Chris Beard Oct 19, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, US; Texas Longhorns coach Chris Beard is interviewed during the mens Big 12 Basketball Tipoff media day at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Just over two months after being fired by the Texas Longhorns, Chris Beard has another Power Five men’s basketball head coaching job. Beard was suspended without pay in December after he was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for assault on a family member, then fired in January. But there had been some smoke about him getting another job quickly, including recently at Ole Miss. And the Rebels made that hiring official Monday:

Here’s more from that release:

A four-time conference coach of the year and 2019 national coach of the year, Chris Beard will bring his long run of success to Oxford and the SEC, as he has been named the 23rd head men’s basketball coach at Ole Miss by Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter on Monday.

…”We are excited to welcome Coach Beard and his daughters, Avery, Ella and Margo, to the Ole Miss family,” Carter said. “We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation. After conducting due diligence and speaking to a number of individuals on and off the court, it was evident he is the right person to guide our team to greatness. 
 
“At each stop in his career, Coach Beard has proven to be a program builder and a dynamic leader whose teams exhibit relentless effort. He is a tireless recruiter and develops talent to reach their greatest potential. He has coached at multiple levels of college basketball and has competed for championships at every school. Simply put, Coach Beard is a winner, and Ole Miss Basketball’s best years are ahead of us under his leadership.”

…”I am honored to be joining the Ole Miss family and excited to get started at this great university,” Beard said. “I can’t express how grateful I am to Chancellor Boyce, Keith Carter and the rest of the search committee for their belief in me to lead this program. I am really looking forward to being an active part of the Oxford community. I know we have one of the best venues in the country in the SJB Pavilion, and we are going to work tirelessly to build a championship caliber program. I can’t wait to connect with our players and recruits and begin this journey together. Hotty Toddy!”

There are some complicating circumstances worth discussion around Beard’s firing. Before that firing, his fiancée Randi Trew apologized for claiming he choked her and said “Chris did not strangle me” and “I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event.” And after his firing, a prosecutor moved to dismiss the charges, citing Trew’s wishes and saying the charges could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Beard (seen above in October 2022) has an overall NCAA head coaching record of 237-97. He went 19-10 with the McMurry War Hawks in Division III in 2012-13, then 47-15 with the Angelo State Rams in Division II from 2013-15. In Division I, he has coached the Little Rock Trojans (2015-16, 30-5), the Texas Tech Red Raiders (2016-21, 112-55), and the Longhorns (2021-23, 29-13). But his hire at Ole Miss certainly comes with some controversy, and with some criticism. We’ll see how he does there.

[Ole Miss Athletics; photo from William Purnell/USA Today Sports]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.