![Texas Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry holds up the sign of the horns during \"The Eyes of Texas,\" after the 76-72 loss to Houston at the Moody Center on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Austin.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_14,w_2880,h_1620/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/245/01jq2vagcnx1k9mmkzp6.jpg "Texas Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry holds up the sign of the horns during \\"The Eyes of Texas,\\" after the 76-72 loss to Houston at the Moody Center on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, in Austin.")
Most Texas Longhorn fans were able to admit that former men’s basketball head coach Rodney Terry wasn’t the perfect guy for the job… Emphasis on “most.” However, when Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte officially announced that Terry was no longer the program’s head coach, fans had a mixed bag of reactions to the news.
Don’t get us wrong, Terry was a Texas guy through and through. He spent nearly two decades with the program from his times under Rick Barnes and Chris Beard to becoming the Horns’ head coach.
But, dedication and love don’t always translate into success – especially at the Division I level. So, for now, Del Conte’s decision to part ways with Terry looks like it was the right thing to do. Yet, many Texas fans were upset and saddened by the news.
We need to be grateful for the type of person Rodney Terry is and all he’s done for the Texas over his career. I hate it didn’t work out. Best of luck to Coach. https://t.co/dcvKNtniQ4
— Ghost of Texas Football (@FortyAcreVibes) March 23, 2025
RODNEY TERRY IS A GOOD MAN AND A VERY GOOD COACH.
— Louis Wilson (@CoachLWilson) March 23, 2025
HE DESERVED BETTER. 🙏🏿
On the other hand, a few college basketball fans rejoiced when the news broke that Terry was out as the Longhorns’ head coach.
Rodney Terry finally getting canned pic.twitter.com/i3zJeA9JnO
— Seth Barrow (@SethB_28) March 20, 2025
Keep in mind that Terry was only the official head coach for two seasons and led Texas to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. During the 2022-23 season, when he was interim HC, he led the Horns to an appearance in the Elite Eight.
I strongly believe that Texas never even wanted Rodney Terry to be the head coach.
— Sir B. Terrell (@itsBTerrell) March 23, 2025
He exceeded expectations with the interim tag, so they felt the public pressure to make him the official coach.
Rodney Terry is done.
— coog57™ (@coog57) March 20, 2025
Another coach chewed up and discarded by the Longhorn grinder. pic.twitter.com/v4V3UBj2fZ
Over his three years with the Longhorns, Terry led the team to a 62-37 overall record, a respectable winning rate of 62.6 percent. However, the Horns were kicked out of the NCAA Tournament every single year under Terry – Elite Eight, Round of 32, and then First Four.
The latter statistic simply wasn’t good enough for the Texas athletic department which is known for its national dominance across all sports. After he and the Longhorns parted ways, Terry had a simple message for Texas:
“It was a dream of mine to be the head coach of the Longhorns,” Terry said. “I’ve been able to live that dream.”
Del Conte reportedly hired Xavier head coach Sean Miller to fill the head coaching vacancy. Miller and the Xavier Musketeers were the team that knocked Terry and the Longhorns out of this year’s NCAA Tournament in the First Four.