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From a UT site: Del Conte pushed Patterson to make changes

CryptoMiner

CryptoMiner

Active Member
Really?

So What Happens if Texas Doesn’t Win? | Sourced Note
– Super K

I recently spoke to someone with knowledge of how Texas athletic director, Chris Del Conte operates. As you all know, Del Conte was previously the athletic director at TCU. He oversaw a lot of football success there with coach Gary Patterson steering the ship.

You will recall, though, that Patterson’s transition into the Big 12 wasn’t easy. And apparently, even with a coach with Gary Patterson’s record leading the team, Del Conte wasn’t going to sit by and see how things played out.

The three seasons prior to entering the Big 12 Patterson went 12-1, 13-0 (BCS Rose Bowl winners) and 11-2.

They went a decent 7-6 their first season in the Big 12. Herman just did the same in his first year in the Big 12.

But the next year they went 4-8 and Del Conte wasted no time in ensuring changes were made. TCU’s OC was let go and Sonny Cumbie & Dough Meacham were brought in to fix the TCU offense. And, they fixed it…fast.

TCU went 12-1 the next year with a dominating win in the Peach Bowl.

My source didn’t comment on what degree Del Conte had to push coach Patterson to make those changes but I certainly got the impression that no amount of reluctance was going to matter. Del Conte was going to insist upon those changes.

He also said in no uncertain terms that based on his knowledge of how Del Conte operates, if Texas doesn’t win this year, there will absolutely be changes made…willingly or otherwise.
 
pastorfrog

pastorfrog

Active Member
CDC might rightfully have asked “What do you need to change to thrive in the B12 like I know you can?”

Much different than saying “You’d better change X right now coach.”

But Texas is REACHING to make this a story. OF COURSE CDC spoke with GP about what needed to change after going 4-8. Not the same as micromanaging a legend.
 
Deep Purple

Deep Purple

Full Member
One problem with that scenario...

Patterson is a TCU legend, the winningest coach in Horned Frog history, and he can virtually write his own ticket. Del Conte was a highly valued AD, but nowhere near Gary's stature.

Del Conte set goals for the football program (as an AD should), but any conflict between him and Patterson due to meddling in program coaching decisions, and Chris automatically loses that fight. He'd have the Board of Trustees and half the Administration down around his ears. It's simply an unequal contest.

TCU hated losing Del Conte -- but TCU would go to the mat to avoid losing Patterson. Del Conte was expendable. Patterson isn't. Which is why I don't believe a word of that story.
 
M

Moose Stuff

Active Member
I don’t see why that story bothers anybody. It’s entirely believable to me that CDC could have at the very least strongly suggested that changes needed to be made. This entire board was adamant that those same changes needed to be made so why the hell wouldn’t we want an AD to be advocating for the same? Chances are that Gary very much agreed with him too.
 
Bob

Bob

Active Member
If CDC was "over" Patterson, why was the view out his window that of Patterson's statue?
tcu-patterson-statue.jpg
 

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