Chris Beard, former Texas men's basketball coach, hired by Mississippi

Mississippi has hired Chris Beard, formerly of the Texas Longhorns, as men's basketball head coach.

The university announced Monday that Beard would become the program's 23rd men's basketball coach and would be introduced on Tuesday.

The Longhorns had fired Beard, 50, in January after a Dec. 12 arrest on third-degree domestic violence charges after an alleged altercation with his fiancée. According to documents obtained by the American-Statesman, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, Texas offered Beard the chance to resign, but he refused to do so.

Then, on Dec. 23, Beard's fiancée released a statement disputing many of the claims made in the arrest report and said "it was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted." Beard's fiancée said Beard might have acted in self-defense during the alleged altercation.

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Travis County (Texas) District Attorney José Garza on Feb. 15 determined the charge of assault by strangulation/suffocation-family violence could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Beard is replacing former Rebels coach Kermit Davis, who was fired Feb. 24, after his fourth consecutive losing season.

"We thoroughly evaluated a number of outstanding candidates, and there is no doubt Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation," Mississippi vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics Keith Carter said in a statement. "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."

What happened during Chris Beard's time at Texas?

At the time that Beard was fired, he had five years left on a seven-year guaranteed contract with the Longhorns. The deal, however, included a provision saying he could be fired for cause if he was charged with a felony or committed other behavior unbecoming of his position or that reflected poorly on the university.

According to Beard's arrest affidavit, his fiancée said the couple had been arguing about their relationship for several days. She told police she approached Beard in a guest bedroom and, after Beard ignored her, she became frustrated and took his eyeglasses from his hand and broke them. She also told police that she "did not feel safe." Beard maintained his innocence throughout the process.

Since Beard was fired, the Longhorns have compiled a 16-2 record under interim coach Rodney Terry, including a 13-2 finish during the regular season and an upset of Kansas to claim the Big 12 Tournament championship.

Beard had gone 29-13 at Texas. He previously coached five seasons at Texas Tech and one season at Little Rock.

Contributing: Katie Hall and Thomas Jones, the Austin American-Statesman; Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Beard hired as Mississippi men's basketball coach