Former Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown went 11 years without losing a job.
Today, as North Carolina announces the program will go a new direction, the streak ends.
Brown leaves behind a second stint leading the Tar Heels — the first of which ended when he took the job at Texas in 1998 — as well as the winningest record among his former North Carolina head football coach peers.
During his time at Texas from 1998 to 2013, Brown led the Longhorns to two national championship appearances, winning one in 2005 against the back-to-back national champs, USC.
The University of Texas Longhorns and former head coach Mack Brown once formed an unbreakable bond, epitomized by Brown’s legendary run from 1998 to 2013. However, that golden era ended in controversy, and lingering tensions suggest the split was anything but amicable. As the Longhorns chase glory under a new regime, the shadow of their former coach looms large, prompting one burning question: Did Texas sever ties with its greatest leader too soon, or was it a necessary break to rebuild a program in decline?
A Legacy Tarnished by Tension
When Mack Brown left Texas in 2013, the writing was on the wall. After delivering a National Championship in 2005 and nearly clinching another in 2009, Brown’s Longhorns began to falter. From 2010 to 2013, the team never posted more than nine wins in a season. Frustrated fans, boosters, and university administrators saw the program spiraling, calling for a leadership change.
But according to insiders, Brown didn’t walk away without a fight. Reports suggest that Brown felt undermined by the administration, particularly when rumors of potential replacements like Nick Saban circulated before he’d officially stepped down. Brown himself later hinted in interviews that he felt pushed out, adding fuel to the fire of an already controversial departure.
Texas Longhorns: A Program in Transition
The post-Mack Brown era has been rocky at best for the Longhorns. His immediate successor, Charlie Strong, struggled to meet expectations, posting three straight losing seasons. Tom Herman brought flashes of brilliance but ultimately fell short of restoring Texas to perennial dominance. Current head coach Steve Sarkisian faces mounting pressure to deliver the program’s first conference championship since Brown’s departure.
Some fans argue that Texas’ decision to part ways with Brown marked the beginning of the program’s struggles. “We had one bad stretch, and we threw out the coach who built this program,” a Longhorns season ticket holder lamented. “How many more rebuilds do we need before we admit the problem wasn’t Mack?”
Mack Brown’s Second Act
Meanwhile, Brown has written a compelling second chapter to his coaching career at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Since returning to Chapel Hill in 2019, Brown has revitalized the Tar Heels, leading them to multiple bowl games and national relevance. For many Texas fans, watching Brown’s success at UNC has been a bitter pill to swallow.
Brown has taken subtle digs at Texas in interviews, often praising UNC’s administration for their unwavering support. “The key to success is having everyone pulling in the same direction,” Brown said in a 2022 interview, a statement many interpreted as a veiled critique of his time in Austin.
A Relationship Beyond Repair?
Nearly a decade after his departure, the tension between Brown and Texas appears to remain unresolved. Brown has been conspicuously absent from major Longhorns events, and the university seems hesitant to celebrate his accomplishments fully. While Texas inducted Brown into its Hall of Honor in 2014, it was done with little fanfare, a stark contrast to the grand celebrations given to other Longhorn legends.
Even more telling is the absence of Brown’s influence in Texas’ football identity. Coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer often maintain close ties with their former programs, but Brown and Texas seem to have gone their separate ways entirely.
Will Texas Regret Letting Go?
As the Longhorns gear up for their move to the SEC, questions about Mack Brown’s departure are more relevant than ever. Could Texas have avoided years of mediocrity by sticking with their iconic coach a little longer? Or was the split inevitable, a painful but necessary step to reshape the program?
For now, the answer depends on whom you ask. Mack Brown loyalists argue that Texas hasn’t been the same since his departure, while critics point to his late-career struggles as evidence that change was overdue. One thing is certain: the breakup between Mack Brown and the Longhorns remains one of college football’s most contentious stories, a tale of success, conflict, and what might have been.
As Brown continues to thrive at UNC, Texas is left chasing the glory of its past—a past defined by a coach they may never fully reconcile with.