Former Texas A&M Coach Dennis Franchione Dies At 75

The Texas A&M family lost a member of its community on Tuesday.

According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, former Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione passed away at the age of 75. Franchione had been in the midst of a 10-year battle with Cancer.

Franchione spent five seasons as the head coach of Texas A&M, joining the program in 2003 after two seasons with Alabama and three seasons at TCU.

During his time with TCU, Franchione's teams were 25-10, including a 10-1 season in 2000. He was then hired by the Crimson Tide in 2001 and went 17-8 over those two years, including a 10-3 season in 2002.

The Tide then offered Franchione a 10-year extension to remain their head coach, but he declined. He eventually opted for the A&M job instead, which had recently come open after the departure of RC Slocum, due in part to NCAA sanctions placed on the Alabama program.

Franchione's Tenure in Aggieland

Texas State Bobcats head coach Dennis Franchione on the sidelines before their game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at M.M. Roberts Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

His Texas A&M tenure got off to a slow start in 2003, with his first team going 4-8, including one of the worst losses in program history in a 77-0 blowout by Oklahoma.

The Aggies did improve to 7-5 and 5-3 in the Big 12 the following season, but fell back below .500 in 2005 after a rough campaign. The 2006 season was the best for Franchione during his time in Aggieland, with his team going 9-4 and 5-3 in conference.

That included two ranked wins over No. 19 Missouri in College Station and No. 11 Texas in Austin. One of just two wins he had over his arch-rivals.

The next came the following year, in 2007, in College Station, with the Aggies rounding out that regular season with a 38-30 win over another No. 11-ranked Texas team. It was his team's only ranked win of the year.

The Aggies finished that season 7-5. Franchione eventually resigned from his position with the Aggies following the conclusion of the 2007 season.

During his time with the Aggies, Franchione's teams ultimately finished with a record of 32-28, with a 4-16 record against ranked teams and a 2-3 record against the Longhorns. The team did not win a bowl game during that time, either.

After his exit from Texas A&M, he went on to coach at Texas State, where he stayed for five seasons.

Franchione is survivied by his wife, Kim, his daughters Ashley and Libby, and son Brad.

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