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'There were calls' to pry him, Patterson says, but he is staying put
With numerous job openings around the country, TCU Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said "there were calls" from schools hoping to pry him away.
Patterson, in his 15th season as TCU's head coach and his 18th overall at the school, says he has a great fit at the private school in Fort Worth. He said he maintains a "never say never" approach to one day leaving for another school -- he has a list of five undisclosed schools that could convince him to leave -- but he remains quite content with the purple football empire he's created.
"You get to a point where your list of why you stay, there’s a lot to overcome in that one column,” Patterson told reporters via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram following practice for the Alamo Bowl against Oregon on Jan. 2. "There were calls."
TCU did lose co-defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross, who becomes the defensive coordinator at Missouri, and both co-offensive coordinators, Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie, flirted with other jobs, but decided stay at TCU.
“I’m about fit,” Patterson said. “And I tell coaches all the time — you got to make sure you don’t go for a title, you don’t go for money, you go for fit. Is it better? Is it going to be a better experience for you? And I try to help them if that’s what they want. I’m not one of those guys that gets upset, throws things, all that kind of stuff. They helped me be where I’m at, so if it’s right for them, then they should do it.”
Patterson will turn 56 in February, but says his age is not a factor in his coaching longevity at this point. He is 142-47 as TCU's coach, his only head coaching job, and has led the Horned Frogs to a Rose Bowl victory, a share of the Big 12 title and now to a 13th bowl game in 15 seasons.
"When you get to 56, some people think you’re too old to do these kind of things,” Patterson said. “They haven’t come out to watch me practice."
