Football coaches Dennis Franchione of Texas State and Larry Coker of Texas-San Antonio enter the first seasons at their respective schools with similar backgrounds. Both coached Football Bowl Subdivision powerhouses, and both teams will begin playing in 2012 in the Western Athletic Conference. Franchione goes into Texas State’s final Southland Conference season with head coaching experience at New Mexico, Alabama and Texas A&M, among other schools.

The Texas State women’s golf team took home its third consecutive Claud Jacobs Intercollegiate title Monday in Victoria.

Texas State has found its head football coach to help the Bobcats’ transition into the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Dennis Franchione, who led the Bobcats to consecutive winning seasons in 1990 and 1991, was introduced Jan. 7 as Texas State’s head football coach. The selection comes after a nationwide search with help from the Parker Executive firm following the Nov. 22 firing of Brad Wright, who was the first coach to lead Texas State to consecutive winning seasons since Franchione.

Dennis Franchione is expected to be Texas State’s new head football coach, according to various sources on Twitter.

ESPN college football analyst Joe Schad tweeted around 4 p.m. Thursday Franchione would fill the vacancy left by Brad Wright, who was fired Nov. 22, 2010 after Texas State’s acceptance of an invitation to the Western Athletic Conference.

November 2007

Texas State head football coach Brad Wright was fired Nov. 22 following a 4-7 season.

Wright’s release comes after Texas State’s Nov. 11 announcement to join the Western Athletic Conference in the 2012 season.

The Western Athletic Conference may lose yet another team as early as the 2011 season.

WAC member Hawaii announced last week its intentions to join the Mountain West Conference in football and the Big West Conference in all other sports. Hawaii is one of four WAC teams that have expressed interest in moving to the MWC. Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada will move to the MWC by the 2012 season.

Texas State head football coach Brad Wright has been fired, according to the Texas State athletic department.

His release comes after the Bobcats ended their season 4-7 overall and 1-6 in Southland Conference play.

“We appreciate the progress Brad has made with our program in the last four years,” Teis said in a press release. “This decision was tough to make because he is a good man and a good family man, but I felt it was necessary to make a change at this time.”

Western Athletic Commissioner Karl Benson made a visit Tuesday to Texas State.

Benson’s trip comes after the WAC’s announcement to add Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and Denver beginning in the 2012 season. The commissioner spent the day at Texas State and attended the men’s basketball game against Long Island. He plans to make a visit Wednesday to UTSA’s campus.

The official announcement of Texas State’s acceptance into the Western Athletic Conference was made Thursday during a presentation at Strahan Coliseum.

Students, alumni, Bobcat Club members and residents gathered to hear the live streaming of WAC Commissioner Karl Benson’s teleconference, announcing the addition, effective July 2012, of Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and Denver.