Patterson speaks at Texas Bowl luncheon
12/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 27, 2007
HOUSTON -- TCU head football coach Gary Patterson spoke at a Texas Bowl luncheon Thursday at Morton's The Steakhouse in Houston.
Included below are excerpts from Patterson's comments to the 200 people in attendance.
"On behalf of TCU, Chancellor (Victor) Boschini, (athletic director) Danny Morrison and our travel party, we are thrilled to be in our third bowl game in seven years in Houston. The hospitality and people have been wonderful. Every time we have been a part of something down here, it has been great. It obviously helps us with recruiting and getting in front of some outstanding Texas high school coaches, especially those in the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association (GHFCA).
"It's been a great experience. Anybody who talks about the playoff system has obviously never played in a bowl game or been a coach in a bowl game, because they don't understand that it's about the kids. In a playoff system, we are focused so much on finding a national champion. I believe you have an experience of a lifetime with the bowl games.
"We have been to nine bowl games in 10 years. One of the things (Houston interim head) coach (Chris) Thurmond and I share is that he was part of a TCU staff in 1998 when we beat USC in the Sun Bowl. We were talking the other night that one of the outstanding things you can do is meet great coaches. It's a small fraternity. There are 119 Division I head coaches and about 1,200 assistants. You can make a lot of friends along the way, and this is my 24th year of college coaching.
"Our kids are impressed with how you do things. I want to thank (Texas Bowl executive director) Jamey (Rootes) and the (Houston) Texans for putting on a great bowl. You couldn't ask for a better place to play than Reliant Stadium.
"The other night (Dec. 13 versus Denver), I stood on the field at a Texans' game and did the coin toss. They wanted me to be in the (luxury) boxes. I said, `You don't understand. It's not often a coach gets to stand on the sidelines without the pressure of calling the plays. I'll stay here all night.'
"TCU just wants to show our appreciation for the invitation. Not only is our team from the area, but even our players know the Texas high school coaches are our bloodline. I don't think TCU would be where we are today without the Texas high school coaches. We are grateful to them for allowing their student-athletes to come to TCU, receive an education and play for our program. Thank you all for being here today, and thanks for being a part of this outstanding bowl. We look forward to a great game at Reliant."
