Dennis Franchione, a veteran college football coach who led programs at TCU, Texas A&M and Texas State, has died at 75, Texas Christian University said Tuesday, Oct. 6. Franchione’s family confirmed his death, saying he had battled cancer for a decade. He was diagnosed in 2016 and 2021, and the disease had been in remission before returning earlier this year, according to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He recently entered hospice care. Over a coaching career of more than 30 years, Franchione posted a 213-135-2 record. He began as an assistant at Kansas State in 1978 and went on to coach at New Mexico, TCU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Texas State. His teams won nine conference championships, appeared in nine bowl games and reached the NAIA playoffs four times and the NCAA Division II playoffs once. His turnaround at TCU became one of the defining chapters of his career. The Horned Frogs were coming off a 1-10 season when Franchione arrived from New Mexico. In his first season, TCU went 7-5 and capped the year with a Sun Bowl victory over Southern California. With future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU then finished tied for the top spot in the Western Athletic Conference in consecutive seasons. The team’s strong 2000 campaign helped propel Franchione to the Alabama job. TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said the university was mourning with Franchione’s family and credited the coach, his staff and players with helping build the athletics department. Buddie also remembered him as a father, mentor and friend, and offered condolences to Franchione’s wife, Kim, and their family. Franchione stepped down at Texas State in 2015 and retired from coaching. His career left a mark across the state, including at TCU, where his teams’ success helped set the stage for the program’s later rise under defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, who succeeded him.