TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson Named 2020 AFCA President

TCU head coach Gary Patterson will lead the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2020 as president of the organization. Patterson, who moves up from first vice-president, succeeds outgoing president Frank Solich of Ohio University. Patterson was elected president by members attending the Association’s 2020 convention this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

RELATED ARTICLE: Four Top High School Coaches Earn AFCA Regional Power of Influence Award Honors

In addition to Patterson, the 2020 AFCA officers include first vice-president Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern University, second vice-president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming and third vice-president Bronco Mendenhall of the University of Virginia.

Also serving on the Board in 2020: Todd Knight, Ouachita Baptist University; David Cutcliffe, Duke University; Jeff McMartin, Central College (Iowa); Blake Anderson, Arkansas State University; Dan Mullen, University of Florida; Danny Rocco, University of Delaware; Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; Paul Winters, Wayne State University (Mich.); David Shaw, Stanford University; Seth Littrell, University of North Texas; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside College; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Lakewood (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Mark McElroy, Saddleback College (Calif.), ex officio member and Junior College representative. Lance Leipold from the University at Buffalo and Skip Holtz from Louisiana Tech University are newly elected members of the Board this year. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.

Patterson completed his 20th season as the head coach at TCU and has an overall record of 172-70, making him the winningest head coach in program history. He has guided the Horned Frogs to 17 bowl games, winning 11 of them. TCU has also won six conference championships, in three different leagues, under Patterson.

Patterson’s first conference title came in 2002 when the Horned Frogs went 10-2, won the Liberty Bowl, and tied for first in Conference USA. His second title came in 2005, TCU’s first year in the Mountain West Conference (MWC). That year he guided the Horned Frogs to an 11-1 record, a No. 9 final ranking in the Coaches’ Poll and a victory in the Houston Bowl. TCU’s seven years in the MWC were dominated by the Horned Frogs as they won 11 or more games six times and finished either first or second in the conference six of the seven seasons. Patterson added three more MWC titles in 2009, 2010 and 2011, with the 2010 season being extra special as TCU went 13-0, won the Rose Bowl and finished ranked No. 2 in the final Coaches’ Poll.

TCU joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012 and it didn’t take long for Patterson to win a conference title in the new league. TCU went 12-1 in 2014, tied for first in the Big 12, won the Peach Bowl and finished ranked No. 3 in the Coaches’ Poll. TCU has finished the season ranked in the Top 25 12 times in Patterson’s 20 years, with six of those years being Top 10 finishes.

Patterson began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas State in 1982. He spent two seasons as linebackers coach at Tennessee State before being named linebackers coach at UC Davis in 1986. Patterson was the defensive coordinator at California Lutheran in 1987, then the linebackers coach at Pittsburg State before spending three seasons as defensive coordinator at Sonoma State. In 1992, he coached the secondary at Utah State, then left to coach the secondary at Navy in 1995 before joining up with head coach Dennis Franchione as defensive coordinator at New Mexico in 1996. When Franchione took the TCU head coaching job in 1998, Patterson came with him. He was named TCU head coach in December of 2000 when Franchione left to be head coach at Alabama.

Patterson was named to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2010. He has won 22 national coach of the year honors including being named AFCA FBS Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2014. Patterson also won FBS Regional Coach of the Year in those same years.