After serving as defensive coordinator for two seasons, Gary Patterson became the head football coach in 2000 and guided the Horned Frogs to an overall record of 181-79, making him the most successful coach in team history. Through the chaos of conference realignment, Patterson led the Frogs, leading TCU from the WAC to Conference USA, the Mountain West, and finally the Big 12. In addition to leading the Frogs to seven Top Ten finishes, Patterson won a Rose Bowl and a Peach Bowl and six conference titles with TCU, including a 2014 Big 12 co-championship with the Bears. A statue of Patterson, who won numerous National and Conference Coach of the Year Awards, is located on the TCU campus, outside of the recently refurbished Amon G. Carter Stadium was created with his assistance.

Midway through the 2021 season, Patterson’s tenure at TCU came to an end as the Horned Frogs were struggling through their third straight losing year. As a defensive analyst, Patterson worked with Steve Sarkisian as a member of the Texas Longhorns staff in 2022.

The rivalry between Waco and Fort Worth institutions on the field peaked in the middle of the 2010s, when Art Briles commanded Baylor, which was staffed by offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and strength and conditioning coach Kaz Kazadi. Patterson will be wearing green and gold, while Kendal Briles and Kaz Kazadi will be wearing TCU purple. It has been just over eight years since those staff members’ final fight in a chilly Fort Worth rainstorm in 2015. Maybe pigs have actually taken flight and it is a frigid day in Hell.

On Saturday, November 2, TCU Football will play Coach Patterson and the Baylor Bears in Waco, Texas. The last time Patterson was on the opposing sidelines for TCU, the Frogs defeated the Texas Longhorns in Austin in November 2022. In their most recent meeting, TCU defeated Waco at the Bazooka on the Brazos, Hypnotoad in a Hurry, and the Horned Frogs advanced to the College Football Playoffs thanks to a walk-off field goal by Griffin Kell.