Gary Patterson: TCU ‘has treated me very well,’ shown patience

Gary Patterson said he’s stayed in Fort Worth as long as he has because “TCU has treated me very well” and shown patience with him.

“The way the business is now, the way the world is now, there’s not a lot of patience,” he said Monday during the Big 12 coaches conference call with reporters, answering a question about the weekend firing of Les Miles at LSU. “One of the reasons why I’ve stayed here is TCU has treated me very well. It’s a great place to live, Fort Worth is, and all the things that go along with it. There’s some patience to make good decisions when things aren’t going exactly the way you want it to.”

Patterson is in his 16th year as head coach of the Horned Frogs and 19th since arriving in 1998 as defensive coordinator for Dennis Franchione. Patterson, who took over in time for the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl after Franchione left for Alabama, was 6-6 in his first full season as head coach and has since become TCU’s winningest coach.

In August, TCU announced a six-year contract extension for Patterson that reportedly puts him past the $5 million a year mark.

Patterson was not asked directly Monday about any interest in the LSU opening, but as part of his answer to the question about Miles, Patterson said, “I feel very fortunate to have the job that I have.”

Miles was dismissed Sunday after LSU dropped to 2-2 following a loss to Auburn when a touchdown on the last play was reversed by replay.

“I think it’s not fair to the university and the players and the program,” Patterson said. “If they were going to do that, they should have done it a year ago. To do it in the middle of the season, I think it’s not fair to anybody. It’s not my place. I’ve got my own problems. So you go about your own business. But I think the guy is a good football coach. He’s won a lot of games. I think he’s been good for LSU. I wish him well. And I wish LSU well.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 1:22 PM with the headline "Gary Patterson: TCU ‘has treated me very well,’ shown patience."