FORT WORTH, Texas — Mack Brown has returned to Austin, Texas, for the winter and spring months, planning to spend his summers at his family’s residence in the North Carolina mountains. It’s been nearly three months since he coached his last game for the Tar Heels, and he appears to have found peace in his new routine.
Reflecting on his future, Brown shared, “We were doing that before and it worked. I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I may do some TV, I’ll probably do some podcasts. I enjoyed that… You can do it from North Carolina just as easily as anywhere.” Although the 73-year-old coach felt disappointment about his exit, he expressed that he was ready to step away from coaching after guiding the Tar Heels through his second tenure, and he is now supporting the team under the leadership of new coach Bill Belichick.
In a statement, Brown noted, “I think the frustration was it was probably more political than anything else. They knew I was going to be through at the end of the year, but there were a lot of people who weren’t on the same page. So it didn’t really matter in the end.” Brown was honored at the recent Davey O’Brien awards dinner where he became the first non-quarterback and coaching figure to receive the Legends Award. During the same event, Cam Ward, who had an impressive single season at Miami, was awarded the prestigious Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback.
As the winningest coach in Tar Heels history, Brown refrained from announcing his departure until after the regular-season finale against rival N.C. State. However, it was shortly before the Thanksgiving game that North Carolina announced Brown would not return for another season following six years in his second term.
Reflecting on the financial limitations his team faced, he stated, “At North Carolina at that time, without revenue sharing, there wasn’t enough money, so you couldn’t compete. We had $4 million, and you just couldn’t compete, and that was the frustrating thing. So I thought it was really time for somebody new to come in with the $13 million revenue sharing and get a fresh start. And I’d had enough.” A significant reason for his return last season was to provide support to player Tylee Craft during his battle with cancer, which tragically ended in October when Craft, 23, lost his fight against a rare form of lung cancer.
Brown achieved 113 of his 288 career wins at North Carolina, after beginning his coaching journey at Appalachian State in 1983 and later at Tulane from 1985 to 1987. He enjoyed a lengthy tenure with the Tar Heels before moving to Texas, where he led the Longhorns to a national championship in 2005 with standout quarterback Vince Young, and later faced Alabama in 2009, where the Longhorns suffered a loss following an early injury to quarterback Colt McCoy.
Replacing Brown, North Carolina has now brought in Bill Belichick, the legendary six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, who has signed a five-year contract that guarantees his first three years. Brown expressed pride in the program’s commitment, saying, “And Bill’s one of the best ever. So I’m proud for the kids. I’ve got so many friends there, just like I do at Texas. So I’m glad they finally stepped up, and now they should have a chance to compete with the best in the country.”
Though Brown has not yet spoken directly to Belichick, he did communicate with Michael Lombardi, who has joined the coaching staff as general manager. Brown noted, “(Lombardi) called me and talked to me about some things. And I want them to be successful. I’m not that young guy that’s mad at the world and all that.”
