TCU's Gary Patterson Going Into College Football Hall of Fame, Among Other Honors

 

Following a 43-year coaching career spanning 13 programs, including 24 years at TCU, for Horned Frogs head football coach Gary Patterson has been named as a member of the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class, in his first year on the ballot.

"Gary Patterson's induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is certainly no surprise," said TCU Director of Athletics Mike Buddie. "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 and look forward to celebrating this honor in December 2026 at the official induction ceremony."

A transformational leader as TCU's head coach for 22 seasons, Patterson compiled a 181-79 career record as the winningest coach in program history. Patterson led the Horned Frogs from Conference USA to the Mountain West to the Big 12. His teams combined for 11 final AP Top 25 rankings, including seven top-10 finishes, a No. 2 ranking in 2010 and a No. 3 ranking in 2014. His 181 career victories rank No. 12 all-time among coaches at one school and No. 35 all-time in college football history.

Patterson led TCU to 18 bowl appearances and an 11-6 bowl record (one game canceled), highlighted by victories in the 2011 Rose Bowl, 2014 Peach Bowl and an appearance in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. The Rose Bowl marked the program's first-ever appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game. His 11 bowl victories tie him at No. 11 all-time for most overall bowl wins. His teams recorded 11 seasons with at least 10 wins, including a 13-0 season in 2010.

Patterson was regarded as one of the nation's preeminent defensive coaches during his career. Five of his defenses finished ranked No. 1 nationally in total defense during his head coaching career.

Patterson coached 21 First-Team All-Americans, three Academic All-Americans, 90 First Team all-conference players and three Heisman Trophy finalists: Andy Dalton, Trevone Boykin and Max Duggan.

Patterson won six conference championships, guiding TCU to titles in Conference USA (2002), the Mountain West (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011) and the Big 12 (2014). He was named Conference Coach of the Year four times, including Conference USA (2002), Mountain West (2005, 2009) and the Big 12 (2014). He was named National Coach of the Year 22 times, with the Associated Press, AFCA, FWAA and Walter Camp each recognizing him in 2009 and 2014.

A former Kansas State safety and linebacker, Patterson held assistant coaching jobs at Tennessee Tech, UC Davis, Cal Lutheran, Pittsburg State (Kansas), Sonoma State (California), Utah State, Navy, New Mexico and TCU before becoming the Horned Frogs head coach.

Beyond the field, Patterson co-founded The Big Good Foundation with Grammy Award-winning artist Leon Bridges, raising more than $5 million to support education, children's health and workforce readiness in Fort Worth. 

The National Football Foundation Gridiron Club of Dallas presented Patterson its Distinguished Texan Award in 2011. Patterson served as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2020. 

Patterson was inducted into the TCU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025. He will receive the Davey O'Brien Legends Award in February. In April, he will be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas. Tickets are available: here 

The 2026 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be inducted during the 68th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are available: here  

Patterson is the 10th TCU coach or student-athlete to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. These nine preceded him:

• LaDainian Tomlinson, 2014
• Darrell Lester, 1988
• Bob Lilly, 1981
• Jim Swink, 1980
• Rags Matthews, 1971
• Ki Aldrich, 1960
• Dutch Meyer (Coach),1956
• Davey O'Brien, 1955
• Sammy Baugh, 1951

When the 2026 Hall of Fame Class is inducted in December, there will be 1,129 players and 241 coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame, from the nearly six million who have played or coached the game during the past 157 years.

The College Football Hall of Fame is located in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Originally slated to be built on the Rutgers University campus, which was home of the first college football game in 1869, the Hall ultimately found its first home in Kings Mills, Ohio, in 1978. The Ohio location closed in 1992 and the Hall relocated to South Bend, Indiana ,where it resided from 1995 to 2012.In 2014, the College Football Hall of Fame opened in Atlanta. Today, it’s a $68.5 million, 95,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility that is located in the heart of Atlanta’s sports, tourism and entertainment districts and is steps away from Centennial Olympic Park and surrounded by other attractions, including the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium and the CNN Center.

The Hall of Fame consists of three floors, five themed galleries and over 50 interactive exhibits, including a 47-yard football field and a three-story wall of over 750 college football helmets.