Twenty-one years of coaching dominance and conference titles culminate as TCU's legendary leader officially joins the sport's elite.
TCU legend Gary Patterson, who served as the head football coach of the Horned Frogs for 21 years, has been named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class.
The National Football Foundation made the announcement on Jan. 14. … cementing Patterson’s legacy.
“Gary Patterson’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is certainly no surprise,” TCU Director of Athletics Mike Buddie said in a statement. “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.”
Patterson, coached for 43 years at 13 different programs but will of course be remembered most for what he accomplished in Fort Worth with the Horned Frogs.
In 2002, in his second full season on the sideline, TCU went 10-2 and won the Liberty Bowl.
In 2003, TCU went 11-2.
And once in the Mountain West Conference starting in 2005? TCU won the conference title in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and became a perennial 11-game winner.
A high point was a Rose Bowl win following the 2010 season … and then a jump in class into the Big 12.
And by the 2014 season, TCU won team won that conference as well, capping it all with a bowl victory against Oregon.
In the end, Patterson built a 181-79 record at TCU and is the winningest head coach in program history.