Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: Texas Christian University (2000-21)
Place of Birth: Rozel, Kansas
Date of Birth: February 13, 1960
Career Record: 181-79-0 (69.6%)
Gary Patterson transformed TCU into one of college football's most consistent and respected programs, becoming the winningest head coach in Horned Frogs history. The Rozel, Kansas, native now becomes the fourth TCU coach to enter the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
Over 22 seasons at TCU, Patterson compiled a 181-79 career record, winning 69.6 percent of his games while guiding the program's transition from Conference USA to the Mountain West and then to the Big 12. He led the Horned Frogs to 11 final AP Top 25 rankings, including seven top-10 finishes, a No. 2 ranking in 2010 and a No. 3 ranking in 2014.
Patterson led TCU to 18 bowl appearances and an 11-6 bowl record (one game canceled), highlighted by victories in the 2011 Rose Bowl, 2014 Peach Bowl and an appearance in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. The Rose Bowl win marked the program's first ever appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game, and his 11 bowl victories tie him at No. 11 all-time for most overall bowl wins.
His teams recorded 11 seasons with at least 10 wins, including a perfect 13-0 season in 2010. A defensive mastermind, five of his defenses finished ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense during his head coaching career. He coached 21 First-Team All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, 90 First Team all-conference players while mentoring Heisman Trophy finalists Andy Dalton, Trevone Boykin and Max Duggan.
Patterson won six conference championships, guiding TCU to titles in Conference USA (2002), the Mountain West (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011) and the Big 12 (2014). He was named Conference Coach of the Year four times, including Conference USA (2002), Mountain West (2005, 2009) and the Big 12 (2014). He was named National Coach of the Year a total of 22 times, with the Associated Press, AFCA, FWAA and Walter Camp each recognizing him in both 2009 and 2014.
A former Kansas State safety and linebacker, Patterson held assistant coaching jobs at Tennessee Tech, UC Davis, Cal Lutheran, Pittsburg State (KS), Sonoma State (CA), Utah State, Navy, New Mexico and TCU before becoming the Horned Frogs head coach.
Beyond the field, Patterson co-founded The Big Good Foundation with Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Bridges, raising more than $5 million to support education, children's health and workforce readiness in Fort Worth. The National Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas presented him its Distinguished Texan Award in 2011, and Patterson served as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2020.
Since leaving TCU, Patterson has served as an off-field analyst at Texas and as a consultant at Baylor. He was inducted into the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame and received the Davey O'Brien Legends Award in 2025.
