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New Venture By Natascha Terc His first taste as head coach may have thrust him unexpectedly onto national television, but Gary Patterson, TCU’s new head football coach, simply pulled out his playbook and started calling the shots. Patterson got a jump-start on his career as head coach when he stepped up to lead TCU in the GMAC Mobile Alabama Bowl in December. “I think it was a lot to ask,” Patterson said. “We didn’t know if some of the old staff was going to leave, and I also had to control the emotions of the team. It was very exciting — I was at the (high point) of being a head coach.”
Despite the loss to Southern Miss at the bowl game, his new position has been a welcome surprise, Patterson said “The nice thing about it is that the players, community and administration stuck behind me,” he said. “It’s a good feeling that there’s a lot of people who believe we can be successful with Gary Patterson running the program.” Patterson said he would have accepted a job offer as defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama if he wasn’t chosen as TCU’s head coach. “It was a win-win situation,” Patterson said. “But for me, this was the best option to stay with a program that I’ve already had a part of making successful.” Patterson said he doesn’t know if fans will see much difference in TCU football. “I think I was already part of the football team, because I was a guy who ran everything down below,” Patterson said. “The off-season program is where you win ball games, and I was an integral part of making sure the players did the lifting and running.” Although he worked with former TCU head coach Dennis Franchione for about eight years, Patterson said he is ready to be on his own. “As far as TCU is concerned, coach Franchione is in the past,” Patterson said. “He’s a part of what we have done, and now we’ve moved on. That’s the way everyone around here should view it.” Patterson said he considers Franchione a friend. “For me to be successful, I have to be Gary Patterson,” he said. “One of the reasons I hired a lot of guys who are here is because I understand their strengths and weaknesses and what they bring to TCU.” With LaDainian Tomlinson and 25 other senior players leaving, Patterson said young players need to step up to fill important roles on the team. “I don’t think any of the younger players will be Heisman Trophy candidates right now,” Patterson said. “But we don’t have to have one to win football games.” Patterson said the biggest issue is how far the younger players can progress before the team’s first game in September. “The two words in our program are trust and accountability,” Patterson said. “Before filling roles in different positions, work ethic, trust and commitment are our key issues. We’re back to where we were three years ago, but the difference is we’ve already established a winning tradition.” Patterson said one of his favorite responsibilities as head coach has been the hiring process. “It’s been a lot of fun so far with being able to hire a new staff I like bing around,” he said. “Probably the hardest part was telling people who have been my friends for years that I couldn’t hire them. “My biggest strength is my judgment of people. I read more freom people’s faces and eyes than I do from what they tell me.” It’s important to recognize if players are having a good or bad day, Patterson said. “Those things are always shown on the football field,” Patterson said. “I think those situations are usually the best judge of a coach.” Troy Kunkel, former TCU tight end, said Patterson helped to unify the team. “When you’re running and exercising hard, you break down mentally,” Kunkel said. “Coach Patterson stressed that we encourage and cheer each other on.” Kunkel said if the players did the exercises without cheering for one another, he would make them redo it. “Patterson worked harder than any of the other coaches,” Kunkel said. “I wish him the best of luck. He deserves it.” Kunkel said his best memories of Patterson are from the last few weeks of this past season. “On the senior bus, he was laid-back and just kidding around and telling jokes,” Kunkel said. “He comes out as a really forceful person until you get to know him and build up trust with him. It’s all about trust with him.” Patterson credits one of his biggest strengths — his work ethic — to his upbringing. “I learned from growing up in a small western town, where we worked seven days a week in the summertime,” Patterson said. “The road I’ve traveled as a coach, which included cooking meals and washing clothes, has made me ready to do those types of things to be successful.” Patterson said he considers his inexperience of
being a head coach one of his weaknesses. “I do believe I have a lot of insight, and that is why I hired some of the people I have around me,” Patterson said. “One of the strengths that goes along with this is that I’m not afraid to ask questions.” Billie Hope, Patterson’s best friend from high school, said he calls Patterson “high-octane” because he usually operates on little or no sleep. “(Patterson has) definitely paid his dues to get there,” Hope said. “I can remember when he was sleeping in the locker rooms as a graduate assistant.” Hope, who lives in west central Kansas, said he and his family try to make it to TCU games as often as possible. “We try to spend time with him, but it’s hard because he seems to work 100 hours a week,” Hope said. “My first-grader draws (Patterson) pictures that say ‘TCU Rules.’ My kids are as proud of him as they would be of me.” Patterson and his wife have three sons of their own. It’s during visits to Hope’s farm in Kansas that Patterson really unwinds, Hope said. “Patterson is always really rigid,” Hope said. “But during those visits, he can actually kick back and relax. But thosemoments have gotten fewer and fewer lately.” Hope said Patterson has done a good job for a guy who grew up in a small town in Rozel, Kan. “He goes and goes and goes,” Hope said. “That’s just the way he is, but you still can’t take the country boy out of him.” Patterson said he has always tried to leave places better off than when he got there. “I’ve never been someone to say I have to get somewhere by a certain age and be at a certain pinnacle,” Patterson said. “The reason I wanted to be a head coach is because it’s a position in which you can control your own destiny.” Editor’s note: Over the next eight issues, the Skiff will be profiling all eight of the new assistant coaches. Natascha Terc |
