FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Former California coach Sonny Dykes is back in Texas, joining TCU’s staff as an offensive analyst and consultant.
The son of former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes was abruptly fired by Cal last month, more than six weeks after the season ended.
Dykes, whose hiring was announced Tuesday, finished 19-30 in four seasons at Cal after going 22-15 in three years at Louisiana Tech. He spent seven seasons as an offensive assistant at Texas Tech, his alma mater. Dykes joined Mike Leach’s staff in 2000, the season after his dad left.
The 47-year-old Dykes will work with offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, who was a Texas Tech quarterback when Dykes was on the staff. Cumbie shared the title the past three seasons with Doug Meacham, who left for the same job at Kansas.
TCU also hired Chris Thomsen as offensive line coach.
Thomsen is a former Horned Frogs’ football and baseball student-athlete. Jarrett Anderson, who coached the TCU offensive line the last three seasons, will move to inside wide receivers.
Thomsen was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Arizona State the past four years. During that time, five different linemen for the Sun Devils earned All-Pac 12 recognition. Prior to his arrival in Tempe, he spent the 2012 campaign as the offensive line coach at Texas Tech. He was the interim head coach as the Red Raiders posted a 34-31 win over Minnesota in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Thomsen spent seven seasons (2005-11) as head coach at Abilene Christian, leading the Wildcats to a 51-21 record and six straight trips to the Division II playoffs.
Before becoming the head coach at ACU, Thomsen served two seasons at Central Arkansas as the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. He began his coaching career in 1994 as a graduate assistant at ACU, before spending two seasons as the offensive line coach and one as the defensive line coach. He was named the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator in 1998. After spending one season away from football, he got back into coaching in 2001 as the offensive coordinator at Wichita Falls High School before joining Central Arkansas.
Thomsen played football three seasons (1988-90) and baseball one year (1991) at TCU. During his lone season on the diamond for the Horned Frogs, he earned All-Southwest Conference, All-America and TCU Male Athlete of the Year honors after nearly hitting for the triple crown. He led the SWC with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs, while his .373 batting average was second. Thomsen was selected in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Thomsen went on to play two seasons in Oakland’s minor league system.
After retiring from baseball, Thomsen returned to the college gridiron and played one season at ACU. He was a first-team All-Lone Star Conference tight end for the Wildcats, earning second-team All-America honors. He earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from TCU in December 1993 and received his master’s in secondary education from ACU in 2000. – Additional reporting by FWBP Staff.
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