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Patterson Likely Next TCU Coach

December 7, 2000 / 6:32 PM EST / CBS/AP

Gary Patterson, the apparent choice to replace Dennis Franchione at Texas Christian, remained busy Thursday while waiting word on his likely promotion.

Patterson, who met for 2 1/2 hours Wednesday night with a search committee headed by athletic director Eric Hyman, went back to work Thursday on TCU's defensive game plan for the Dec. 20 Mobile Alabama Bowl against Southern Mississippi.

"I haven't worried about it. I figured they would take their time," the defensive coordinator said, adding that his talk with the committee went well. "I'm too busy to worry about it."

Patterson and a handful of graduate assistants were the only coaches left working in TCU's football office Thursday. In Franchione's office, someone was packing his personal items.

Hyman wasn't in his campus office Thursday and didn't return phone calls. Patterson said he expected to talk again with Hyman, but that no such conversation had yet taken place.

Athletic department officials repeatedly said Thursday that no news conference had been scheduled to announce the 30th coach in TCU's 105-year football history.

Franchione, who last week accepted an offer to coach Alabama, told a newspaper there that he expected Patterson to replace him at TCU. Franchione said that could change his plans to coach the Horned Frogs in the Mobile Bowl.

"I would think they'd want me to turn the team over to him at that point," Franchione told The Birmingham News. "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 indicated that even if he is promoted, he feels that Franchione should coach the final game.

"I told him that 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."

Patterson, 40, has been a college assistant coach 18 years but never a head coach. 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.

Patterson's name surfaced among players and fans as the early favorite to succeed Franchione. Before joining Franchione in 1996, he had previously coached at the Navy, Utah State, Sonoma State, Pittsburg State, Cal-Lutheran, Cal-Davis, Tennessee Tech and Kansas State.

Franchione has agreed to a seven-year deal worth $1.2 million to $1.4 million a year with Alabama, turnng down a new seven-year deal worth $1 million annually at TCU. It's unknown what kind of deal Patterson would be offered by TCU.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that TCU interviewed six other candidates this week.

Offensive coordinator Mike Schultz interviewed for the TCU job on Wednesday, but later informed Franchione he would be joining him at Alabama. Others interviewed were 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.