Former college football coach Dennis Franchione, who was head coach at five FBS schools over a lengthy and decorated career, has died, his family confirmed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
He was 75 years old.
Franchione was most well-known for his coaching tenures at Alabama (2001-02) and Texas A&M (2003-07). He also coached at New Mexico (1992-97), TCU (1998-2000) and Texas State (1990-91 and 2011-15), the last of which he helped transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 college football season.
Over his more than 20 years as an FBS head coach, Franchione’s teams went 133-116.
Franchione had previously coached at NAIA Southwestern College in Kansas,
Division II Pittsburg State in Kansas and at Southwest Texas State, which was an FCS school at the time before changing its name to Texas State and moving to the FBS ranks. He was the Bobcats' coach during that transition, helping pave the way for a program that is now in its first season in the Pac-12.
Franchione had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his kidney in 2016. He was again diagnosed with cancer in 2021, but was in full remission after treatment. His family told the Star-Telegram the cancer returned earlier this year and he was placed into hospice care earlier this month.
Here's what to know of the longtime coach:
Dennis Franchione coaching career
Franchione began his coaching career in 1973 as head coach at Miller High School in Missouri, before leaving for an assistant role at Mulvane High School in Kansas in 1975. He coached two more years of high school football at Peabody-Burns High School in Kansas in 1976-77.
The following year, Franchione began his long college football coaching career as a receivers coach at Kansas State from 1978-80; head coach at Southwestern College (1981-82); and offensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech (1983-84).
In 1985, Franchione took over at Pittsburg State, leading the Gorillas for five seasons from 1985-89. He then took over at Southwest Texas State from 1990-91 before taking over at New Mexico from 1992-97. Following six seasons with the Lobos, Franchione then left for TCU football, whom he coached for three seasons from 1998-2000.
Franchione leveraged his success with the Horned Frogs (three winning seasons, including a 10-1 mark in 2000) to replace Mike DuBose at Alabama, which was mired with NCAA investigations at the time. Despite going 10-3 in his second season with the Crimson Tide in 2002, Franchione left the program to return to Texas, where he took over the Texas A&M program from 2003-07.
Though his Aggies tenure is perhaps most notable for a 77-0 loss to Oklahoma in 2003, Franchione did enjoy three winning seasons in College Station, including a 9-4 mark in 2006. He also won two straight games over Texas in 2006-07. He resigned immediately following his win over Texas in 2007.
Dennis Franchione coaching record
Including his time in the FBS, FCS, Division II and NAIA ranks, Franchione had a career record of 213-135-2. Here's a year-by-year look at how his teams fared:
- Southwestern (1981-82): 14-4-2
- Pittsburg State (1985-89): 53-6
- Southwest Texas State (1990-91): 13-9
- New Mexico (1992-97): 33-36
- TCU (1998-2000): 25-10
- Alabama (2001-02): 17-8
- Texas A&M (2003-07): 32-28
- Texas State (2011-15): 26-34
- Overall: 213-135-2
How did Dennis Franchione die?
As noted by the Star-Telegram, Franchione was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his kidney in 2016. In 2021, Franchione received a diagnosis of a "more aggressive" cancer, but went into full remission after treatment. The Star-Telegram reported the cancer returned earlier this year, and he was moved to hospice in October.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Franchione dies. Former Alabama, Texas A&M and TCU football coach was 75
