TCU Legend Inducted Into College Football Hall Of Fame

A TCU football legend has officially been granted his rightful place alongside the other titans of the college football universe.

Gary Patterson, who served as the head coach of the Horned Frogs for 21 years, was named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation announced on Jan. 14.

But while Patterson made his mark in a variety of different places across a coaching career that spanned 43 years and 13 different programs, his most memorable and impactful work came in Fort Worth with the Horned Frogs.

Building a Horned Frogs Powerhouse

Sep 4, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson prepares to lead his team on to the field to face the Duquesne Dukes at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

His impact on the TCU football program was evident right from the jump. After serving as the team’s defensive coordinator for three seasons, Patterson jump-started the Horned Frogs into a menacing behemoth. In 2002, just his second full season on the sideline, TCU went 10-2 and won the Liberty Bowl. He followed that up with an even better 11-2 campaign the following year.

Once the Frogs moved to the Mountain West Conference in 2005, the success only continued, this time on a much grander scale. TCU won the conference in 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and finished with fewer than 11 wins just once (in 2007) during its time in the league. Included in that stretch was a Rose Bowl victory following the 2010 season, a year that will forever be remembered as one of the best in program history.

That momentum carried over into TCU’s jump to the Big 12. While the early years in the conference presented some challenges, Patterson got the Frogs back on track with the 2014 team that won the conference and narrowly missed out on a trip to the College Football Playoff. The 2015 season, while not as prosperous or memorable, also ended on a high note with a dramatic comeback victory in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon.

His final strong season in Fort Worth came in 2017, when TCU finished 11-3. Patterson was let go by the university in 2021 following four mediocre seasons.

All told, Patterson finished with a 181-79 record at TCU and remains the winningest head coach in program history.

Patterson’s Induction Isn’t a Surprise

Unlike other players and coaches who have had to toil on the ballot for years while waiting to see if their name would be called, it took just one year on the ballot for Patterson to earn his spot in the Hall of Fame.

“Gary Patterson’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is certainly no surprise,” TCU Director of Athletics Mike Buddie said in a press release. “His profound impact on our football program, our athletic department, the city of Fort Worth, and the game itself is obvious, and we are thrilled for Gary, his wife Kelsey, and the entire Patterson family to have earned this incredible honor. Along with the thousands of players Gary impacted during his career, we congratulate him on today’s news and look forward to celebrating this honor in December 2026 at the official induction ceremony.”

Later this year in Atlanta, Patterson will be enshrined alongside several other deserving candidates among the best college football has to offer. It will be an honor that is well deserved, and one that has long been in the making.

Building a Horned Frogs Powerhouse

Patterson’s Induction Isn’t a Surprise

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