Opinion: Gary Patterson's sudden departure is sad ending for the man who transformed TCU football

There was a period of time not long ago that Gary Patterson would have been a popular choice among his peers, the media and college football fans generally as the best coach in the country relative to the program he led. 

Lots of coaches could win national championships at places like Alabama, LSU and Ohio State. But only Patterson could take TCU from Southwest Conference cast-off to seven top-10 finishes, to the Rose Bowl, to membership in the Big 12 and to the brink of the College Football Playoff. 

The length and the significance of Patterson’s tenure was so profound, TCU gave him a statue years before he even considered retirement — and it wasn’t the least bit premature. For a solid decade, a football program that had been on the brink of becoming SMU was right there with the bluebloods, winning big games and pumping players into the NFL.