# Chris Beard
**Chris Beard** is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team, a position he has held since 2023 and entering his fourth season in 2026-27[1](https://olemisssports.com/news/2026/10/1/beard-finalizes-mens-basketball-staff). He previously led Texas Tech to the 2019 national championship game and served as head coach at Little Rock and at Texas, where he was fired during the 2022-23 season after being charged with felony assault of a family member in a case that was ultimately dropped[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cQAvucWdSY).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current position | Head coach, Ole Miss (fourth year in 2026-27); 59-43 regular-season record with one NCAA Tournament appearance through the 2024-25 season[1](https://olemisssports.com/news/2026/10/1/beard-finalizes-mens-basketball-staff) • [4](https://www.si.com/college/texas/basketball/how-chris-beard-was-almost-responsible-for-texas-missing-the-ncaa-tournament) |
| NCAA Tournament record | 1 Final Four and 0 championships[5](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/chris-beard-1.html) |
| Peak season | 2018-19 at Texas Tech: 31-7, national runner-up, lost the title game to Virginia 85-77 in overtime[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375) |
| Major honors | 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year; 2018 and 2019 Big 12 Coach of the Year; 2016 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375) |
| Career record at Ole Miss hire | 237-98, a .707 winning percentage among active Division I coaches[6](https://www.on3.com/teams/ole-miss-rebels/news/ncaa-tournament-appearances-have-historically-alluded-ole-miss-theyre-what-chris-beard-expects/) |
| Education | Bachelor of Science in kinesiology, University of Texas, 1995; master's in education, Abilene Christian, 1998[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375) |
## Early career
Beard was raised in Irving, Texas, and began coaching as a graduate assistant at Incarnate Word, followed by assistant stints at Abilene Christian and North Texas[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375). His first head coaching jobs came at junior colleges: Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, where he went 19-12 with an NJCAA Regional appearance in 1999-2000, and Seminole State College in Oklahoma, where he went 25-6 with a No. 14 national ranking in 2000-01[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
From 2001 to 2011 he was on the Texas Tech staff, seven seasons as an assistant under [Bob Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-knight) and three as associate head coach under Pat Knight. During that decade the Red Raiders won 188 games, made four NCAA Tournament bids, and reached the 2005 Sweet 16[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
## Head coaching stops before Texas Tech
Beard's path back to a major program ran through smaller posts. He coached the South Carolina Warriors of the [American Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-basketball-association) to a 31-2 record and an ABA finals appearance in 2011-12, then spent one season at McMurry University (19-10) and two at Angelo State (47-15), where the 2014-15 Rams won a program-record 28 games and reached the NCAA Division II Sweet 16[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
**Little Rock, 2015-16.** In his only season at Little Rock, Beard guided the Trojans to a 30-5 record, a 15-game improvement over the previous season's 13-18, which was tied for the best turnaround in Division I that year. Little Rock won the [Sun Belt](https://www.edgepedia.org/sun-belt) regular season and tournament titles and upset fifth-seeded Purdue 85-83 in double overtime in the NCAA Tournament after trailing by 14 points in the final five minutes of regulation[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375). He earned NABC District 24 and Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year honors[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
## Texas Tech (2016-2021)
Beard was named Texas Tech's 17th head coach on April 15, 2016. Over five seasons he compiled a 112-55 record and led the Red Raiders to three NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018, 2019, and 2021, with the 2020 tournament canceled[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
- **2016-17:** 18-14, with three ranked wins in his first season[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
- **2017-18:** 27-10 and the program's first Elite Eight appearance; Beard won the John McClendon National Coach of the Year award and was Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
- **2018-19:** 31-7, the Big 12 regular-season championship, a Final Four win over Michigan State, and a national runner-up finish after an 85-77 overtime loss to Virginia in the title game. Beard was named Associated Press National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
- **2019-20:** 18-13, including a 70-57 win over No. 1 Louisville at [Madison Square Garden](https://www.edgepedia.org/madison-square-garden); the NCAA Tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
- **2020-21:** 18-11, reaching the tournament's second round[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375).
Under Beard, Texas Tech went 9-3 in NCAA Tournament games[2](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375). Of the 16 NCAA Tournament wins in Texas Tech's program history at the time, eight came under Beard in just two tournaments[7](https://www.crimsonquarry.com/2021/3/17/22335232/coaching-candidate-spotlight-chris-beard). A Washington Post analysis of tournament performance adjusted for seeding credited Beard's No. 6-seed Texas Tech teams with five wins above expectations[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/18/coaches-ncaa-tournament-bracket-picks/).
## Texas and the 2022 dismissal
Beard returned to his alma mater as Texas's head coach in 2021. In December 2022 he was charged with felony assault of a family member following a domestic altercation, and Texas fired him during the 2022-23 season; the case was ultimately dropped[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cQAvucWdSY). His tournament record at the time of the dismissal stood at 11-5 across five appearances, including a 5-0 mark in first-round games[9](https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/3057).
## Ole Miss (2023-present)
Beard was hired at Ole Miss in 2023, replacing Kermit Davis. At the time of the hire he carried a 237-98 career record and a .707 winning percentage[6](https://www.on3.com/teams/ole-miss-rebels/news/ncaa-tournament-appearances-have-historically-alluded-ole-miss-theyre-what-chris-beard-expects/). Through the 2024-25 season his Rebels had a 59-43 regular-season record with one NCAA Tournament appearance, as a 6 seed in the 2025 tournament[4](https://www.si.com/college/texas/basketball/how-chris-beard-was-almost-responsible-for-texas-missing-the-ncaa-tournament) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cQAvucWdSY). He has made NCAA Tournament appearances as a coach at four schools: Little Rock, Texas Tech, Texas, and Ole Miss[10](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2025-ranking-every-coach-in-the-sweet-16-as-ncaa-tournament-rolls-on-to-regional-semifinals/).
In October 2026, Beard finalized his staff for the 2026-27 season, adding assistants Petar Aleksić, Anthony Fobb, and others, promoting Brian Burg to general manager, and retaining Al Pinkins and Mark Adams as assistant coaches[1](https://olemisssports.com/news/2026/10/1/beard-finalizes-mens-basketball-staff).
## Coaching tree
Beard's staffs have produced five former assistants who became Division I head coaches: Wes Flanigan (Little Rock, 2016), Chris Ogden (UT Arlington, 2018), Brian Burg (Georgia Southern, 2020), Brette Tanner (Abilene Christian, 2021), and Mark Adams (Texas Tech, 2021)[9](https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/3057).
## References
1. [Beard Finalizes Men's Basketball Staff, Ole Miss Athletics (October 1, 2026)](https://olemisssports.com/news/2026/10/1/beard-finalizes-mens-basketball-staff)
2. [Chris Beard, Texas Tech Red Raiders coaching bio](https://texastech.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/2375)
3. [Chris Beard's journey to becoming head coach at Ole Miss, ESPN College Basketball (YouTube, 2025)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cQAvucWdSY)
4. [How Chris Beard Was Almost Responsible for Texas Missing the NCAA Tournament, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/texas/basketball/how-chris-beard-was-almost-responsible-for-texas-missing-the-ncaa-tournament)
5. [Chris Beard Coaching Record, Sports-Reference.com](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/chris-beard-1.html)
6. [Beard expects Ole Miss' NCAA Tournament woes to soon be over, On3](https://www.on3.com/teams/ole-miss-rebels/news/ncaa-tournament-appearances-have-historically-alluded-ole-miss-theyre-what-chris-beard-expects/)
7. [Coaching candidate spotlight: Chris Beard, The Crimson Quarry (2021)](https://www.crimsonquarry.com/2021/3/17/22335232/coaching-candidate-spotlight-chris-beard)
8. [Coaches with the best and worst NCAA tournament records, The Washington Post (2021)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/03/18/coaches-ncaa-tournament-bracket-picks/)
9. [Chris Beard, University of Texas Athletics coaching bio](https://texaslonghorns.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/chris-beard/3057)
10. [March Madness 2025: Ranking every coach in the Sweet 16, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/march-madness-2025-ranking-every-coach-in-the-sweet-16-as-ncaa-tournament-rolls-on-to-regional-semifinals/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › US college basketball (NCAA, NAIA) › Men's team programs › Titles symbols to K*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license