According to a report from Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, Texas president Greg Fenves is expected to fire athletics director Steve Patterson. Davis reports the move could come as soon as this morning. Chip Brown of Horns Digest reported Monday Fenves was close to removing his athletics director. Patterson is owed close to $5 million on his five-year contract.
Former Longhorns linebacker Mike Perrin is expected to be named interim athletics director.
Patterson was hired away from Arizona State in Nov. 2013, replacing 32-year UT veteran DeLoss Dodds.
The firing would end a tumultuous 22-month tenure that saw Patterson hire head coaches in football and men’s basketball (Shaka Smart) but draw ire for a combative personal style that rubbed many who came in contact with him the wrong way. Davis reports Patterson lost the confidence of his head coaches, which proved to be the final straw.
Patterson fired longtime sports information director John Bianco over the summer without consulting head coach Charlie Strong, and Brown reported Monday Patterson, with UT’s apparel contract with Nike set to expire, has not consulted his head coaches on whether to resign with Nike or jump to Under Armour.
He was reportedly told in July by Fenves, a former UT provost promoted to president in April, to “change his personal style.”
Patterson never gained a handle on public opinion seemingly from the first day he arrived in Austin. From everything to raising ticket prices, to forcing coaches to buy their own meals in the dining hall, to playing football games in Mexico City, to forcing opponents’ bands to buy tickets at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, nearly every move Patterson made played poorly in the public eye. No matter the merits of the idea, it played negatively because of the man behind it. He repeatedly drew comparisons to recently fired Michigan AD Dave Brandon for treating fans as avenues to profit instead of friends of the program.
Reports out of Austin said a plane campaigning for Patterson’s ouster flew over Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium during the Longhorns’ win over Rice Saturday.
As for Patterson’s most important decision as Texas’ athletics director – placing Strong in charge of the Longhorns’ football program – Texas sits at 1-1 (7-8 overall) and touchdown underdogs at home versus California this weekend with No. 25 Oklahoma State, No. 3 TCU and No. 16 Oklahoma following in succession.
Former Longhorns linebacker Mike Perrin is expected to be named interim athletics director.
Patterson was hired away from Arizona State in Nov. 2013, replacing 32-year UT veteran DeLoss Dodds.
The firing would end a tumultuous 22-month tenure that saw Patterson hire head coaches in football and men’s basketball (Shaka Smart) but draw ire for a combative personal style that rubbed many who came in contact with him the wrong way. Davis reports Patterson lost the confidence of his head coaches, which proved to be the final straw.
Patterson fired longtime sports information director John Bianco over the summer without consulting head coach Charlie Strong, and Brown reported Monday Patterson, with UT’s apparel contract with Nike set to expire, has not consulted his head coaches on whether to resign with Nike or jump to Under Armour.
He was reportedly told in July by Fenves, a former UT provost promoted to president in April, to “change his personal style.”
Patterson never gained a handle on public opinion seemingly from the first day he arrived in Austin. From everything to raising ticket prices, to forcing coaches to buy their own meals in the dining hall, to playing football games in Mexico City, to forcing opponents’ bands to buy tickets at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, nearly every move Patterson made played poorly in the public eye. No matter the merits of the idea, it played negatively because of the man behind it. He repeatedly drew comparisons to recently fired Michigan AD Dave Brandon for treating fans as avenues to profit instead of friends of the program.
Reports out of Austin said a plane campaigning for Patterson’s ouster flew over Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium during the Longhorns’ win over Rice Saturday.
As for Patterson’s most important decision as Texas’ athletics director – placing Strong in charge of the Longhorns’ football program – Texas sits at 1-1 (7-8 overall) and touchdown underdogs at home versus California this weekend with No. 25 Oklahoma State, No. 3 TCU and No. 16 Oklahoma following in succession.
