Billy Gillispie on indefinite medical leave from Tarleton State

Field Level Media|published: Wed 29th November, 14:18 2023

Head coach Billy Gillispie yells to players as the New Mexico State Aggies face off against the Tarleton State Texans at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Nmsu Tsu 16 credits: Nathan J Fish/Sun News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tarleton State head coach Billy Gillispie is on indefinite medical leave, with Joseph Jones serving as interim coach.

The school said Tuesday night that "medical circumstances" caused Gillispie, who didn't coach the team in last week's SoCal Challenge, to step aside.

Gillispie, 64, told the Dallas Morning News earlier this month that he expected to take a medical absence but said he didn't "feel bad at all," adding he felt the leave would be short-term.

Tarleton State (4-2) hired Gillispie in 2020. He also coached at Texas A&M, Kentucky and UTEP and resigned from Texas Tech due to medical concerns in 2012.

He underwent a kidney transplant in 2017.

—Field Level Media