Yahoo Sports North Carolina fires football coach Mack Brown
Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Mack Brown will coach his final regular-season football game for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday and not return next season, the school announced Tuesday.
The announcement of Brown's dismissal came a day after veteran coach said he planned to return to the Tar Heels in 2025. Brown, 73, has three years remaining on his contract. The Hall of Fame coach has an annual salary of $5 million.
"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," Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a news release.
"He also has been a dedicated fundraiser, strengthening the football endowment while also supporting our other sports programs. We thank Coach Brown for his dedication to Carolina, and wish him, Sally and their family all the best."
Brown led the Tar Heels to a 44-32 record over the past six seasons. The Tar Heels (6-5) started the 2024 campaign with a three-game winning streak. They lost their next four games, but responded with another three-game winning streak. That streak was snapped with a 41-21 loss to Boston College on Saturday in Boston.
Brown owns a 282-149-1 record in 35 years as a college football head coach. He started his head coaching career in 1985 at Tulane. He went on to coach the Tar Heels during an initial tenure, which spanned from 1988 to 1997. He then took over at Texas, leading the Longhorns to a 158-48 mark over 16 seasons, including a national championship winning run in 2006.
The Tar Heels will host North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday in Chapel Hill. A decision has not been made about if Brown will coach the Tar Heels in a bowl game.
