the best man during Patterson's wedding to wife Kelsey in 2004.
Head coaching
In his 11th season at TCU, Patterson's 107 victories place him in second place on the TCU career victory chart (behind only Dutch MeyerDutch Meyer
Leo R. "Dutch" Meyer was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Texas Christian University from 1934 to 1952, compiling a record of 109–79–13. His TCU Horned Frogs football teams of 1935 and 1938 have been recognized...
's 109), and he is the only coach in school history to have won a Rose Bowl and record six 10-win seasons. His teams have only failed to reach a bowl game once (2004); the Frogs have earned a spot in the Final Top 25 seven times, if Patterson's partial season as head coach in 2000 is counted. In 2005, Patterson led the Frogs to the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
championship in their first season of league play. Over the course of the 2005 & 2006 seasons, the Frogs won four consecutive games against Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
opponents, with only one of the four coming at home. Patterson was named the 2005 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Patterson turned down a head coaching offer from Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
worth over $2 million per year to stay at TCU.
In the 2009 college football season, Patterson led the Horned Frogs
2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2009 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs finished the season...
to a perfect 12-0 regular season record, a Mountain West Conference Championship, a #4 BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
season-ending ranking, and an invitation to the 2010 Fiesta Bowl
2010 Fiesta Bowl
The 2010 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #4 TCU Horned Frogs, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the #6 Boise State Broncos, champions of the Western Athletic Conference. The game was played Monday, January 4, 2010, at University of...
, where they fell by a score of 17-10 to undefeated #6 Boise State (14-0). The 2009 Horned Frogs became the second "BCS Buster" from the Mountain West Conference (and the fourth, overall) and seriously threatened to "bust into" the 2010 BCS National Championship Game
2010 BCS National Championship Game
The 2010 Citi BCS National Championship Game was the finale of the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and was played between the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide. It was hosted by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California,...
. The results of two games on December 5 likely denied the Horned Frogs a final #2 BCS ranking: a last-second, game-winning field goal by Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game
2009 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2009 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game was held on December 5, 2009 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The divisional winners from the Big 12 Conference squared off in the 14th edition of the game. The Texas Longhorns represented the South Division and the Nebraska Cornhuskers...
and an epic fourth quarter rally needed by Cincinnati
2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium....
to win over Pitt
2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009...
. The following year he led the Horned Frogs
2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by tenth year head coach Gary Patterson and played its home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas...
to a second consecutive undefeated regular season, a #3 BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
season-ending ranking, and the first school from a Non-AQ conference to be invited to the Rose Bowl
2011 Rose Bowl
The 2011 Rose Bowl was the 97th edition of the annual bowl game played on January 1, 2011, as part of the 2010 college football season. Played in Pasadena, California, the TCU Horned Frogs of the Mountain West Conference defeated the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. The Pasadena...
. The Horned Frogs won the game 21-19 over Wisconsin.
Patterson was named the 2009 AP Coach of the Year
Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award
The Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award is an award that is given annually since 1998 to NCAA college football's national coach of the year. The award is voted on by the Associated Press voters that participate in the weekly college football AP Poll. The current award holder...
, becoming the first head coach of a non-BCS conference
BCS conference
An Automatic Qualifying conference is an athletic conference in NCAA Division I FBS whose champion receives an automatic berth in one of the five Bowl Championship Series bowl games...
team to win the award. He won a total of seven national "Coach of the Year" awards in 2009 in addition to being named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year for the second time (his third conference "Coach of the Year" award, overall).
Head coaching record
*First 11 games coached by Dennis FranchioneDennis Franchione
Dennis Wayne Franchione , also known as Coach Fran, is an American football coach. He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University, and resumed in 2011...