Mack Brown must love the song lyrics, “Yesterday’s gone.”
For those who wonder what has changed between Mack I and Mack II as the Tar Heels football coach, there is quite a difference. After leaving Carolina with a top ten program in 1997, Brown spent 15 seasons at Texas rebuilding one of the proudest college football empires in the country.
If you want to know what happened to Brown between his stints at UNC, just go to his Wikipedia page for these salient bullet points: A won-lost record of 158-48 at Texas — which together with his 86 previous wins at Carolina, Tulane and Appalachian State make Brown the winningest active coach in the country (yes, that includes Nick Saban).
After winning 10 games in his last two years coaching the Tar Heels, he had nine consecutive seasons at Texas with 10, 11 or 12 victories; in all, 20 straight winning records and 18 bowl teams that played in two national championship games, winning the old BCS title in 2005.
He left UNC making less than $1 million and finished at Texas making more than $5 million, with bonuses that left him a very rich man when he retired after the 2013 season. He only returned because he missed coaching.
He wowed fans and media at his re-introductions, but really showed the inner workings of a football CEO in his 40-minute presser the day before spring practice opened. Reading from a sheet with parts highlighted in yellow, Brown went through every step of how to run a program.
He explained how he and his coaching staff would begin teaching their new players and what he expected of them, on and off the field. The off-shoot: those who play will have earned it in practice and their private lives; those who stay on the field will have earned it in games. When some are not playing, he will point out their mistakes and say, “Don’t get mad at the coaches, that is why.” And Mack will challenge them to get better.
His media relations staff writes emails that tell members of the press where to go, where to park and what to do during practice. Those with cameras will be asked to “focus on individuals or small groups and refrain from capturing video and images of formations and any signals.”
If it’s a closed practice at UNC’s new state of the art inside facility, the media will be told where to gather before the doors open and please don’t peek in the windows while drills are going on. Details upon details.
Mack II is back as a College Football Hall of Famer with five years as an ESPN analyst before coming out of retirement. Yesterday’s gone as he begins rebuilding a program but also the winning tradition of yesteryear.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Coach SpeakHere is some of what Mack Brown said on Tuesday. The Tar Heels have not had a positive test in a month after 37 players, coaches and/or staff members proved positive in early July. To keep his players safe during practice, they are either wearing plastic double shields on their helmets or putting on masks […]
Chansky's Notebook: DEE-Fense (Clap, Clap)!It’s the D, not the O, most responsible for Carolina’s fast start. Before the season I asked Lee Pace, who is the best writer of Tar Heel sports around, how he thought Mack Brown’s first team of his second tenure would do. Pace predicted Carolina would be 4-0 going into the Clemson game because a […]
Chansky's Notebook: 'Be The One'Is that Miami game still ringing in your eyes or ears? Due to the ACC Network still being a work in progress, we had several ways to follow Carolina’s classic win over the Hurricanes in Kenan Stadium Saturday night. Best bet, of course, was to be there. The game sold out after the Tar Heels stunned South Carolina […]
Chansky's Notebook: Start With SwaggerStarting a freshman quarterback doesn’t matter for UNC now, does it? When Mack Brown announced freshman Sam Howell would be running the first team offense as the time clock to the opener against South Carolina begins to tick, what does he have to lose? Howell is a true freshman who was playing high school football when redshirt […]
![]()
Inside Carolina: Looking AheadToday’s edition of “Inside Carolina” continues the conversation about the Tar Heels’ outlook after their spring game, and talks over some of the names that made an impression in UNC’s first field outing of the season.
Inside Carolina: Spring Game SchemesThe Tar Heels have hosted their first spring game, and today’s edition of “Inside Carolina” takes a look at what we’ve learned from the first outing of UNC football under Mack Brown’s leadership — especially in terms of how some of Carolina’s latest offensive strategies are playing on the field.
![]()
Chansky's Notebook: Something to ShowSaturday is the first big test of the Mack Brown magic. No other coach could have shaken Carolina football out of the apathy that had finally overcome the program in Larry Fedora’s last two losing seasons. The alumni and fan base had moved on from anger to the annual excitement of another basketball season. Kenan had […]
Inside Carolina: Yet Another CommitmentMack Brown and his coaching staff have been amassing an impressive set of recruits, and today’s edition of “Inside Carolina” talks over the outlook of the new-and-improved Tar Heel team as Tar Heel fans set their sighs on another season of football.
Inside Carolina: The Opening RegionalOne of the Tar Heels’ four-star recruiting commitments at wide receiver, Josh Downs, recently played at a Nike event called “The Opening Regional.” Today’s edition of “Inside Carolina” discusses Downs’ performance at the event, and talks about what he could bring to the table in his first season at UNC.
Chansky's Notebook: Rebuilding YesteryearMack Brown must love the song lyrics, “Yesterday’s gone.” For those who wonder what has changed between Mack I and Mack II as the Tar Heels football coach, there is quite a difference. After leaving Carolina with a top ten program in 1997, Brown spent 15 seasons at Texas rebuilding one of the proudest college […]
›
