Corridor of Famer Mack Brown is not going to be on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ sideline subsequent season after the college introduced Tuesday it was transferring on from this system’s winningest head coach.
The announcement got here in the future after Brown stated he meant to return in 2025 with three years remaining on his contract.
Brown started his second stint in Chapel Hill in 2019. His first stint at UNC started in 1988, and he departed after the 1997 season.
Brown was then named the pinnacle coach at Texas, main the Longhorns to the nationwide championship in 2005. Though UNC officers have determined to make a training change, Brown is anticipated to be retained not less than by means of the Tar Heels’ regular-season finale Saturday towards North Carolina State. It is unclear if Brown will keep on for a bowl recreation.
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Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels through the first half of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl towards the South Carolina Gamecocks at Financial institution of America Stadium Dec. 30, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (Getty Photos)
In a press release from this system, Brown stated he was targeted on the rivalry recreation with the Wolfpack.
“Whereas this was not the right time and approach through which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the right time,” Brown stated. “I’ve spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and can at all times cherish the recollections and relationships (spouse) Sally and I’ve constructed whereas serving as head coach. We’ve had the possibility to educate and mentor some nice younger males, and we’ll miss having the chance to do this sooner or later.”
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Athletic director Bubba Cunningham knowledgeable Brown there can be a training change, though a selected cause for the change was not instantly made public.
Cunningham praised Brown for holding this system’s profession file for wins and for pushing for enhancements to program infrastructure. He additionally praised Brown for management locally and through robust stretches, just like the latest loss of life of participant Tylee Craft after a most cancers struggle.
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown earlier than the beginning of a recreation towards the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Oct. 28, 2023, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. (Wealthy von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)
The Tar Heels had been bowl eligible in each season of Brown’s second stint after he stabilized a crashing program, and the workforce reached the ACC championship recreation in 2022. However this yr’s workforce, going through the daunting problem of changing No. 3 general NFL draft choose Drake Maye at quarterback, had a troublesome first half of the season that shook confidence in this system’s footing.
The low level was the Tar Heels surrendering 70 factors in a house loss to James Madison. Within the aftermath, Brown invited uncertainty concerning the quick way forward for this system with emotional locker room feedback to the workforce that included him questioning whether or not he ought to stay as coach.
Head coach Mack Brown of the North Carolina Tar Heels runs onto the sphere for the ACC championship recreation towards the Clemson Tigers at Financial institution of America Stadium Dec. 3, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. (Eakin Howard/Getty Photos)
Brown apologized and stated he was “disenchanted in me” for a way he dealt with the loss, which got here amid a four-game skid following a 3-0 begin.
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Brown has 288 profession victories, together with 113 at UNC, and all however six of his general wins got here on the prime degree of school soccer to rank him because the winningest energetic coach within the Bowl Subdivision ranks. Brown, Georgia’s Kirby Good and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are the one energetic FBS coaches with a nationwide title.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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