December 3, 2009
NCAA Football- TCU signs Coach Gary Patterson until 2016
By Audrey Nolan
With his team, TCU, going unbeaten with a record of 11-0 and a chance to get to the National Championship – despite not being part of the BCS conference – Coach Gary Patterson is having a pretty good season. Patterson was offered a contract extension up to 2016 that will include salary raises for him and his assistants.
Patterson has been part of the TCU football program for 12 years now, 9 of which he spent as head coach. He has led TCU to five 11-win seasons in the past seven years. This year, the team finished its first undefeated regular season since 1938, and now has a chance at the National Championship – depending on the results from the games this weekend.
TCU is at number 4 in the BCS standings, the best ranking for a team from a conference without an automatic. But the players still have a chance to be in the No. 1 buster of the BVS standings if Texas, at No. 3, loses to Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game Saturday night and if they can stay ahead of Cincinnati in the final BCS standings. The other spot will be filled by No. 1 Florida or No. 2 Alabama, who will face each other in the SEC championship game.
Patterson has confidence in his team, which is still fighting to take the spot for the National Championship fight. In his ninth season at TCU, Patterson has an 85-27 record and has already received one contract extension to 2014. The details of the second extension, with its two additional years, have not been revealed.
“Like all of us, you always like to prove people wrong. A lot of people thought that TCU, because of where we started 12 years ago, we couldn’t do this,” Patterson said. “We’ve achieved something that all those other people talk about because they’re part of a conference and yes, they have the access right now, a little bit quicker than we do. … We’ve now jumped over a hurdle being able to get to a BCS game.”
Patterson has been nothing if not constant since he started with TCU 12 years ago. He expressed a preference for the team entering the BCS Bowl, to enjoy a chance at ranking, and hopefully gain an opportunity to compete in the National Championship.
Patterson came to TCU, along with coach Dennis Franchione, after the 1997, when the Frogs were coming from a 1-10 record. Three years later, Franchione left for the University of Alabama, and Patterson was promoted to head coach. In eight years at TCU, Patterson’s 73 victories place him at second on the TCU career victory chart. He even turned down a job offer at the University of Minnesota that was worth approximately $2 million a year to stay at TCU.
This week, Patterson was named Mountain West Coach of the Year; there is further speculation that Notre Dame and Kansas State might be after him for coach. Thus far, however, Patterson is more than at home with the Frogs.
About the Author
Audrey Nolan is a top senior copywriter for the NCAA Football games as well as the top ranking online sports betting site: www.instantactionsports.com/uk/
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