College Station, Texas ? Dennis Franchione didn’t decide this week that he wanted to be the football coach at Texas A&M. He always coveted the job.

Franchione officially got his wish Friday when he walked away from Alabama after two years and accepted a six-year contract worth $1.5 million to $2 million a year to replace R.C. Slocum at A&M.

“Texas A&M has been a place that always has been on a short list for me,” Franchione said. “This is one of the places that, if I could end up here one day, that would be great.”

When Franchione was at Texas Christian from 1998-2000, he had a clause in his contract that allowed him to pursue the head coaching job at A&M if it became available. But after three years at TCU, he went to Alabama.

The Aggies finally came to the top of Franchione’s list early this week during rapid-fire negotiations with A&M that started after the Crimson Tide completed its season with a 21-16 victory over Hawaii.

Franchione and A&M representatives worked out details of his contract late Thursday in Dallas, then flew to College Station to announce the deal.

“I felt that I was at a fork in the road in my life at 51, and I needed the opportunity to hear what A&M had to say, so that when I made that decision to go right or left, I could go full-speed ahead,” Franchione said.

A&M athletic director Bill Byrne – who was hired from Nebraska just this week – introduced Franchione in a conference room at Kyle Field. The Aggie War Hymn blared as Franchione entered, and his remarks were piped outside to fans listening in the stands.

Meanwhile, Franchione was criticized in Alabama for bolting despite persuading players to stay with the Crimson Tide even though the school was on NCAA probation and barred from bowl games.

“Those players stayed because they loved Alabama, and maybe I was part of that,” Franchione said. “All we did was coach them in the best possible manner to help them achieve their goals. This was just something I needed to do.”

New Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione takes part in a news conference. Franchione was introduced as the Aggies coach Friday in College Station, Texas.

Franchione said Alabama’s status on NCAA probation for recruiting violations that occurred before he got there played a major role in his decision. Franchione said he owed his first loyalty to his family.

“It’s a difficult decision for people to understand when you leave that place,” Franchione said. “You have to give a great deal of thought to the people that you affect because of your love for the players.”

Franchione took over rebuilding projects at TCU and Alabama. TCU was 1-10 the year before he arrived in 1998. The next year, they began a string of five straight bowl appearances with a win over Southern California in the Sun Bowl.

“I’m coming here for a lot of reasons,” Franchione said. “Tradition and history is certainly a part of that.”

He noted that the school hasn’t had a losing season since 1982, when the Aggies went 5-6.

“That’s exciting to me, because it’s my first time to take one over that has a foundation in place and not coming off a losing season … that’s a nice way to get started,” he said.