CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The reason why Mack Brown has come up in coaching searches nearly every year since he stepped down at Texas wasn't just from athletic directors throwing names against the wall. According to Brown, who was introduced as North Carolina's football coach for the second time on Tuesday, he was in the mix for open jobs as he looked to return to the sport he loved for another run.
Brown tried to keep the information and the suitors under wraps out of respect for his then-current employer, ESPN, but he left each of those interviews with a distinct feeling that the respective openings just weren't right.
Ultimately, Brown's wife Sally, whom he met in Chapel Hill, laid down the final rule on a potential second career.
"I'll coach with you. I'll travel with you to three different places," Sally told Mack. "I'll go to Hawaii. I'll go to the Bahamas -- if they start college football == and I'll go to Chapel Hill."
Brown has had a void in his life, missing out on the fulfillment that he once found as the leader of college football program. Part of the draw to the job at North Carolina, right now, is the chance to fix things. With the Tar Heels winning just five wins in the last two seasons, there's an opportunity to spend the next five years rebuilding a program that was starting to trend in the wrong direction, not only in terms of wins and losses but fan interest.
"It's more fun to fix things than it is to maintain," Brown said.
Brown spoke openly about the pressures to win during his final years at Texas, describing regretfully how 25-2 wasn't good enough in 2008-09 at a program where 10 wins was the absolute minimum. He also discussed the dangers of complacency when a program does reach the heights that Texas did under Brown. A review of the final years of his time in Austin brings back similar criticisms of the Longhorns.
Now approaching his new old job from a healthier place, Brown wants to conclude his coaching career by turning North Carolina around for the second time.
When then-athletic director and now-ACC commissioner John Swofford hired Brown back in 1988, the initial results did not show hints of the College Football Hall of Fame career that would later follow. The Tar Heels went 1-10 in each of Brown's first two years, but by the time he left the program to take the job at Texas, the Tar Heels had back-to-back top-10 finishes and were battling with Florida State for ACC supremacy.
For North Carolina boosters and fans who had checked out on Larry Fedora, the sweet bite of nostalgia pie that comes with remembering Brown's first rebuilding efforts made this an easy hire for AD Bubba Cunningham to sell. Roy Williams and the rest of North Carolina's championship-winning and hall of fame coaches were on hand for the press conference, driving home the idea that of all the sports on campus, football was the one that's lagging behind.
Cunningham and Brown both mentioned repeatedly how quickly the hiring process moved, referencing their respective histories dealing with contract negotiations and coaching hires in big-time college athletics. But given Brown's prepared remarks, enthusiasm and desire to rewrite the end of his coaching career, it seemed like this press conference had been coming for a long time. He's been itching to get back into coaching, clearly letting that be known. When North Carolina sent word that it was ready to reconnect, he jumped at the opportunity.
Now comes the tough part. The dream of the 1990s is alive for fans, but Brown has to connect with players that were born in 2000. Many of Brown's former players were in attendance for the press conference, and one recalled the "really cool" speech Brown gave to his first team after getting hired by North Carolina.
"Do you remember what I said?" Brown said he asked the former player. "I don't remember what I said. Will you tell me what I said? I want to be cool for these kids this afternoon!"
Brown claims he's had no contact with former assistants, but the salary with his deal ($3.5 million per year for five seasons) suggests there will be an investment in getting him the best coaching staff possible. He's going to have to move quickly with National Signing Day approaching on Dec. 19, and first he's going to have to sell himself to the current roster as the right coach to fix North Carolina football.
Just because the fans are on board doesn't mean everything else will fall into place. As quickly as the coaching search came and went, so will the honeymoon on the "Return of the Mack."
