Mack Brown

Bio

Highlighted by a national championship win at Texas, Mack Brown led his teams to 28 bowl games during a remarkable 36-year career as a head coach. His 288 career victories are the eighth most by a coach in FBS history. Brown began his successful head-coaching career with a one-year stint at Appalachian State in 1983, leading the Mountaineers to a 6-5 record. He became the head coach and athletics director at Tulane in 1985, leading the Green Wave to a 6-6 record in his final year in 1987 and a trip to the Independence Bowl, its first bowl appearance in seven years. During 10 seasons as the head coach at North Carolina (1988-97), Brown won 69 games. The 1996 ACC Coach of the Year led North Carolina to three 10-win seasons, and the team finished in the top 25 four times. Brown enjoyed his greatest success at Texas from 1998-2013, achieving the highest winning percentage (76.7%) in school history among coaches with at least 10 years at the helm. His 158 career wins are second only to Hall of Fame coach Darrell Royal in Longhorn history. During the 2005 season, Brown guided Texas to its first national championship in 35 years after defeating Southern California at the Rose Bowl. The 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year won two conference titles (2005, 2009), four Big 12 South Division titles, and led the Longhorns to another appearance in the BCS National Championship following the 2009 season. A two-time National Coach of the Year at Texas, Brown won more than 10 games in nine consecutive seasons, and his teams posted 13 top 25 finishes, including seven in the top 10. He posted a Big 12 record 21 consecutive conference wins from 2004-06, and he led the Longhorns to bowl games in all but one season, winning 10. He returned to North Carolina in 2019 and led the Tar Heels to six bowl games and became the only coach to win 100 games at multiple FBS schools. A native of Cookeville, Tenn., Brown played running back at Vanderbilt and Florida State. Before his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, he served as an assistant coach at Florida State, Southern Miss, Memphis, Iowa State and LSU.

Career Highlights

• 2009 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2009 Conference Coach of the Year
• 2005 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 2005 Conference Coach of the Year
• 1997 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year
• 1996 Conference Coach of the Year