Dennis Franchione: key obituary facts
Is Dennis Franchione dead? Yes. Dennis Franchione died on October 6, 2026, at age 75.
Cause of death: Dennis Franchione's cause of death was reported as Cancer.
What was Dennis Franchione known for?
He was an American college football coach.
More about Dennis Franchione
Born: 8 March 1951.
Place of birth: Girard.
Gender: male.
Occupation: coach.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Pittsburg State University.
Also known as: Dennis Wayne Franchione.
Dennis Franchione, an American college football coach who led programs including Pittsburg State, TCU and New Mexico, died of cancer on October 6, 2026, aged 75.
Born in Girard, Kansas, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Pittsburg State University in 1973. Franchione coached for 27 seasons as a head coach, beginning at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, in 1981.
His career included five seasons at Pittsburg State, six at New Mexico and three at Texas Christian University, followed by coaching stints at Alabama and Texas A&M. He also led Southwest Texas State University, later renamed Texas State, in two separate periods, including a return from 2011 to 2015. Across his head-coaching career, Franchione won eight conference championships and one divisional title. He and his wife, Kim, whom he married in 1977, had two daughters, Elizabeth Ann and Ashley Renee. His coaching career connected programs in Kansas, New Mexico and Texas with major university teams in Alabama and Texas, spanning more than three decades.