College Basketball

Ole Miss hires former Longhorns head coach Chris Beard

Updated Mar. 13, 2023 2:47 p.m. ET

Ole Miss has hired Chris Beard as the school's next men's basketball coach, the university announced Monday morning.

Beard emerged as a leading candidate for the job last week, and now the two sides have finalized an agreement. A public introduction will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Beard and his daughters, Avery, Ella and Margo, to the Ole Miss family," Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter said. "We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation. After conducting due diligence and speaking to a number of individuals on and off the court, it was evident he is the right person to guide our team to greatness.

"At each stop in his career, Coach Beard has proven to be a program builder and a dynamic leader whose teams exhibit relentless effort. He is a tireless recruiter and develops talent to reach their greatest potential. He has coached at multiple levels of college basketball and has competed for championships at every school. Simply put, Coach Beard is a winner, and Ole Miss Basketball's best years are ahead of us under his leadership."

Beard, who coached at Texas from 2021-23, was fired by the school in January following an arrest on a felony domestic violence charge. His fiancée, Randi Trew, called 911 and told officers that Beard strangled, bit and hit her during a confrontation in his home. She later said Beard didn’t choke her, and that he defended himself from her. She added that she never intended him to be arrested and prosecuted.

On Feb. 15, the charges were dropped, in part because of Trew's wishes not to prosecute.

Beard had five years left on a seven-year guaranteed contract that included a provision saying he could be fired for cause if he was charged with a felony or committed other behavior unbecoming of his position or that reflected poorly on the university.

The 50-year-old Beard is heading an Ole Miss program that has struggled mightily over the past four years. The school fired former head coach Kermit Davis last month after the Rebels dropped their fourth consecutive game and fell to 2-13 in SEC play. Davis went 74-79 over five seasons and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament after landing there in his first season at Ole Miss.

As for Beard, the former Longhorns coach owns a career record of 237-98 as a college head coach. Before arriving at Texas in 2021, he spent five seasons at Texas Tech (2016-21) and one year at Little Rock (2015-16). He led the Red Raiders to the Final Four and a spot in the national title game in 2019.

Ole Miss' decision to hire Beard could eventually put him in the same conference as Texas, as the school is set to join the SEC effective in the summer of 2024.

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