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Few coaches have risen as quickly as Chris Beard had in recent years.
After leading Little Rock, a 12-seed, to a first-round upset over Purdue, a 5-seed, in the 2016 NCAA tournament, he became one of the most coveted coaches in the country. He left a few months later for Texas Tech, where he spent five seasons and led the team to the national title game in 2019. His ascent continued in 2021, when Texas — his alma mater and “dream school” — hired him to be its head coach.
The Longhorns had picked Beard in hopes that he could lead the program to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Beard guided the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA tournament in his first season at the helm, and landed some of the top recruits and transfers in the country in his first two seasons.
Last month, however, Beard’s career came to a halt when he was arrested on a felony family violence charge, prompting Texas to suspend him without pay. Rodney Terry, his assistant and a former head coach at UTEP and Fresno State, became the acting head coach.
Thursday, Texas announced that it had fired Beard, ending his run in Austin as the allegations against him remain under investigation, per the Travis County district attorney’s office.
Here is a look at key moments throughout Beard’s career at Texas, through Thursday’s news of his termination.
April 1, 2021: Chris Beard is named Texas head coach
Beard, who was Texas Tech head coach since 2016, takes a reported $4 million buyout to switch Big 12 schools and replaces Shaka Smart at his alma mater.
Beard led the Red Raiders to a national title game appearance in 2019 and the Elite Eight in 2018 and left there with an overall record of 112-55.
Mar. 18, 2022: Texas defeats Virginia Tech in the first round of the 2022 NCAA men’s tournament
The 81-73 victory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, marks the Longhorns’ first win in the postseason tournament since 2014.
Nov. 28, 2022: Texas rises to No. 2 in the AP poll, the…
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