Dennis Franchione Dennis Wayne Franchione ( born March 28 , 1951 ) , also known as Coach Fran , is an American football coach . He is currently the head football coach at Texas State University , a position he held from 1990 to 1991 , when the school was known as Southwest Texas State University , and resumed in 2011 . Franchione has also served as the head football coach at Southwestern College in Winfield , Kansas ( 1981 – 1982 ) , Pittsburg State University ( 1985 – 1989 ) , the University of New Mexico ( 1992 – 1997 ) , Texas Christian University ( 1998 – 2000 ) , the University of Alabama ( 2001 – 2002 ) , and Texas A & M University ( 2003 – 2007 ) . In his 27 seasons as a head coach in college football , Franchione has won eight conference championships and one divisional crown . Personal life . Franchione was born in Girard , Kansas . He received his bachelor of arts in 1973 from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg , Kansas . Franchione and his wife , the former Kim Kraus , began dating after he took her on a tour of his alma mater , Pittsburg State , at the request of her father . They married shortly after , in 1977 , while living in Peabody , Kansas . The couple have two daughters , Elizabeth Ann and Ashley Renee . Brad Franchione , his son from a previous marriage , was the head football coach at Blinn College prior to his current position with his father at Texas State . Brad and his wife , Rebecca , have three children . Coaching career . Early career . After graduating from Pittsburg State , Franchione served as the head football coach at Miller High School in Miller , Missouri from 1973 to 1974 . He then served as an assistant coach at Mulvane High School in Mulvane , Kansas in 1975 . From 1976 to 1977 , he served as the head coach at Peabody - Burns High School in Peabody , Kansas . In 1978 , Franchione was hired to be an assistant coach at Kansas State University , a position he would hold until he was hired to be the head coach at Southwestern College in Winfield , Kansas in 1981 . During his two years at Southwestern , he led the team to a 14 – 4 – 2 record , a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference title , and a Sunflower Bowl win . His nine wins in 1982 tied the school record and was Southwestern ' s most since 1967 . After two seasons as offensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 1983 and 1984 , Franchione was hired as the head coach at his alma mater , Pittsburg State University . During his five seasons with the Gorillas , he led the team to a 53 – 6 record , 37 – 1 in conference , won five conference titles , and was named NAIA National Coach of the Year twice . He tied the school record for victories in a single season three times before breaking it with the 12 victories of his 1989 team . In 1990 , he joined Texas State University , where he spent two years and compiled a 13 – 9 record . New Mexico . In 1992 , Franchione took his first head coaching job in Division I - A at the University of New Mexico . In his six seasons at New Mexico , he led the Lobos to a 33 – 36 record , including a 9 – 4 mark in 1997 , which earned the Lobos a WAC Mountain Division Championship and an invitation to play in the Insight . com Bowl , their first bowl berth since 1961 . During the 1996 and 1997 seasons , his roster included current NFL Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher . TCU . In 1998 , Franchione became the head coach at TCU and promptly turned their fortunes around , going from 1 – 10 the year before to 7 – 5 and a berth in the Sun Bowl , where the Horned Frogs defeated Southern California and set the record for least rushing yards allowed in a bowl game . He again led the Horned Frogs to a bowl game in 1999 on the legs of junior tailback LaDainian Tomlinson , who led the nation in rushing . Going into the 2000 season , the Frogs were being touted as a possible BCS Bowl contender before a disappointing loss to San Jose State . Despite the loss , the Frogs finished the season 10 – 1 , were co - champions of the Western Athletic Conference , and accepted a bid to the Mobile Alabama Bowl . Before the scheduled bowl game , Franchione accepted a head coaching offer by the University of Alabama . Franchione was voted by TCU players to lead the team in the bowl game , which Franchione ' s defensive coordinator and newly - named head coach Gary Patterson supported ; however , after some controversy at the Heisman Trophy ceremony , TCU Athletic Director Eric Hyman reversed the vote , allowing Patterson to coach the bowl game . During Franchione ' s three years at TCU , he led the Horned Frogs to their first bowl victory since 1957 , their first top 25 finish since 1959 , and held the highest winning percentage among TCU coaches since Francis Schmidt ( 1929 – 1933 ) . The tone and tenor of his exit from TCU remains a highly controversial subject among many TCU fans . Alabama . Franchione became the head coach at the University of Alabama in 2001 and led the team , which had posted a 3 – 8 record the prior season , to a 7 – 5 record in 2001 and a 10 – 3 record in 2002 . The 2001 team won the Independence Bowl , which became Alabama ' s first bowl win after five seasons . The 2002 team finished with a 6 – 2 conference record , placing first in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference . However , due to NCAA sanctions resulting from violations of the previous Alabama head coach , Mike DuBose , the 2002 team was ineligible for postseason games , including the SEC Championship Game . The turnaround success Franchione made prompted Alabama officials to offer Franchione a 10 - year contract extension worth $ 15 million . Franchione , however , did not sign the offer . Following Alabama ' s victory over the University of Hawaii and the dismissal of Texas A & M head coach R . C . Slocum , Franchione resigned at Alabama and was named head coach at Texas A & M after publicly stating that he would not leave . His decision was influenced by the NCAA sanctions placed on Alabama , which included a two - year bowl ban , the loss of 21 scholarships over three years , and five years probation . Franchione did not return to Alabama after interviewing for the job , instead informing his players of his decision to accept the job at Texas A & M via video teleconference . Many Alabama fans noted the similarities between Franchione ' s departure from TCU and how he left Alabama . His departure from Alabama , and his use of video conferencing to inform his players and staff remains , as does his departure at TCU , somewhat controversial . Texas A & M . 2003 – 2006 seasons . Upon being hired by Texas A & M , Franchione brought the majority of his coaching staff with him to College Station for the 2003 season . Franchione signed a contract that was set to pay him a yearly salary of $ 1 . 7 million through 2010 . The Aggies finished the 2003 season with a 4 – 8 record , including a nationally televised 77 – 0 loss to Oklahoma , the worst loss in A & M ' s history . The season also marked the first losing season for the Aggies after 21 years . In the 2004 season , Franchione attempted the rebuilding process as the team improved to a 7 – 5 record , and a 5 – 3 record in conference play , including a 35 – 34 overtime loss to unranked Baylor at Waco , ending a 13 - game winning streak the Aggies had with Baylor and a 32 – 25 overtime win over the then # 25 Texas Tech at the Kyle Field . snapping 3 - game skids to the Red Raiders . The Aggies ended up advancing to the Cotton Bowl Classic to play # 17 Tennessee , but lost 38 – 7 . Following the bowl game , A & M officials extended Franchione ' s contract through 2012 and raised his salary to $ 2 million . In June 2005 , prior to the 2005 season , Franchione donated $ 1 million to the A & M athletic department . The donation went toward the construction of an indoor practice facility , which is now located adjacent to Kyle Field . In the 2005 season , Franchione ' s Aggies , who were ranked 17th in the preseason AP Poll , regressed to a 5 – 6 record . The 2005 Aggie defense ranked 107th nationally ( out of 119 Division I NCAA teams ) and allowed 443 . 8 yards per game . This prompted Franchione to dismiss defensive coordinator Carl Torbush . Franchione then hired former Western Michigan head coach Gary Darnell to replace Torbush . In the 2006 season , the Aggies again rebounded under Franchione , posting a 9 – 3 regular season record that included Franchione ' s first win over rival Texas . The 9 – 3 record also marked the most wins for A & M since 1998 . However , in that season ' s Oklahoma game , which ESPN ' s College GameDay visited , Franchione was criticized by fans for making a field goal call with 3 : 28 left in the game . The 18th - ranked Sooners ended up defeating the 21st - ranked Aggies , 17 – 16 . In the postseason , the Aggies faced 20th - ranked California in the Holiday Bowl and lost 45 – 10 . 2007 season . Newsletter controversy . On September 27 , 2007 , Franchione discontinued selling a secret email newsletter to athletic boosters who paid US $ 1 , 200 annually for team information that Franchione had refused to release to the public . The newsletter , called " VIP Connection , " had been written by Franchione ' s personal assistant , former Kansas City Star columnist Mike McKenzie , and included specific injury reports , recruitment information , and Franchione ' s critical assessments of players . Started in the fall of 2004 , the newsletter attracted 27 recipients , six of whom received the newsletter for free . Twenty of the recipients have been disclosed . The boosters were asked to sign a confidentiality statement to assure the information in the newsletter would not be used for gambling . Though Franchione and McKenzie denied gaining profit from the newsletter , Franchione stated that proceeds went to the company that managed his now - defunct website , coachfran . com . The newsletter was discovered by athletic director Bill Byrne after it was presented to him by a " San Antonio Express - News " reporter , who had received it through an unidentified A & M booster . Byrne immediately instructed Franchione to discontinue the newsletter , at which time Franchione complied . The last issue of the newsletter , dated September 13 , 2007 , revealed that Franchione earned a net profit of $ 37 , 806 . 32 from the newsletter . In a press conference the following Tuesday , October 2 , Franchione apologized in front of A & M football players and expressed his love for the job and the university , and his desire to " elevate the program to its highest level . " A & M players also expressed their support for Franchione as a coach . Shortly after , an investigation had been launched to look into the matter , conducted by Bill Byrne and A & M ' s NCAA compliance officer , David Batson . The investigation concluded that Franchione violated two NCAA rules and one of the Big 12 ' s " Principles and Standards of Sportsmanship " . These findings were in turn reported to the NCAA . The NCAA requires coaches to submit reports that include " athletically related income and benefits from sources outside of the institution " , which is also required by Franchione ' s contract . On Thursday , October 11 , 2007 Texas A & M officials issued a " letter of admonishment " and ordered that the website CoachFran . com be shut down . Additionally , Franchione was instructed to no longer employ " any staff members that could be construed as representing Texas A & M or providing information or reports relative to his position as head coach at Texas A & M " . Consequently , the university fired McKenzie . Byrne has been quoted as saying " The Aggies are embarrassed right now . This has been a very unfortunate incident we do not want to experience again . " Byrne also stated that the incident would be included in Franchione ' s performance evaluation at the end of the season . The discovery of the newsletter led CBS Sportsline ( now CBSSports . com ) columnist Gregg Doyel to call for Franchione to be fired . Doyel wrote that many of Franchione ' s columns announced firings of assistant coaches before that assistant was told himself and reported injuries that weren ' t disclosed to the press . More seriously , Doyel said , his disclosures of injury information violated federal health privacy law , and the entire venture would have also violated federal tax law if Franchione hadn ' t told the IRS about it . He also suggested that Franchione may have known the newsletter ' s recipients were using the information to make better - informed bets on Aggie games . Resignation . After the Aggies ' 34 – 17 loss at Miami in September 2007 , Franchione ' s coaching abilities were brought into question . On November 6 , 2007 , ESPN , CBS Sports , the " San Antonio Express - News " and " Houston Chronicle " all reported that Franchione would not return for the 2008 season , and that Franchione and Texas A & M were working on buyout terms . In response , Texas A & M officials told the " Dallas Morning News " that the reports were false rumors and that Franchione ' s performance was to be reviewed at the end of the season . In a press conference the following day , Franchione declined to answer questions regarding his future at A & M . After Franchione led the Aggies to a 38 – 30 victory over the 13th - ranked Texas Longhorns , he announced his resignation in the post - game press conference . In the press conference , after he discussed the game , he read out loud a farewell letter that he had prepared beforehand . His last words were " Thank you , and gig ' em . " Franchione immediately left the press conference as A & M athletic director Bill Byrne started to speak , with friends and family members following him . The following day , Byrne named defensive coordinator Gary Darnell as interim head coach . Darnell led the Aggies to a 24 - 17 defeat at the hands of Penn State in the Alamo Bowl on December 29 , 2007 . On November 26 , 2007 , three days after Franchione resigned , former Green Bay Packers head coach , and Houston Texans ' offensive coordinator Mike Sherman was announced as the new head football coach . On December 7 , 2007 , the Texas A & M Board of Regents approved a reduced buyout of $ 4 . 4 million for Franchione . Overall performance at Texas A & M . During his five - season tenure at A & M , Franchione did not produce a team that finished higher than third in the Big 12 South . Though he was able to bring recruiting classes that ranked among the top 13 nationally from 2003 to 2005 , none of his teams ranked in the postseason AP or Coaches national polls . He also compiled a 4 – 16 record against ranked teams , and a 4 – 14 record against Texas , Oklahoma , Nebraska , and Texas Tech . Additionally , he compiled a 19 – 21 Big 12 record . Franchione ' s questionable judgement continued to dog him as he left A & M . The two questionable departures from TCU and Alabama , coupled with the newsletter scandal and Franchione ' s mediocre record at A & M left him without a coaching job after leaving Texas A & M . 2007 – 2010 . Franchione moved to the suburban Austin community of Horseshoe Bay , Texas . In January 2008 , he began to look for potential broadcasting jobs , and in July 2008 , signed a 16 - game contract to serve as a color commentator for ESPN Radio during the 2008 college football season . His debut was the Alabama vs . Clemson game on August 30 . Franchione interviewed for the San Diego State University head coaching job in 2008 when the school fired Chuck Long , and ended up being a finalist for the job alongside then - Ball State head coach ( and future Michigan head coach ) Brady Hoke and UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker . The job eventually went to Hoke . Franchione applied for the head coaching position at UNLV , following Mike Sanford ' s termination as head football coach after the 2009 season . Franchione interviewed with UNLV ' s Athletic Director Jim Livengood on December 21 , 2009 but was not selected . Texas State . Following Brad Wright ' s dismissal , Texas State University engaged Parker Executive Search to help them find their next head football coach . Finalists included former Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins , Oklahoma co - defensive coordinator Bobby Jack Wright , former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster , and Franchione . On January 7 , 2011 , Franchione was named head coach of Texas State ' s football program and signed a five - year contract valued at $ 350 , 000 per year . This was Franchione ' s second tenure with Texas State , having previously coached at what was then Southwest Texas State in 1990 - 91 . His second tenure at Texas State has been much more successful , as he led Texas State into Football Bowl Subdivision level football in 2012 , joining the Western Athletic Conference . Texas State then negotiated membership in the more stable Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2013 , after the WAC stopped sponsoring football . Head coaching record . Source :