Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
What if Mack Brown had finished what he started?
The two-time Carolina coach is a hall of famer, but only for what he did between his stints in Chapel Hill. Brown has quickly moved back to Austin, where his success had peaked, in a huff after UNC fired him.
A chain of events began, leading us into the most-anticipated football game at UNC Monday night. Let’s review exactly why.
Brown said he wanted to remain the Tar Heels’ head coach before he bombed out for the third consecutive season by losing a fourth straight time to N.C. State and squandered what would have been a third winning season in a row after ending his previous two 0-7.
Athletic director Bubba Cunningham fired Brown before the last loss to State and embarked on a new coaching search, coming up empty on younger candidates. Brown was a popular mentor to coaches, who might not have liked how Mack was let go without a proper send off.
Waiting was a six-time Super Bowl champion who wanted to try college coaching at one of his long-time favorite schools. As Bill Belichick and his general manager Mike Lombardi told UNC brass what he wanted, it triggered a brand-new era for Carolina athletics.
The proverbial “sleeping giant” would never have agreed to pay any other coach $10 million a season, plus plenty more to hire who the infamous Hoodie needed. That added to the $20.5 million in revenue share for athletes Cunningham had to find.
While the Tar Heels are a field goal underdog against TCU, a resurgence in alumni and fan excitement will be on display for the 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. Kenan Stadium sold out much faster than Brown ever did even with a 25 percent bump in ticket prices.
UNC expanded its phalanx of fundraisers who sold signage and hospitality venues like never before, starting with new field logos that will be unfurled before the game. UNC alum Ted Keith penned a comprehensive piece for his Sports Business Journal assignment.
Of the renaissance, Keith writes “everything is being reimagined, including Carolina’s place in the football hierarchy.” Besides the $20.5 million in revenue share, more is needed to balance the bloated budget.
“If you can’t afford it, it’s just a dream,” Cunningham said of the untold millions UNC is still raising to pay everyone and everything they have signed up. Not a fund-raiser by trade, the last three people Bubba hired are revenue-drivers, some with more experience than others but not in college athletics.
Back in Texas, Brown commented on what he left at Carolina and what he thinks is coming. He noted UNC is devoting far more money to football than he had and said Belichick is “arguably the best coach of any sport” who has a strong chance to win right away with what they are giving his program.
Brown, in a strange way, is responsible for a lot of it.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
