In his 27 seasons as a head coach in college football, Franchione won eight conference championships and one divisional crown.

Franchione and his wife, the former Kim Kraus, began dating after he took her on a tour of his alma mater, Pittsburg State, at the request of her father.

Brad Franchione, his son from a previous marriage, was the head football coach at Blinn College prior to his most recent position with his father at Texas State.

During his two years at Southwestern, he led the team to a 14–4–2 record, a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference title, and a Sunflower Bowl win.

[4] After two seasons as offensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 1983 and 1984, Franchione was hired as the head coach at his alma mater, Pittsburg State University.

Despite the loss, the Frogs finished the season 10–1, were co-champions of the Western Athletic Conference, and accepted a bid to the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl.

Franchione did not return to Alabama after being hired, instead informing players of his decision to accept the job at A&M by video teleconference.

In the 2004 season, Franchione attempted the rebuilding process as the team improved to a 7–5 record, and a 5–3 record in conference play, including a 35–34 overtime loss to unranked Baylor at Waco, ending a 13-game winning streak the Aggies had with Baylor and a 32–25 overtime win over the then #25 Texas Tech at Kyle Field, snapping a three-game skid to the Red Raiders.

The newsletter was discovered by athletic director Bill Byrne after it was presented to him by a San Antonio Express-News reporter, who had received it through an unidentified A&M booster.

In a press conference the following Tuesday, October 2, Franchione apologized in front of A&M football players and expressed his love for the job and the university, and his desire to "elevate the program to its highest level."

[22] Shortly after, an investigation had been launched to look into the matter, conducted by Bill Byrne and A&M's NCAA compliance officer, David Batson.

More seriously, Doyel said, his disclosures of injury information breached the trust of his players at best and potentially violated federal health privacy law at worst.

Doyel also argued that the entire venture would have violated federal tax law if Franchione had not told the IRS about it.

In response, Texas A&M officials told the Dallas Morning News that the reports were false rumors and that Franchione's performance was to be reviewed at the end of the season.

[32] After Franchione led the Aggies to a 38–30 victory over the 13th-ranked Texas Longhorns—his second win over the Longhorns in a row—he announced his resignation in the postgame press conference.

Franchione immediately left the press conference as A&M athletic director Bill Byrne started to speak, with friends and family members following him.

The two questionable departures from TCU and Alabama, coupled with the newsletter scandal and Franchione's mediocre record at A&M, severely damaged his reputation.

Franchione moved to the exurban Austin-area community of Horseshoe Bay, Texas, and was out of football for the first time in over 30 years.

In July 2008,[41] signed a 16-game contract to serve as a color commentator for ESPN Radio during the 2008 college football season.

[42][43] Franchione interviewed for the San Diego State University head-coaching job in 2008 when the school fired Chuck Long,[44] and ended up being a finalist for the job alongside then-Ball State head coach (and future Michigan head coach) Brady Hoke and UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker.

[45] Franchione applied for the head-coaching position at UNLV, following Mike Sanford's termination as head football coach after the 2009 season.

[47] Following Brad Wright's dismissal, Texas State University engaged Parker Executive Search to help them find their next head football coach.

[48] On January 7, 2011, Franchione was named head coach of Texas State's football program and signed a five-year contract valued at $350,000 per year.

Texas State then negotiated membership in the more stable Sun Belt Conference beginning in 2013, after the WAC stopped sponsoring football.