Gary Patterson
Gary Patterson went 181–79 as a head coach, 2000–2021, at TCU. Share
- Record
- 181–79 career
- Seasons
- 22
- Schools
- 1
- Final AP top 10
- 6 seasons
- Born
- Feb 13, 1960
- Alma mater
- Kansas State 1983
- Hall of Fame
- 2026 inducted
- Best season
- 2010 13–0, No. 2
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | TCU interim, bowl game | 0–1 | Mobile Alabama Bowl L | 21 | ||
| 2001 | TCU | 6–6 | T–5th | Galleryfurniture.com Bowl L | ||
| 2002 | TCU | 10–2 | T–1st | Liberty Bowl W | 23 | |
| 2003 | TCU | 11–2 | 2nd | Fort Worth Bowl L | 25 | |
| 2004 | TCU | 5–6 | T–6th | |||
| 2005 | TCU | 11–1 | 1st | Houston Bowl W | 11 | |
| 2006 | TCU | 11–2 | 2nd | Poinsettia Bowl W | 22 | |
| 2007 | TCU | 8–5 | 5th | Texas Bowl W | ||
| 2008 | TCU | 11–2 | 2nd | Poinsettia Bowl W | 7 | |
| 2009 | TCU | 12–1 | 1st | Fiesta Bowl L | 6 | |
| 2010 | TCU | 13–0 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 2 | |
| 2011 | TCU | 11–2 | 1st | Poinsettia Bowl W | 14 | |
| 2012 | TCU | 7–6 | T–5th | Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl L | ||
| 2013 | TCU | 4–8 | T–7th | |||
| 2014 | TCU | 12–1 | T–1st | Peach Bowl W | 3 | |
| 2015 | TCU | 11–2 | T–2nd | Alamo Bowl W | 7 | |
| 2016 | TCU | 6–7 | 5th | Liberty Bowl L | ||
| 2017 | TCU | 11–3 | 2nd | Alamo Bowl W | 9 | |
| 2018 | TCU | 7–6 | T–5th | Cheez-It Bowl W | ||
| 2019 | TCU | 5–7 | T–7th | |||
| 2020 | TCU | 6–4 | 5th | Texas (not played) | ||
| 2021 | TCU coached eight of 12 games | 3–5 | 8th |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Trevone BoykinFourth in the 2014 Heisman vote- Paul DawsonConsensus All‑American, 2014
- Tejay JohnsonConsensus All‑American, 2010
- Nick BrowneConsensus All‑American, 2003
- Jalen ReagorNo. 21 pick, 2020
- Jason VerrettNo. 25 pick, 2014
- Jeff GladneyNo. 31 pick, 2020
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 56 | 28–28 | 50% |
| Against top-10 teams | 28 | 12–16 | 43% |
| Against rivals | 56 | 38–18 | 68% |
| Conference games | 172 | 113–59 | 66% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 17 | 11–6 | 65% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 97 | 55–42 | 57% |
| At home | 124 | 94–30 | 76% |
| On the road | 113 | 74–39 | 65% |
| At neutral sites | 23 | 13–10 | 57% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 189 | 152–37 | 80% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 71 | 29–42 | 41% |
His own 260 games on file, 2000–2021, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Gundy 2012–2020 | 4–5 | Oklahoma State | 9 | |
| Art Briles 2003–2015 | 5–3 | Houston, Baylor | 8 | |
| Bronco Mendenhall 2005–2011 | 5–2 | BYU | 7 | |
| Bill Snyder 2012–2018 | 4–3 | Kansas State | 7 | |
| Dana Holgorsen 2012–2018 | 4–3 | West Virginia | 7 | |
| Bob Stoops 2005–2016 | 2–5 | Oklahoma | 7 | |
| June Jones 2008–2013 | 5–1 | SMU | 6 | |
| Kyle Whittingham 2005–2010 | 3–3 | Utah | 6 | |
| Kliff Kingsbury 2013–2018 | 3–3 | Texas Tech | 6 | |
| Lincoln Riley 2017–2021 | 0–6 | Oklahoma | 6 |
Gary Patterson’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| SMUseries | 19 | 15–4 |
| Baylorseries | 13 | 9–4 |
| Oklahomaseries | 13 | 2–11 |
| Texas Techseries | 12 | 7–5 |
| Texasseries | 11 | 7–4 |
| Iowa Stateseries | 10 | 6–4 |
| West Virginiaseries | 10 | 4–6 |
| Kansas Stateseries | 10 | 4–6 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2014 TCU: Bear Bryant Award, Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
- 2009 TCU: Bobby Dodd Award, Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Kansas State | Graduate assistant | |
| 1983–84 | Tennessee Tech | Linebackers coach | |
| 1986 | UC Davis | Linebackers coach | |
| 1987 | Cal Lutheran | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1988 | Pittsburg State | Linebackers coach | |
| 1989–91 | Sonoma State | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1992 | Oregon Lightning Bolts | Head coach | |
| 1992–94 | Utah State | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1995 | Navy | Defensive backs coach | |
| 1996–97 | New Mexico | Defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| 1998–2000 | TCU | Defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| 2000–21 | TCU | Head coach | |
| 2022 | Texas | Special assistant to head coach | |
| 2024 | Baylor | Consultant | |
| 2026–present | USC | Defensive coordinator |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Jim DickeyKansas State
- Gary DarnellTennessee Tech
- Dennis FranchionePittsburg State, New Mexico, TCU
- Tim WalshSonoma State
- Charlie WeatherbieUtah State, Navy
- Steve SarkisianTexas
- Dave ArandaBaylor
- Lincoln RileyUSC
Assistants who became head coaches
- Larry KenteraPalo Verde, Stockton / San Joaquin Delta, Northern Arizona
- Chris ThurmondHouston
- Mike SchultzLamar
- Dan LounsburySoutheastern Oklahoma State, Wisconsin–Superior
- David BailiffRice, Texas State, East Texas A&M
- Eddie WilliamsonVMI
- Travis BushUT Rio Grande Valley
- Adam LechtenbergCentral Connecticut
- Justin FuenteMemphis, Virginia Tech
- Randy ShannonMiami, Florida
- Doug MeachamOklahoma State
- Sonny CumbieTexas Tech, Louisiana Tech
- and 5 more
Worked under (8)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Dickey | Kansas State | 1982 | Graduate assistant | |
| Gary Darnell | Tennessee Tech | 1983–84 | Linebackers coach | |
| Dennis Franchione | Pittsburg State | 1988 | Linebackers coach | |
| Tim Walsh | Sonoma State | 1989–91 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Charlie Weatherbie | Utah State | 1992–94 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Charlie Weatherbie | Navy | 1995 | Defensive backs coach | |
| Dennis Franchione | New Mexico | 1996–97 | Defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Dennis Franchione | TCU | 1998–2000 | Defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Steve Sarkisian | Texas | 2022 | Special assistant to head coach | |
| Dave Aranda | Baylor | 2024 | Consultant | |
| Lincoln Riley | USC | 2026 | Defensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (17)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Kentera | Arkansas Miners, 1992: assistant coach | Palo Verde, Stockton / San Joaquin Delta, Northern Arizona | |
| Chris Thurmond | TCU, 2000: defensive backs coach | Houston | |
| Mike Schultz | TCU, 2000: running game coordinator; 2001–08: offensive coordinator | Lamar | |
| Dan Lounsbury | TCU, 2001: quarterbacks coach | Southeastern Oklahoma State, Wisconsin–Superior | |
| David Bailiff | TCU, 2001: assistant head coach and defensive line coach; 2002–03: defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | Rice, Texas State, East Texas A&M | |
| Eddie Williamson | TCU, 2001: offensive line coach; 2002–13: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | VMI | |
| Travis Bush | TCU, 2001–03: graduate assistant and assistant offensive line | UT Rio Grande Valley | |
| Adam Lechtenberg | TCU, 2007–09: OGA | Central Connecticut | |
| Justin Fuente | TCU, 2007–08: running backs coach; 2009–11: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Memphis, Virginia Tech | |
| Randy Shannon | TCU, 2012: linebackers coach | Miami, Florida | |
| Doug Meacham | TCU, 2014–16: co-offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach; 2020: wide receivers and tight ends coach; 2021: offensive coordinator and inside receivers and tight ends coach | Oklahoma State | |
| Sonny Cumbie | TCU, 2014–16: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2017–20: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech | |
| Sonny Dykes | TCU, 2017: offensive analyst | Louisiana Tech, California, SMU, TCU | |
| Jerry Kill | TCU, 2020–21: assistant to head coach | Northern Illinois, Minnesota, TCU, New Mexico State, Saginaw Valley State, Emporia State, Southern Illinois | |
| A. J. Ricker | TCU, 2021: co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | Saint Joseph’s (IN) | |
| Tim Beck | TCU, 2021: offensive analyst | Pittsburg State | |
| Tony Sanchez | TCU, 2021: offensive assistant | UNLV, New Mexico State |
Other assistants under him (12)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Les Koenning | TCU, 2000: passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Chad Glasgow | TCU, 2001, 2010, 2012–14: safeties coach; 2015: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach; 2016–21: defensive coordinator and safeties coach | |
| Chuck Driesbach | TCU, 2001: defensive coordinator | |
| Kasey Dunn | TCU, 2003: cornerbacks coach | |
| Dick Bumpas | TCU, 2004–14: defensive coordinator | |
| Trey Haverty | TCU, 2007–09: graduate assistant; 2011: safeties coach; 2012: wide receivers coach | |
| Jarrett Anderson | TCU, 2009–13: co-offensive coordinator | |
| Rusty Burns | TCU, 2012–13: co-offensive coordinator | |
| Curtis Luper | TCU, 2013–16: wide receivers and running backs coach; 2017–19: co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers and running backs coach | |
| DeMontie Cross | TCU, 2013–15: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; 2018–20: director of player personnel | |
| Kenny Perry | TCU, 2013: recruiting coordinator; 2014: cornerbacks coach | |
| Kenny Hill | TCU, 2018: student assistant; 2019: graduate assistant; 2020: offensive analyst; 2021: quarterbacks coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
How he coached
Patterson’s teams went for it on 16% of fourth downs and on 29% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 45% of plays and took 25.1 seconds a play, 2004–2020.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 3 g | 5 of 32 16% | 31% | 49% | 23.5 | −0.01 | |
| 2005 12 g | 22 of 112 20% | 44% | 44% | 23.0 | −0.07 | |
| 2006 13 g | 10 of 91 11% | 22% | 41% | 26.2 | 0.00 | |
| 2007 11 g | 21 of 103 20% | 35% | 47% | 23.5 | −0.16 | |
| 2008 13 g | 18 of 99 18% | 35% | 39% | 26.0 | +0.05 | |
| 2009 13 g | 13 of 84 15% | 27% | 37% | 26.9 | 0.00 | |
| 2010 13 g | 13 of 68 19% | 43% | 37% | 27.6 | +0.16 | |
| 2011 13 g | 11 of 75 15% | 31% | 41% | 25.2 | +0.12 | |
| 2012 13 g | 20 of 115 17% | 30% | 47% | 27.8 | −0.08 | |
| 2013 12 g | 15 of 113 13% | 21% | 52% | 24.1 | −0.11 | |
| 2014 13 g | 16 of 106 15% | 27% | 53% | 22.7 | +0.08 | |
| 2015 13 g | 15 of 107 14% | 22% | 49% | 22.6 | +0.13 | |
| 2016 13 g | 17 of 111 15% | 25% | 54% | 21.7 | +0.09 | |
| 2017 14 g | 14 of 99 14% | 23% | 47% | 26.3 | +0.09 | |
| 2018 13 g | 16 of 108 15% | 30% | 47% | 26.0 | −0.07 | |
| 2019 12 g | 12 of 101 12% | 26% | 47% | 25.8 | +0.03 | |
| 2020 10 g | 14 of 87 16% | 29% | 43% | 25.8 | +0.01 | |
| All 204 g | 252 of 1611 16% | 29% | 45% | 25.1 | +0.02 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.