Watch: Gary Patterson Gets Emotional When Talking About TCU
From 2000 to 2021, Gary Patterson was the face of TCU football as the former Frogs head coach helped lay the foundation for what Horned Frogs’ football is today.
Over his 21 seasons, Patterson led TCU to a 181-79 record, including an 11-6 record in bowl games and six conference championships across three conferences, including one in the Big 12.
The 2010 and 2014 seasons highlight the best years of Patterson’s tenure, as the Horned Frogs won the Rose Bowl and finished second in the AP Poll at 13-0 in 2010, and finished the 2014 season as Peach Bowl Champions at 12-1 and No. 3 nationally.
The one thing that Patterson did not do at TCU was get a chance to play for a national title, but the Frogs will do just that on Monday as they take on the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs for the chance to hoist the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy.
Recently, Patterson, who is now an assistant at Texas, was interviewed and talked about how it feels to see something that he helped build go on to succeed in its first year under someone else’s leadership since the turn of the century.
“Yeah, you’re excited for the kids,” Patterson said. “Really, I’m excited for all the coaches, players, administrators, boosters, everybody for the last 25 years because it’s been quite a journey.”
When asked about how he would feel if the Horned Frogs were able to take down Georgia on Monday, Patterson got emotional about his former team, whom he put in so much time and effort with over the years.
“Oh, I’d be great. Hopefully, yeah … It’s one of those things … Again, I go back not just to those guys but if you think of all the fans, all the money sitting in the stands doing all the things people have done to really put themselves in a position to be a part of it. I think that’s … it’s been a long journey. It really has.”
TCU and Georgia will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT, with Coach Patterson in attendance, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
