Dennis Franchione, the longtime college football coach whose career included head coaching stops at TCU, Alabama, Texas A&M, New Mexico, and Texas State, died Tuesday at 75. TCU confirmed his passing. His family told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he had battled cancer for a decade, with diagnoses in 2016 and 2021 that both went into remission before the cancer returned earlier this year, leading to hospice care.

For TCU fans, Franchione is remembered as the coach who got the program moving in the right direction. He compiled more than 200 career wins over three decades, and his 1999 Sun Bowl victory over USC, with Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield, remains one of the signature moments in Horned Frog history. His defensive coordinator in those years, Gary Patterson, succeeded him and turned TCU into a national power.

TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said the department’s fortunes would not be what they are today without Franchione, his staff, and his players. His family described him as a beloved father, mentor, and friend to so many. For a community that lives and breathes football, from Friday night lights to Saturday afternoons, that legacy is one worth pausing over. What’s your favorite memory of Coach Fran’s time in Texas?