Mack Brown out as North Carolina football coach after season

North Carolina has fired coach Mack Brown six seasons into his second tenure with the Tar Heels, the university announced on Tuesday.

Brown will be on the sidelines for the season finale against North Carolina State but a decision hasn’t been made on whether he’d continue to coach in the postseason, said the school.

This announcement comes one day after Brown said he intended to return in 2025 as head coach. After losing 70-50 at home to James Madison in non-conference play, Brown had to clarify he was not resigning after suggesting he would step aside if the team’s issues could be not fixed.

‘While this is not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time,’ Brown said in a statement. ‘Moving forward, my total focus is on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game against N.C. State and give them the best chance to win.’

UNC is 6-5 this season with several demoralizing losses, including the result against JMU and a heartbreaking 21-20 defeat to rival Duke one game later. Of the Tar Heels’ six victories, just one, against Minnesota in the season opener, has come against an opponent with a winning record.

Brown is 44-32 in his second tenure at UNC, reaching bowl eligibility in all six seasons with one national ranking. The 2020 team went 8-4, 7-3 in the ACC, reached the Orange Bowl and finished No. 17 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

North Carolina owes Brown just over $2.8 million – the base salary part of his contract that had been set to run thru Jan. 15, 2028. The total pay for his deal was $5 million annually.

Heading into Saturday, his overall record at UNC is 113-78-1, giving Brown the program record for wins. His first tenure, from 1988-97, saw the Tar Heels make a run at Florida State for ACC dominance. After going a combined 2-20 in his first two seasons, Brown won at least nine games four times, led by a 10-1 mark and eventual No. 6 finish in 1997.

“Coach Brown has led the Carolina Football program back into the national conversation as we improved the program’s facilities, significantly increased the size of the staff, invested in salaries and bolstered our nutrition and strength and conditioning programs,” athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. He also has been a dedicated fundraiser, strengthening the Football endowment while also supporting our other sports programs.”

Brown was hired by Texas following the 1997 season and went 158-48 over 16 seasons, winning the 2005 national championship and playing for another in 2009.

He also coached at Appalachian State (1983) and Tulane (1985-87). Brown was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018.