Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie is on temporary administrative leave as the school investigates an anonymous complaint, the university announced Friday.
No details were provided about the complaint against Gillispie, who previously coached at Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UTEP.
Officials at Tarleton State, a member of the Western Athletic Conference located in Stephenville, Texas, said there will be no further comment on the situation.
Associate head coach Glynn Cyprien takes over as the acting head coach of the Texans, who are scheduled to open the regular season Nov. 3 at SMU.
Gillispie, 65, has come under fire for his coaching style before. In September 2012, he resigned after one season at Texas Tech because of health concerns — after facing allegations of player mistreatment.
He was fired after two winning seasons at Kentucky (2007-09), with the Wildcats’ athletic director saying he “wasn’t the right fit for the program.”
Gillispie has compiled a 78-74 record since joining Tarleton State in 2020-21. He led the Texans to a 25-10 mark in 2023-24 but slipped to 12-20 last season.
Overall, he is 226-182 across 13 seasons at UTEP (2002-04), Texas A&M (2004-07), Kentucky, Texas Tech (2011-12) and Tarleton State. His teams have reached the NCAA Tournament four times.
