Dennis Franchione, whose college football coaching career included stops at Texas A&M, Alabama and TCU and whose players included Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Urlacher, has died at the age of 75, his family announced Tuesday.
Franchione's death was confirmed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by family members and announced by TCU. He had been diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and again in 2021, but it had been in remission. Family friends told the Star-Telegram that the cancer returned earlier this year and that Franchione had recently been put in hospice.
Known throughout his career as an offensive innovator, Franchione led nine teams to conference championships and bowl games. He coached 40 years in total, starting as an assistant at Kansas State in 1978, and he compiled a 213-135-2 overall record over 30 seasons as a head coach.
He retired from coaching in 2015 after stepping down at Texas State. He also served as head coach at New Mexico, Pittsburg State and Southwestern College during his career.
"College football is in a better place for having Dennis Franchione's influence on it, and today is a great loss to all who knew him," TCU coach Sonny Dykes said in a statement.
Franchione's career took off after he left New Mexico for TCU in 1998.
He inherited a team that had gone 1-10 in 1997 and had not won a bowl game since 1957. In his first season, he led the Horned Frogs to a 6-5 regular-season record and an invitation to the 1998 Norwest Sun Bowl, where the Horned Frogs upset USC 28-19 for the program's first bowl victory in 41 years.
TCU followed with consecutive Western Athletic Conference co-championships as tailback LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation in rushing in 1999.
In 2000, the Horned Frogs rose as high as No. 9 while Tomlinson won the Doak Walker Award and again led the country in rushing to cap a 10-2 season at No. 21 in the AP postseason poll. It was the first time TCU finished the season in the final rankings since 1959.
"TCU mourns alongside the Franchione family at the passing of 'Coach Fran,'" athletics director Mike Buddie said in a statement. "Our fortunes as a department would not be what they are today without the efforts of Coach Franchione, his staff, and players."
In 2001, Franchione took the job at Alabama but stayed for just two seasons. He left for Texas A&M after going 10-3 and finishing first in the SEC West when the Crimson Tide were ineligible to play in a bowl or the conference championship game amid sanctions due to violations from the prior coaching regime.
The Aggies had high expectations after winning nine games in 2006, but the 2007 season soured when Franchione acknowledged reports that his personal assistant was sending inside information to boosters who paid $1,200 a year to get the emails.
While athletic director Bill Byrne essentially cleared Franchione of any wrongdoing, the coach told reporters he was resigning after a 38-30 victory over Texas that gave the Aggies a 7-5 record. He took a buyout, leaving with a 32-29 mark in his five seasons in College Station.
After three years in broadcasting, Franchione returned to Texas State in 2011 with the Bobcats preparing for the jump from FCS to FBS. He had first coached at Texas State in 1990-91 after five years at Division II Pittsburg State.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.