RIP Coach Fran (1951-2026): It ended poorly in Tuscaloosa, but we owed him so much

We say goodbye to one of Alabama’s most important hires at one of its most critical junctures.

Many of our readers are too young to remember The Bad Old Days.

Sure, you may recall the Shula era with dismay. But things had been worse — far worse — before that, in the late 90s. Perhaps not on the field, where ‘Bama was merely mediocre most years (the losing would come later), but in everything else: Strength and conditioning, program culture, discipline, adherence to NCAA rules (yes, they used to be more than mere speed bumps), academic performance in an era where STUDENT-athlete required one to actually be a student. And there had been arrests aplenty, often covered up by a helpful UA PD: Worse were the numerous non-arrests, such as my girlfriend being raped by a starting quarterback.

Alabama had turned into a win-at-all-cost program full of washouts, illiterates, candy asses, and petit criminals, always under NCAA scrutiny, off and on probation, and — worst of all, even if you’re fine with that kind of program (and Alabama most certainly is not), they weren’t even doing the winning.

The zenith of the disastrous Mike Dubose era came with winning the 1999 SEC Championship, and ended by turning a preseason No. 3 ranking into a 3-9 season. Along the way, there was a nasty, racially-fueled quarterback “battle” between an option QB who couldn’t throw and a black quarterback who had a cannon for an arm and could play the position very well. Want to guess who got the start courtesy of the Flop from Opp?

But those on-field lows would come, and they were manifold throughout that tenure, starting with a 4-7 1997 campaign where Alabama gave Kentucky its first series win in decades, lost to a .500 La. Tech team on homecoming, and went 0-for rivalry games. The 1998 season, a “good” one by his light (8-5), had three losses to unranked teams, another loss to Tennessee. He also gave unranked, 4-3 Mississippi State one of its rare wins in the series. The high point, such as it was, came in 1999, when the Tide would finish with two improbable wins over Florida to claim the SEC title — alongside another loss to Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. The less said about 2000, the better: 3-9 record, losses to Vandy and Mississippi State, a loss to UCF on homecoming, and losses to .500 Arkansas and all three rivalry games.

That set up the short-lived and calamitous Mike “We’re rolling now” Price hire, and what looked to be another sex scandal until he was almost immediately fired.

Alabama was under NCAA investigation, was still on probation for infractions committed during the Stallings era, had fallen way behind in talent, in facilities, and in stature. Administrative infighting and medddling by Bears Boys and the Old Boy Network completed the picture.

That was the toxic mess that Alabama presented to potential hires. And for good reason, many declined…until ‘Bama turned to TCU coach, and rebuild, expert Dennis Franchione (after turning down Frank Beamer, and being turned down by Bobby Bowden).

“Coach Fran” came to Tuscaloosa and inherited a program lacking discipline, with eroded recruiting ties, poor facilities, and a bad reputation. Child’s play and somewhat old hat to Fran, who had rebuilt DII Pittsburg State and quickly turned them into a powerhouse, taking PSU to the playoffs at his alma mater all four seasons, and claiming the DII national title. Then he got his break, as the “big time” program of New Mexico came calling.

At UNM, Coach Fran took a program that had won 44 games in its last 15 years, and won 33 games over five seasons, making a bowl game, winning one WAC division title, and another MWC division crown.

That certainly got him on the radar of more established schools, like TCU, who had a glorious past with national titles and a Heisman crown. The same success happened in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs had gone 1-11 before his arrival. They went 8-5 his first year. And in his three seasons at TCU, he led the Frogs to three bowl games and won another division title, as well as the WAC crown: TCU would finish 10-1 in the regular season, when ‘Bama came calling.

And, having lived through that era of tumult, of overgrown juveniles on the sidelines, of even worse ones on the field, and a program in disarray, I can say that he was exactly what the Crimson Tide needed at the time.

Despite being a younger coach, just 50 at his hiring, his shock of gray hair and his calm, patient grandfatherly demeanor were reassuring, even soothing, to a fanbase in need of a touchstone back in their sporting lives. He spoke candidly about Alabama’s difficulties, even as he proverbially took our hand and said “here’s the plan; trust me; we’ll get there.” As it was famously framed it around these parts, “hold the rope.” Don’t give up. Don’t quit. We’ll get out of this mess together.

And you know what? It worked. It actually worked. TCU’s strength program, one of the nation’s best, was imported to make ‘Bama a tougher team. He emphasized running the ball, tempo, speed, spreading the field in an era where the spread was only starting to fully make its mark. Discipline was back. Arrests were practically non-existent; there was just one, in fact: Santonio Beard for DUI — and he was immediately suspended (there had been eight during Dubose’s tenure). Professors weren’t being bullied to keep halfwits eligible, no matter the costs. Character guys started showing up on the roster.

And, Alabama was winning again. In his first season, 2001, the Tide went 7-5, highlighted by breaking the shameful Mississippi State jinx, a bowl appearance, and an ass-kicking of No. 17 Auburn in Jordan Hare, giving Alabama its first win in that cursed earth. And 2000 was even better: A 10-2 regular season ranking, getting as high as No. 9 in the polls, and going 6-1 vs. ranked opponents. He broke the four-game Vols winning streak, and went scorched earth on Nick Saban’s LSU, 31-0.

We know how it ended — with crippling NCAA sanctions on the horizon, with broken promises, and like a thief in the night, a hasty departure to Texas A&M. It felt like a betrayal: We were holding the ropes; you were the one that gave up.

That leave-taking permanently soured many (most) Tide fans on Coach Fran. But, Alabama had done the same to A&M fifty years earlier, with the infamous “mama called” equally-hasty departure of a certain Paul W. “Bear” Bryant from Aggieland to Tuscaloosa. His last game with A&M? A listless, distracted 3-0 loss to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, in the heart of the recruiting season. It’s hard to be objective as an Alabama partisan, but surely we had to know that Fran was here on loan. He was a rambling man, and worse, a Midwesterner who had fallen in love with Texas. Not only is payback fair play, surely, but we can’t begrudge a man going somewhere he loves, is paid better, with a better chance to succeed…or can we? We knew we were screwed though, with the NCAA looming, and our captain gone to sail calmer waters.

Two years an Alabama coach. But two crucial years that helped right the ship, two years that should have set the next guy up for as good a position as you could be in facing the sanctions that the Tide were about to endure. And when few else wanted it, when the brand was toxic, when his was one of the hottest names in coaching circles, he nevertheless took a chance on a rapidly-devolving Alabama program and made them Alabama again. Fast, physical, dynamic, ever improving. Optimism.

We owe him for all of that, and I am still grateful for those two years.

Coach Dennis Franchione passed away today, at age 75. May the ground lie softly on him.

You can let go of the rope now, Coach Fran.