Read the e-mailed statement from TCU Athletics
Read Dougherty’s bio on the TCU Athletics Web siteTCU men’s basketball coach Neil Dougherty will not return next season and a national search for a replacement will begin immediately, according to a statement issued by the university.
After six seasons at TCU since joining the team in 2002, Dougherty’s career record of 75-108, which includes three last-place conference finishes, ranked 309 out of 320 among Division I coaches in winning percentage for coaches with at least five years experience, according to NCAA records.
TCU finished this season 14-16 overall and 6-10 in conference play with a 198 RPI, earning a seventh-place finish in the Mountain West Conference, the team’s best since it joined the conference in 2005. The team’s season ended with an 89-88 loss to eventual conference champion, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
The Horned Frogs posted a 21-14 record in Dougherty’s third season when the team was a member of Conference-USA, the team’s most wins since the 1998-99 season, which included a berth in the NIT quarterfinals. TCU posted season records of 6-25 in 2005-2006 with a 287 RPI and 13-17 in 2006-2007 with a 182 RPI, respectively, both last-place conference finishes.
According to TCU’s latest tax filing, Dougherty was the third-highest paid employee in the 2004 reporting period other than officers, directors and trustees at the university, earning $378,227 in compensation and $97,029 in employee benefits. He was the second-highest paid athletic coach behind Gary Patterson, who earned $853,458 and another 96,916 in employee benefits.
The TCU Athletics Media Relations Department has refused all interviews except those regarding upcoming opponents with Dougherty, TCU players or athletics director Danny Morrison, and will not comment on its statement. The department also refused interviews with Dougherty for this story.
“We appreciate Neil’s contributions to TCU over the last six years,” Morrison said in the statement. “He cares deeply about the student-athletes and always had their best interests at heart. He put a lot of time and effort into the job, and we wish him the best in the future.”