Gary Patterson sends final message to TCU fans in letter after being fired

TCU made headlines a few weeks ago when the university and longtime football head coach Gary Patterson mutually agreed to part ways. On Thursday, Patterson pinned a final message to TCU.

“After 24 years, Kelsey and I are at a loss for words to describe how we feel about Fort Worth & TCU,” Patterson said in a letter posted on Twitter. “This is why it has taken me so long to respond. We just want to say thank you for your friendship and support. To all the players and staff that are our friends, we love you and thank you for all of your time, hard work & effort. They say it takes a village and that is absolutely true!

“Lastly, I want to thank my family for their sacrifices so that I could do something that I absolutely loved to do! Always your friends, Kelsey & Gary.”

Thank you to all! pic.twitter.com/dWCXDEn2oz

— Gary Patterson (@FBCoachP) November 18, 2021

Patterson was the second longest tenured head coaches in college football, trialing just Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz. He first began his career at TCU as the team’s defensive coordinator in 1998. In 2000, Patterson was promoted to become the program’s next head coach.

TCU went from Conference USA to the Mountain West before ultimately ending up in the Big 12 during Patterson’s tenure. Over 21 seasons, Patterson coached to a 181-79 record. He won the AP Coach of the Year award twice and won 11 bowl games in that span.

The Horned Frogs haven’t won a Big 12 title since 2011, and TCU got off to a slow start this season. After beginning the year 3-5 overall including a 1-4 Big 12 record and a three game losing streak, the two sides agreed to move in different directions.

TCU could have a few targets for Patterson’s replacement

Quite a few names have been linked to the TCU opening since Patterson’s dismissal. That includes Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, SMU’s Sonny Dykes, Jackson State’s Deion Sanders, Nevada’s Jay Norvell, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

After Sanders was listed as a candidate, reports later came out that TCU has moved on to other candidates. That comes despite a TCU player tweeting “We want Deion Sanders.”

No matter who replaces Patterson at TCU, it will be the beginning of a brand new era. Patterson rebuilt the Horned Frogs’ football program. In addition to winning 11 bowl games in his tenure, Patterson also led the program to six other bowl games, giving him 17 appearances in 22 seasons.