‘Full steam ahead’: North Carolina’s Mack Brown, 72, not retiring

Field Level Media|published: Thu 16th November, 18:24 2023

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown on the field before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. credits: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Mack Brown will be back at the helm of North Carolina football in 2024, according to a university spokesperson.

Brown will turn 73 two days before the Tar Heels' season opener at Minnesota on Aug. 29.

"It's that time of year, so someone is going to start this rumor in hopes of affecting our team and/or recruiting like they've done past 2 years," North Carolina assistant athletic director Jeremy Sharpe said in a statement to Stadium. "Mack (Brown) is full steam ahead. In fact, he already has spring practice planned & is currently setting up recruiting visits for December, so no, he's not retiring."

Brown is best known for guiding Texas to the national championship in 2005, when Vince Young's Longhorns beat Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl. Texas also lost the 2009 BCS Championship Game to Alabama under Brown.

The Tar Heels are 8-2 in the fifth season of Brown's second tenure at the school. He has a 276-141-1 all-time record as the head coach of Tulane (1985-87), North Carolina (1988-97, 2019-23) and Texas (1998-2013).

—Field Level Media