Advertisement
This is member-exclusive content
icon/ui/info filled

sportsTexas Longhorns

From Chris Beard to Jim Schlossnagle: A look at notable coaching moves to in-state rivals

Schlossnagle moving from Texas A&M to Texas isn’t the first coaching move to rock the state.

It’s safe to say Jim Schlossnagle won’t receive a warm welcome in College Station anytime soon.

Less than 24 hours after Texas A&M’s College World Series finals loss, the coaching veteran generated an enormous amount of buzz by taking a new gig. He jumped ship from A&M to Texas, marking another successful heist for UT athletic director Chris Del Conte.

Keeping Schlossnagle’s latest move in mind, here’s a look at some of the most notable coaching departures to in-state rivals:

Chris Beard to Texas (2021)

Sports Roundup

Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more.

Or with:

Texas coach Chris Beard directs players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball...
Texas coach Chris Beard directs players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Spokane, Wash.(Young Kwak / AP)

This list starts off with Beard’s Big 12 jump from Texas Tech to Texas in 2021. After helping the Red Raiders reach unprecedented heights with nine NCAA tournament appearances and a national title game appearance, Beard abruptly returned to his alma mater.

Advertisement

Like Schlossnagle, Beard was hired at UT by Del Conte.

To convince Beard, the Texas athletic director caught an early morning flight to the town of Plainview, Texas. While sharing some McDonald’s breakfast in Del Conte’s room at the Comfort Suites, the duo chatted about the Longhorns for three-and-a-half hours.

After their talk, Del Conte got his guy. Beard took at Texas ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, spending nearly two seasons in Austin. Despite a 29-13 record at the helm, Beard was fired in 2023 when he was accused of assaulting his fiancée.

Advertisement

Dana Bible to Texas (1937)

DANA X. BIBLE (left) / Texas A&M head coach 1917, 1919-28; Texas head coach 1937-46 / Record...
DANA X. BIBLE (left) / Texas A&M head coach 1917, 1919-28; Texas head coach 1937-46 / Record at A&M: 72-19-9; Record at Texas: 61-31-3 / 1919 and 1927 national titles / Eight Southwest Conference titles (A&M: 1917, 1919, 1921, 1925, 1927; Texas: 1942, 1943, 1945) / During his 33-year career, which included stints at Mississippi College and Nebraska, Bible only had three losing seasons. He also coached the A&M basketball team from 1920-27 and baseball team from 1920-21.(Carl E. Linde - AP)

Unlike Beard and Schlossnagle, Bible didn’t make a direct jump from one rival school to another.

Bible started coaching at Texas A&M in 1917, leading the Aggies to an 8-0 mark while outscoring opponents 270-0. After serving in World War I the following year, Bible continued his run of success in College Station.

Leading the football program from 1919-28, Bible compiled a 72-19-9 record and was recognized as a national champion for the 1917, 1919 and 1927 seasons. He went on to coach at Nebraska from 1929-36 before returning to the state at UT.

In Austin, Bible led the Longhorns to a 61-31-3 mark while helping the team emerge as a Southwest Conference powerhouse from 1937-46.

Jim Schlossnagle to Texas A&M (2021)

TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle walks off the field prior to playing Oregon St. during...
TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle walks off the field prior to playing Oregon St. during the NCAA Division I Baseball Regional Championships in Fort Worth on June 6, 2021. (Michael Ainsworth/Special Contributor) (Michael Ainsworth / Special Contributor)

This isn’t the first in-state move Schlossnagle has made in his coaching career.

Advertisement

Before landing in College Station, he spent 18 seasons at TCU. Schlossnagle took the Horned Frogs to five College World Series and posted a 734-346 record in Fort Worth.

With a vision of lifting the A&M baseball program to national prominence, then-athletic director Ross Bjork turned to Schlossnagle in 2021.

“When we started our coaching search, we made sure we covered all of our bases within Texas and across the country by reaching far and wide to find the right fit for Texas A&M baseball,” Bjork said in a statement. “As our search progressed, it became abundantly clear that Jim Schlossnagle had the experience, recruiting prowess, player development background and baseball knowledge to deliver a championship-caliber program for Aggie baseball.

“He owns the best winning percentage of any college baseball program in Texas over the last 10 years and his track record of success on a national stage speaks for itself. Texas A&M deserves to have the very best of the best, and we have hit a proverbial ‘grand slam’ with Coach Schlossnagle.”

Advertisement

Sonny Dykes to TCU (2021)

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes, right, looks up the score board during the first...
TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes, right, looks up the score board during the first half of an NCAA college football game against the Texas Longhorns at TCU, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 in Fort Worth. (Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)

A well-known North Texas rivalry became more intense after Dykes decided to shift his base from Dallas to Fort Worth.

After four years at SMU, Dykes took the vacant head football coaching gig at TCU in 2021. Dykes replaced Gary Patterson, who coached the Horned Frogs for 21 seasons and ushered the program into the Big 12.

Advertisement

In his first season at TCU, Dykes led the program to a 13-2 record and its first College Football Playoff appearance. After taking down No. 2 Michigan in the CFP semifinal, the Horned Frogs suffered a lopsided loss against Georgia in the national title game.

Since leaving SMU, Dykes has seen what it’s like on the other side of the longtime rivalry. In Aug. 2023, he somewhat fanned some flames when asked what TCU gains from pausing the Iron Skillet rivalry game.

“If we want to talk like we’re a big-time football program,” Dykes said. “We need to walk like we’re a big-time football program and that includes having (more) home football games.”

David McWilliams to Texas (1987)

DAVID MCWILLIAMS (1987) / Improved team from 5-6 to 7-5 / Won 10 games in 1990; gone by 1992.
DAVID MCWILLIAMS (1987) / Improved team from 5-6 to 7-5 / Won 10 games in 1990; gone by 1992.(Catharine Krueger - 7650)
Advertisement

After spending 16 years as an assistant at Texas, McWilliams landed his first head coaching gig at Texas Tech in 1986. His first season in Lubbock was a promising one, seeing him lead the Red Raiders to a 7-4 record and a bowl bid. They even knocked off Texas.

His stint in West Texas didn’t last too long, though. McWilliams was hired as head coach of the Longhorns in 1987, marking his return to his alma mater.

The Dallas Morning News’ Kevin Sherrington called the move a “logical” one since McWilliams had spent most of his adult life in Austin. McWilliams coached Texas until the 1991 season, compiling a 31-26 record.

Tom Herman to Texas (2016)

This Nov. 27, 2016, file photo shows Tom Herman talking to the media during a news...
This Nov. 27, 2016, file photo shows Tom Herman talking to the media during a news conference where he was introduced as Texas' new head NCAA college football coach, in Austin.(Eric Gay / AP)
Advertisement

Formerly a Texas football graduate assistant, Herman secured his first Power Five coaching job in 2016. The Longhorns hired Herman after a successful stint at Houston, where he led the Cougars to a 22-4 record.

Herman took over after Charlie Strong had struggled in Austin to the tune of a 16-21 record. Before taking the Texas gig, Herman was reportedly on the verge of taking the job at LSU.

He went on to lead Texas to a 32-18 record before the university went in a different direction in 2021.

Related Stories
View More
Advertisement

Find more Texas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.