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Franchione Steps Down Send a link to a friend [November 24, 2007] COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Say this for Dennis Franchione, Aggie fans. At least he learned how to beat Texas.
Franchione resigned as Texas A&M's coach on Friday, less than an hour after beating the 13th-ranked Longhorns 38-30 at Kyle Field. Dressed in a gray suit, Franchione stepped to the podium after defeating the hated 'Horns for the second straight year. If he'd won more games like this during his rocky five-year tenure, he wouldn't have had to step down. "We appreciate the opportunity we have had at this great institution, to work with this administration," he read from a prepared statement. "We have made many lasting friendships." The school announced Franchione had accepted a buyout, but refused to give details. Franchione's contract ran through 2012 and paid him a base salary of $2 million per year. A reputed rebuilder of programs, Franchione finished a mediocre 32-28 at A&M, far short of the expectations when he replaced R.C. Slocum in December 2002. Off the field, Franchione was caught this season selling inside information about the program to big-money boosters in a secret newsletter. By then, it was only a matter of time before the divorce became final. "I want to express my respect and gratitude to Coach Franchione for his courage in making this decision," athletics director Bill Byrne said. "We wish Coach Franchione the very best moving forward, and we are grateful for all of this hard work and effort while he was here at Texas A&M." Athletic department spokesman Alan Cannon said the players did not know about Franchione's intentions until after the game. The Aggies still saved their most inspiring performance of the season for their rivals, costing the Longhorns a chance to play in the Big 12 title game for the second straight season. Stephen McGee threw for a career-high 362 yards with three touchdowns and scored on a hard-driving run. Holder T.J. Sanders got his only career TD when he capped A&M's 95-yard drive with a 5-yard TD run on a fake field goal and the defense forced three turnovers by Texas quarterback Colt McCoy. "Our team didn't play consistently well and that comes back to me," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "We dropped passes, we didn't protect well all the time, we didn't tackle well, we gave up too many big plays." [to top of second column]	Franchione probably earned another year by beating the Longhorns 12-7 in Austin last November. As sweet as it was to beat Texas again, it couldn't mask his overall struggle trying to lead A&M back to prominence. The Aggies (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) finished the regular season with four losses in six games. They still haven't won the Big 12 since 1998, and under Franchione, they lost 12 of 15 games to main rivals Oklahoma, Texas Tech and the Longhorns. None of the Aggies were available for comment after Franchione's post-game statement. "We have an outstanding group of young men on this team and especially great people," Franchione said. "We want them to know that we love them, feel blessed for our time together, and will miss them." It was a humbling end to a disappointing season, that began with a 34-17 loss to Miami on Sept. 20. A week later, a newspaper reported that Franchione's personal assistant had been sending out e-mails with inside information about the program to boosters who paid $1,200 a year to get it. Byrne suggested Franchione breached his contract, admitted NCAA rules were broken and vowed the messy scandal would be part of Franchione's year-end evaluation. Byrne said after Friday's game that the school had completed its investigation into the e-mail scandal. He said the school was convinced that Franchione "did not intentionally, knowingly, or directly participate in actions that were inappropriate or in violation of rules or policies." Byrne added that he thought Franchione was guilty of "inadequate supervision and oversight." After he resigned, Byrne was the only man speaking for him. "I want to express my regret and gratitude to Coach Franchione for his courage in making this decision, and putting the interests of his players and this institution ahead of his own interests," Byrne said. "We wish Coach Franchione the very best moving forward and we are grateful for all of his hard work and effort while he was here at A&M." [Associated Press; By CHRIS DUNCAN] Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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