Yahoo Sports TCU football coach Sonny Dykes returns to SMU; Career record, history
Perhaps no one on the sidelines for Saturday's "Battle for the Iron Skillet" is more familiar with the rivalry than Sonny Dykes.
Dykes, who is in his third season with the Horned Frogs, has served as the head coach for both SMU and TCU, coaching a total of five games across the rivalry. Dykes is 2-0 vs. SMU with the Horned Frogs. He was 2-1 in three games against TCU with the Mustangs.
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Dykes, who played college baseball for Texas Tech from 1989-93, began his coaching career as a high school baseball and football coach in 1994 before working his way up the ranks into college athletics. Over his career, Dykes has picked up 91 career victories.
This marks Dykes' second game as the TCU coach in Fort Worth after he spent four seasons as the Mustangs coach. But that doesn't mean the trip has any less meaning the second time around, as Dykes still has connections to some players on the SMU roster.
“It’s good to see the people. There’s a lot of people there that I really care about. Some of the players are still there," Dykes said this week about returning to SMU. "I think the hardest part is the players because you know those guys and you invested in them. Preston Stone was in my house 20 times during the recruiting process, so I am close with him and a lot of those guys over there that are still there. There’s not that many players still left, but the ones that are still there are guys you knew well and you spent a lot of time and invested a lot of time in those guys and so that’s difficult. Then you’ve got friends and people that were good to us, to our family and the program there."
Here's what you need to know about Dykes, including his career record, coaching stops, his time at SMU, who his father was and more:
TCU hires Sonny Dykes away from rival SMU
After TCU and legendary coach Gary Patterson agreed to mutually part ways on Nov. 1, 2021, the school hired Dykes to succeed Patterson — who had been the only coach for the Horned Frogs in the 21st century — on Nov. 30, 2021. Dykes became the third coach to lead both the Mustangs and the Horned Frogs, joining Ewing Freeland and Matty Bell.
In Dykes' first season at TCU, the Horned Frogs improved from 5-7 during the 2021 season to 13-2, including a 9-0 record in conference play. He became the third head coach in the CFP era to guide his team to the playoffs in his first season, using the transfer portal and recruiting locally to rebuild the program. Led by Dykes and quarterback Max Duggan, TCU became the first team to reach the College Football Playoff after beginning the season unranked. The Mustangs were also the third program since 1998 to play for the national championship after starting the season ranked outside the top 25.
TCU finished the 2022 season with six ranked wins, including a win over No. 2 Michigan, which allowed it to reach the national championship game against No. 1 Georgia.
Sonny Dykes at SMU
On Jan. 8, 2017, Dykes was fired by Cal following a 19-30 record with the school from 2013-17. Dykes was replaced by Justin Wilcox, who still helms the Golden Bears. Following his firing, Dykes was hired by TCU to serve as an offensive analyst under Patterson.
Following one season with the Horned Frogs, SMU hired Dykes to replace Chad Morris, who had left for the Arkansas coaching position. Dykes was hired as the coach on Dec. 11, 2017, and coached the Mustangs in the Frisco Bowl.
Overall, Dykes posted a 30-18 at SMU, including a 25-10 record in his last three seasons. With victories in 2019 and 2021, he led the Mustangs to back-to-back wins over TCU, marking the first time SMU had won twice in the series since 1992-93. In 2019, SMU went 10-3, marking its most wins in a single season since 1984 and the Mustangs highest ranking of No. 14 nationally since 1985.
Is Sonny Dykes related to Spike Dykes?
Sonny Dykes is the son of legendary Texas Tech football coach Spike Dykes. The elder Dykes coached at the high school level, starting as an assistant at Eastland High School in Eastland, Texas, in 1959. He latched on as an assistant coach at Texas from 1972-76, New Mexico (1977-78) and Mississippi State (1979) before returning to the high school level. Spike Dykes was hired as a defensive coordinator at Texas Tech in 1984 and was named the head coach in 1986.
Spike Dykes posted an 82-67-1 record with the Red Raiders. He retired in 1999 as the winningest coaching program in history. Spike's successor, the late Mike Leach, passed him in wins in 2009. Spike died on April 10, 2017, at 79 years old.
Sonny Dykes record
Before coaching at SMU and TCU, Dykes made stops at Louisiana Tech and Cal as the coach. Dykes worked under Dykes, who has worked under legendary coaches in Kentucky coach Hal Mumme and Washington State's Leach, the founder of the "air raid" offense.
Here's a look at Dykes' career record as a football coach, which includes stops at Louisiana Tech, Cal, SMU and TCU.
2010 (Louisiana Tech): 5-7 (4-5 WAC)
2011 (Louisiana Tech): 8-5 (6-1 WAC)
2012 (Louisiana Tech): 9-3 (4-2 WAC)
2013 (Cal): 1-11 (0-9 Pac-12)
2014 (Cal): 5-7 (3-6 Pac-12)
2015 (Cal): 8-5 (4-5 Pac-12)
2016 (Cal): 5-7 (3-6 Pac-12)
2017 (SMU): 0-1 *interim head coach in bowl game
2018 (SMU): 5-7 (4-4 AAC)
2019 (SMU): 10-3 (6-2 AAC)
2020 (SMU): 7-3 (4-3 AAC)
2021 (SMU): 8-4 (4-4 AAC)
2022 (TCU): 13-2 (9-0 Big 12)
2023 (TCU): 5-7 (3-6 Big 12)
2024 (TCU): 2-1 (0-1 Big 12)
Career: 91-73
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TCU football coach Sonny Dykes returns to play SMU in 'Battle for the Iron Skillet'
