Mack Brown will not return to coach another game at North Carolina, which likely marks the end of his legendary college football career. The 73-year-old was removed from his role with the Tar Heels after an unusual sequence of events that has been subject to a lot of criticism.
A bench-clearing brawl at the end of a disappointing loss was the final on-field moment of Brown’s tenure in Chapel Hill and he places a lot of the blame on the administration.
This whole thing started way back at the end of September when UNC lost 70-50 to James Madison at home. Brown asked his players if he was the problem and offered to resign. The resignation did not stick. It took no more than three or four hours for him to completely change his tune.
Mack Brown told ESPN on Saturday he’s not resigning and “will be back at work” Sunday following an embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison. He said it was an emotional locker room and told the team he blamed himself and would step away if he couldn’t get things straightened out.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) September 22, 2024
Brown continued to coach. He went 6-5 through the first 11 games.
Here’s where things start to get awkward. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham gave Mack Brown a call last Monday night, Nov. 25, to let him know he was being fired. Not only did he make the call just five days prior to the Tar Heels’ in-state rivalry, he did so while in Hawaii.
Brown was willing to step down at the end of the season. Cunningham did not give him that opportunity. The dismissal was final, which did not sit well with the university’s Board of Trustees. Chairman John Preyer did not approve of how the ouster was handled.
I have no doubt Coach Brown would have done whatever the university would have wanted him to do at the end of the season. And for some reason, that I do not understand, the athletic director would not allow that to happen and instead fired him from halfway around the world. And I think that is shameful.
— UNC Board of Trustees Chairman John Preyer
Mack Brown also blasted Cunningham after North Carolina lost to North Carolina State on Saturday. He blamed the loss, in part, on some of the distractions during an emotional postgame press conference that mostly served as a positive reflection on his time in Chapel Hill. However, the Hall of Fame coach did not hold back on the administration.
All I wanted to do was wait until the end of the year, and they wanted me to retire on Monday, before the (NC) State game. We haven’t beaten State, it was really important for these kids to play well and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to break their hearts on Monday. So I said, “No, I won’t do that.” And then they wanted me to do it on Friday. Well I sure wasn’t going to do it Friday before the game […]
I’m just disappointed in the way it was done. Wee could have had a joint press conference and I could have stayed and we could have worked this out. But that didn’t happen.
— Mack Brown
Preyer seems to side with Brown. He and Cunningham are at odds over the process.
I was shocked, I was shocked. I was angry and I thought that is not how you treat a Hall of Fame coach that is the winningest coach at Carolina. And you dam sure don’t do it from halfway around the world.
— UNC Board of Trustees Chairman John Preyer
UNC will play in a bowl game at 6-6. It will not do so with Mack Brown as head coach. He is not going to continue through the postseason. The loss to the Wolfpack was his final game, probably ever.