Trustees announce extension of Patterson coaching contract
By Braden Howell
Staff Reporter

Fears and doubts about the future of the TCU football program were eased Friday when it was disclosed the Board of Trustees announced that head coach Gary Patterson signed a contract extension.

Patterson confirmed Monday that he has signed a multi-year contract extension, but would not disclose the details of the contract. Patterson said TCU has been loyal to him and his staff, and he wanted to show the same loyalty to the university.

“I want to show fairness to TCU and make sure my staff is taken care of,” Patterson said.

Patterson would not give names, but said he had been contacted by other universities interested in hiring him, but he said it was never an issue because it was during recruiting season. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in November that Baylor expressed interest in Patterson.

Patterson said he did not want his contract to be an issue while he and the football staff were in the middle of recruiting, and that he doesn’t believe the news of his extension will help secure any more recruits.

“It’s not about me, it’s about continuity,” Patterson said. “When the kids come here and they see guys with five bowl rings and three conference championships, they want to be a part of that, not because of me.”

Patterson said he spent his whole life trying to get to Texas because of the great athletes who come from the state. He said a team needs to have a huge recruiting base to be successful.

According to the 2000 Internal Revenue Service 990 form, Patterson made $207,083 that year.

Current Horned Frog players Maurice Bouldwin and Ranorris Ray were excited to find out Patterson had signed a contract extension.

Ray, a redshirt freshman defensive end, said Patterson staying will help the defense.

“If he sticks around then we might be able to keep our defense in the top three in the nation,” Ray said.

Athletic Director Eric Hyman said the fear of other universities trying to steal Patterson is a good problem to have.

“If someone is coming to our school hoping to find their next head coach, that’s a sign of a winning program, not just a winning team,” Hyman said.

Now that his contract situation is out of the way, Patterson said he and the staff are working to build on the team’s recent success, and move up on their “pyramid of goals.”

Patterson said those goals include staying consistently ranked in the top 20, breaking into the top 10 and also playing in a BCS bowl.

Patterson is 16-9 in his first 25 games as head coach of the Horned Frogs, which matches former head coach Dennis Franchione’s record after his first 25 games with the Frogs.

Braden Howell
b.r.howell@tcu.edu