Texas Longhorns Ex Coach Mack Brown 'Proud' of North Carolina Following Firing

Despite his recent firing from North Carolina, former Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown holds no ill-will toward the Tarheels.

Harrison Reno | Feb 19, 2025

Nov 30, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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While the ending to his time as the head football coach at North Carolina didn't end the way he may have wanted. Former Texas Longhorns coach Mack Brown is essentially back to the life he lived before taking the head coaching job - for a second time in his career - with the Tarheels.

That includes spending the winter and spring in Austin, before moving back to North Carolina where he has a house in the mountains for the summer.

“We were doing that before and it worked,” Brown said during a recent interview with AP News. “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 easy as anywhere.”

Nov 30, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown on the sidelines in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

At 73 years old, Brown is seemingly enjoying the life of a retired coach. He can live where he wants when he wants. And doesn't have to deal with the everyday stress that comes with leading a college football program.

This time away from football isn't anything new to Brown either. Following his firing from Texas in 2013, he spent five years away from coaching, working with ESPN as an analyst. That was before he landed the North Carolina job ahead of the 2019 season.

And while Brown did find success back with the Tarheels, a job he held once before back in 1988 through 1997 before leaving for Texas, it didn't end the way he wanted. Brown was informed of the University's intentions to let him go following last season just ahead of the team's regular-season finale loss to NC State.

This sudden, albeit not surprising decision to move on, came just a day after Brown himself said he'd be the coach in Chapel Hill next season.

“I think the frustration was it was probably more political than anything else," Brown said of his departure from Chapel Hill. “They knew I was going to be through at the end of the year, but there were some, a lot of people, that weren't on the same page. So it didn't really matter in the end.”

Brown's final game as Carolina's coach was that loss to NC State, which capped off a 6-6 regular season for the Tarheels and brought to an end the second stint of the program's winningest coach ever. In 16 seasons at Carolina Brown went 113-79-1.

Add this to his career at Texas, where in 16 seasons he went 158-48, which includes winning a national championship in 2005. Brown's return to the sideline in 2019 certainly didn't hurt his already then-inducted status as a College Football Hall of Famer.

As for how he feels about the future of the North Carolina program under new head coach Bill Belichick. Who will oversee a Tarheels program is seemingly finally invested in football. Which doesn't according to Brown doesn't make him bitter.

“I’m proud of them that they finally committed. And Bill’s one of the best ever,” Brown said. “So I’m proud for the kids. I’ve got so many friends there, 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.”