AFM’s FBS Coach of the Year -Gary Patterson •TCU

The BCS-busting Patterson led the Horned Frogs to a perfect record, a Rose Bowl victory, and a #2 national ranking.

As college football fans look at the national landscape over the last 10 years or so, there always seems to be the same names at the top week-in week-out, year-in year-out, whether it’s Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, LSU, USC. Every now and then a new team might rise up for a few weeks or a couple of years.

    But like any list, it always needs some updating or tweaking, so if you put that formidable set of name schools again, the name Texas Christian University should appear because the football program at the Fort Worth, Texas college has clearly become a power on the national scene. The man behind it is head coach Gary Patterson.

    With a 13-0 record in 2010, a BCS-busting program-changing Rose Bowl victory over an imposing Wisconsin team and a 44-4 record over the last four years, Gary Patterson is a most-deserving recipient of AFM’s FBS 2010 Coach of the Year award.

    Patterson is an unassuming figure that does not get a lot of attention, but if you ask coaches and administrators at Bowl Championship Series member schools, they will tell you that the Kansas native, who has had control of the TCU program for 10-plus years now, is highly thought of, respected, and in some circles, even feared because of what he has created in the football-rich Metroplex.

    Not a lot of people took notice of Patterson, who replaced then rising star Dennis Franchione at TCU in 2000. Patterson was the emotionally charged defensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs, whose talented defense got little attention because of the presence of All-American running back LaDainian Tomlinson.  

    After Tomlinson went to the NFL, Franchione accepted the head coaching job at Alabama. Instead of doing a huge, drawn out national search, TCU elevated Patterson to the position, and what has happened over the past 10 years is nothing short of remarkable.

    “We took our time and built the foundation slowly. We did not go too fast,” Patterson recalled. “I knew all along we could win at TCU and win big, but I did not want just a great team, I wanted to have a great program.” According to Patterson, there are five keys as to how TCU has built a top-flight program and is now maintaining it:
 
 Recruit great kids (keeping the base in Texas). A decade ago it was difficult to have recruits consider TCU when Texas, Texas A & M, and Oklahoma were at the door. Times have clearly changed.

 Surround yourself with outstanding coaches (then keep them). Most of Patterson’s staff is still with him including Defensive Coordinator Dick Bumpas who – along with Patterson – are the architects of the punishing 4-2-5 Horned Frogs defense.

 Commitment and support from administration (financial and philosophical). “The level of support for our overall program has been nothing short of outstanding,” said Patterson. “It starts at the top and continues throughout our athletics department.”

 Facilities (stadium, academic center, indoor facilities). TCU has continually upgraded both their stadium and practice facilities, which has helped the overall recruiting process. A total of $130 million has been allocated for improvements to Amon Carter Stadium as well as the overall indoor facilities for the football program.

 Donor and alumni support. “The level of our donor and booster support has increased dramatically over the last 10 years,” said Patterson. “Along with that, our alumni and former athletes have embraced our program. That has helped both our image and recruiting.”

    It will be hard now to stay under the radar for both Patterson and TCU. Consider the numbers over the last decade:

•      No. 2 national ranking in 2010 after a
    perfect 13-0 season.

•      10 consecutive bowl game appearances,         highlighted by the 2011 Rose Bowl win         over Big Ten champion Wisconsin.

•      Back-to-back BCS bowl game appear-        ances (TCU played Boise State in the 2010         Fiesta Bowl), becoming the first school         from a non-automatic BCS qualifying
    conference to accomplish that feat.

•      9 Coach of the Year awards in 2009.

•      98 wins over the last 10 years is seventh         among BCS coaches, trailing only Bob         Stoops, Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, Urban         Meyer, Brian Kelly, and Frank Beamer.

•      44 wins over the past four years.

•      Back-to back perfect regular seasons in         2009 and 2010.

    The accolades are incredible for both Patterson and the Horned Frogs program, but it did not happen overnight. There was a lot of transitional things to handle early on in Patterson’s regime. Following Tomlinson’s departure, TCU hung its hat on great defense for several years.

    While the Horned Frogs challenged for Conference USA titles, Patterson, a passionate and emotional defensive coach by trade, decided to reach out to one of his friends and mentors in 2004, Dick Bumpas, who was at Houston. Bumpas, a highly-regarded defensive mind, joined his friend and former pupil in Fort Worth.

    “I always felt like we needed to be great on defense all the time, and we would start getting more and more talented kids on the offensive side. Dick is a great friend and an unbelievable coach. We are lucky to have him at TCU,” Patterson said.

    To underscore the impact Bumpas and Patterson have made together, TCU’s defense finished as the No. 1 defense among the 120 BCS schools for a record third straight season. And since statistics have been kept since 1938, TCU has claimed an NCAA record five No. 1-ranked defensive honors.

    The offense has also caught up to the defense. The Horned Frogs have produced a Top 10 offense the last few years, led by quarterback Andy Dalton, who has re-written the TCU record books.  

    “Look at a kid like Andy Dalton” said Patterson. “Not many BCS schools even looked at him. We brought him in, and not just because of the numbers he put up over the last three years. But I would not have any other quarterback in the country than Andy. We have a lot of kids like that in our program and it is our job to put them in a position to be successful through hard work, being a good student, a good teammate, and being accountable.”

    Since the demise of the old Southwest Conference back in 1995, TCU was not asked to move with a lot of its Texas brethren and into the Big 12. The Horned Frogs joined the WAC, then Conference USA, followed by the Mountain West – winning big in all three that set the stage for another big move for TCU football.

    Oddly enough, just before the bowl season kickoff off this past December, the college football landscape shifted again, and this time the Horned Frogs made the leap. Beginning in 2012, TCU will become a full member of the Big East Conference which will provide the Horned Frogs the “opportunity” to qualify for a BCS bowl and even a national championship every year.  Patterson is pleased with the move for TCU, but also understands what lies ahead for his ascending program.

    “We are looking forward to playing the Big East schools, and we actually have some history already with Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida from our days in Conference USA,” Patterson said. “In terms of our program and how it will be when we get in the Big East, we need to keep doing things the way we have always done them – the right way, with hard work, and accountability at all times. If we continue to do those things and keep getting good kids that will graduate and be good citizens, we will continue to be successful,” Patterson concluded.

    Patterson also realizes how the move to the Big East changes things for the entire university and how the success and visibility of the football program has helped the institution. “I think we have 1,100 spots open for admission, and our applications have gone from 4,000 to about 18,000,” he proudly stated.

    A lot has been made over how TCU and even Boise State in the past few years have not been given a “fair” opportunity to play for the national championship because those schools reside in non-BCS automatic qualifying leagues, yet Patterson has always taken the high road when asked about the proverbial playoff system. He only is concerned with things he can control.

    “I don’t get caught up in a lot of that stuff. I cannot control or do anything about it, so I just go out and focus on getting our team and our program better, and I would say we have done a pretty good job of that over the years,” Patterson said.

    The former Kansas State linebacker and safety is also excited about what television can do for the TCU program, but also cautions you have to be careful what you wish for.  “The Big East television situation and exposure will be outstanding for our program, yet, it won’t change what we do,” said Patterson. “We will always start and focus our recruiting in Texas, but the Big East means more people will see us and know about us around the country. Yet, I believe TV is good only if you win.”

    Despite all the success and accolades, Patterson has noticed a change in himself off the field, which has helped him in elevating his program. “I am a much better listener that I was when I first became a head coach,” Patterson explained. “Being a better listener off the field has helped me relate to the kids even better in terms of helping them be successful, whether it’s football stuff, academics, girlfriend issues. I just think I am so much better now than I was and I feel good about that.”

    Gary Patterson has gotten better at a lot of things over the past 10 years and his leadership, passion, and energy has helped move the Horned Frogs quietly into the nation’s elite in college football.