Dennis Franchione, the longtime college football coach who turned around TCU before stops at Alabama and Texas A&M, has died. He was 75.

“TCU mourns alongside the Franchione family at the passing of ‘Coach Fran,’” TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said in a statement Tuesday.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which first reported the news, said Franchione’s family confirmed his death, adding that he battled cancer for a decade. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and 2021, but it had been in remission. Family friends said the cancer returned earlier this year and Franchione recently went into hospice, the newspaper reported.

“Remembering Coach Dennis Franchione and the memories he gave Alabama Football,” the Southeastern Conference school posted on social media. “Rest in peace, Coach Fran. Forever part of the Crimson Tide story.”

Franchione worked his way up the college football coaching ranks during a career that spanned more than 30 years. He was first an assistant at Kansas State from 1978-80, then worked at four lower-level schools before 20 seasons as a Football Bowl Subdivision head coach, at New Mexico (1992-97), TCU (1998-2000), Alabama (2001-02), Texas A&M (2003-07) and Texas State (2012-15).

He was one of nine FBS coaches who in June were announced as nominees for the 2027 College Football Hall of Fame class that will be revealed in January. The Kansas native compiled a 213-135-2 record before stepping down from Texas State in 2015 and retiring from coaching. Franchione led his teams to nine conference championships, nine bowl games, four NAIA playoff games and one NCAA Division II playoff appearance.

“Our fortunes as a department would not be what they are today without the efforts of Coach Franchione, his staff, and players," said Buddie, the TCU AD. "Beyond his talent as a football coach, he was a beloved father, mentor, and friend to so many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kim, and the entire Franchione family.”

TCU was coming off a 1-10 season when Franchione left New Mexico after six years to take over the Horned Frogs, who in his debut season in 1999 had a 7-5 record capped by a Sun Bowl win over Southern California. With future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU finished tied atop the Western Athletic Conference standings each of the next two seasons, going 8-4 with another bowl win in 1999 before a 10-1 regular season in 2000 that led to him being hired by Alabama.

Franchione was replaced at TCU by his defensive coordinator, Gary Patterson, who had winning records in 15 of his 21 seasons as head coach after first taking over for the 2000 bowl game, and six times was top 10 in the final AP Top 25 poll. That included an undefeated 13-0 season in 2010 when the Frogs finished second after a win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

“Good man, good friend!,” Patterson wrote in a text to The Associated Press.

Patterson, now in his first season as defensive coordinator for No. 19 USC, added that “Coach Fran” gave him his first Division I coordinator job at New Mexico and that “a lot of my foundation to run a program” started with him.

Franchione was 17-8 in two seasons with Alabama and had five years remaining on his contract when he left to return to Texas and replace the fired R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide had just had a 10-3 regular season in 2002 but weren't bowl eligible because of NCAA sanctions handed down earlier that year for infractions that happened before Franchione's arrival.

Texas A&M was 32-28 and made three bowls games during his tenure. The school said in a social media post that it was “Honoring the life and legacy of Coach Dennis Franchione.”

Franchione spent some time as a broadcaster after that before returning to Texas State as head coach in 2011, the school's last season in the Football Championship Subdivision before becoming an FBS team the following season. He had previously coached the Bobcats at the lower level from 1990-91 before going to New Mexico.

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