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Mack Brown
Mack Brown went 288–155–1 as a head coach, 1983–2024, at Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina and Texas. His 2005 Texas team claims the national title. Share
One season our game records don’t credit to him comes from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 1983 at Appalachian State. It’s marked in the table.
- Record
- 288–155–1 career
- Seasons
- 36
- Schools
- 4
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 2005
- Born
- Aug 27, 1951
- Alma mater
- Southern Miss
- Hall of Fame
- 2018 inducted
- Best season
- 2005 13–0, No. 1
Season by season
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Ricky Williams
Colt McCoy
Vince Young
Brian Orakpo
Derrick Johnson
Michael Huff
Cedric Benson
Jackson Jeffcoat
Aaron Ross
Leonard Davis
Drake Maye
Dré Bly
- Mike WilliamsNo. 4 pick, 2002
- Quentin JammerConsensus All‑American, 2001
- Greg EllisConsensus All‑American, 1997
- Earl ThomasConsensus All‑American, 2009
- Casey HamptonConsensus All‑American, 2000
- Brian SimmonsConsensus All‑American, 1997
16 more
Marcus Jones (Consensus All‑American, 1995); Jordan Shipley (Consensus All‑American, 2009); Justin Blalock (Consensus All‑American, 2006); Jonathan Scott (Consensus All‑American, 2005); Derrick Dockery (Consensus All‑American, 2002); Rodrique Wright (Consensus All‑American, 2005); Anthony Fera (Consensus All‑American, 2013); Roy Williams (No. 7 pick, 2004); Michael Griffin (No. 19 pick, 2007); Omarion Hampton (No. 22 pick, 2025); Kenny Vaccaro (No. 15 pick, 2013); Vonnie Holliday (No. 19 pick, 1998); Thomas Smith (No. 28 pick, 1993); Marcus Tubbs (No. 23 pick, 2004); Sam Acho (2010 William V. Campbell Trophy); Dallas Griffin (2007 William V. Campbell Trophy).
18 of the 34 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 119 | 49–69–1 | 42% |
| Against top-10 teams | 50 | 14–36 | 28% |
| Against rivals | 158 | 100–58 | 63% |
| Conference games | 259 | 166–92–1 | 64% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 27 | 14–13 | 52% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 142 | 77–64–1 | 55% |
| At home | 215 | 157–57–1 | 73% |
| On the road | 165 | 98–67 | 59% |
| At neutral sites | 53 | 27–26 | 51% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 282 | 233–49 | 83% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 151 | 49–101–1 | 33% |
His own 433 games on file, 1985–2024, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Stoops 1999–2013 | 6–9 | Oklahoma | 15 | |
| Mike Leach 2000–2009 | 8–2 | Texas Tech | 10 | |
| George Welsh 1988–1997 | 3–7 | Virginia | 10 | |
| Ken Hatfield 1990–2005 | 6–3 | Clemson, Rice | 9 | |
| Mike Gundy 2005–2013 | 6–3 | Oklahoma State | 9 | |
| Bobby Bowden 1985–1997 | 0–9 | Florida State | 9 | |
| Bill Snyder 1998–2013 | 3–5 | Kansas State | 8 | |
| Mike O’Cain 1993–1999 | 5–1 | NC State | 6 | |
| Gary Barnett 2000–2005 | 5–1 | Colorado | 6 | |
| Gary Pinkel 2001–2011 | 5–1 | Missouri | 6 |
Mack Brown’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| NC Stateseries | 17 | 7–10 |
| Oklahomaseries | 17 | 7–10 |
| Dukeseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Oklahoma Stateseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Baylorseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Texas Techseries | 16 | 13–3 |
| Virginiaseries | 16 | 6–10 |
| Wake Forestseries | 15 | 12–3 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2008 Texas: Bobby Dodd Award
- 2005 Texas: Bear Bryant Award
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Texas’s 2005 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973–74 | Florida State | Student and wide receivers coach | |
| 1975–77 | Southern Miss | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1978 | Memphis State | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1979 | Iowa State | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1980–81 | Iowa State | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1982 | LSU | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 1983 | Appalachian State | Head coach | |
| 1984 | Oklahoma | Offensive coordinator | |
| 1985–87 | Tulane | Head coach | |
| 1988–97 | North Carolina | Head coach | |
| 1998–2013 | Texas | Head coach | |
| 2019–24 | North Carolina | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Larry JonesFlorida State
- Darrell MudraFlorida State
- Bobby CollinsSouthern Miss
- Richard WilliamsonMemphis
- Donnie DuncanIowa State
- Jerry StovallLSU
- Barry SwitzerOklahoma
Assistants who became head coaches
- Ron CooperEastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M, Long Island University
- Sparky WoodsSouth Carolina, App State, VMI
- Greg DavisTulane
- Carl TorbushNorth Carolina, Louisiana Tech, East Tennessee State
- J. C. HarperStephen F. Austin
- Tim BrewsterMinnesota, Charlotte
- Eddie WilliamsonVMI
- Cleve BryantOhio
- Kienus BoulwareWinston-Salem State
- Everett WithersNorth Carolina, Texas State, Temple, James Madison
- Tom HermanHouston, Texas, Florida Atlantic
- Mac McWhorterGeorgia Tech, West Georgia
- and 17 more
Worked under (7)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Jones | Florida State | 1973 | Student and wide receivers coach | |
| Darrell Mudra | Florida State | 1974 | Student and wide receivers coach | |
| Bobby Collins | Southern Miss | 1975–77 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Richard Williamson | Memphis | 1978 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Donnie Duncan | Iowa State | 1979–81 | 1979: wide receivers coach; 1980–81: offensive coordinator | |
| Jerry Stovall | LSU | 1982 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Barry Switzer | Oklahoma | 1984 | Offensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (29)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ron Cooper | App State, 1983: graduate assistant | Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M, Long Island University | |
| Sparky Woods | App State, 1983: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and running backs coach; North Carolina, 2019–23: adviser | South Carolina, App State, VMI | |
| Greg Davis | Tulane, 1985–87: assistant head coach and wide receivers coach; North Carolina, 1996–97: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Texas, 1998–2010: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Tulane | |
| Carl Torbush | North Carolina, 1988–97: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | North Carolina, Louisiana Tech, East Tennessee State | |
| J. C. Harper | North Carolina, 1989: graduate assistant | Stephen F. Austin | |
| Tim Brewster | North Carolina, 1989–97: special teams and tight ends coach; Texas, 1998–2001: tight ends coach; North Carolina, 2019: assistant head coach, tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator | Minnesota, Charlotte | |
| Eddie Williamson | North Carolina, 1993–97: assistant head coach and offensive line coach | VMI | |
| Cleve Bryant | North Carolina, 1995–97: wide receivers coach and recruiting | Ohio | |
| Kienus Boulware | North Carolina, 1995–96: student assistant | Winston-Salem State | |
| Everett Withers | Texas, 1998–2000: defensive backs coach | North Carolina, Texas State, Temple, James Madison | |
| Tom Herman | Texas, 1999–2000: graduate assistant | Houston, Texas, Florida Atlantic | |
| Mac McWhorter | Texas, 2002–10: offensive line coach | Georgia Tech, West Georgia | |
| Major Applewhite | Texas, 2003–04: graduate assistant; 2008–10: assistant head coach and running backs coach; 2011–12: co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach; 2013: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Houston, South Alabama | |
| Michael Haywood | Texas, 2003–04: running backs and special teams coach | Miami (OH), Texas Southern | |
| Dick Tomey | Texas, 2004: assistant head coach and defensive ends coach | Hawai’i, Arizona, San José State | |
| Greg Robinson | Texas, 2004: co-defensive coordinator; 2013: defensive coordinator | Syracuse | |
| Gene Chizik | Texas, 2005–06: co-defensive coordinator, assistant head coach and linebackers coach; North Carolina, 2022–23: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Iowa State, Auburn | |
| Will Muschamp | Texas, 2008–10: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Florida, South Carolina | |
| Bryan Harsin | Texas, 2011–12: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Arkansas State, Boise State, Auburn | |
| Manny Diaz | Texas, 2011–13: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Miami, Duke | |
| Tom Kaufman | Texas, 2011: defensive quality control coach | Marietta | |
| Larry Porter | Texas, 2013: running backs coach; North Carolina, 2021: running backs coach and assistant special teams coordinator; 2022–24: special teams coordinator and running backs coach | Memphis | |
| Jay Bateman | North Carolina, 2019–21: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach | Siena | |
| Phil Longo | North Carolina, 2019–22: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Sam Houston, La Salle | |
| Scott Boone | North Carolina, 2019: special teams and outside linebackers coach | Randolph Macon | |
| Jack Bicknell Jr. | North Carolina, 2022: offensive line coach | Louisiana Tech | |
| Chip Lindsey | North Carolina, 2023–24: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Troy | |
| Freddie Kitchens | North Carolina, 2023–24: tight ends coach and running game coordinator | North Carolina, Cleveland Browns | |
| Geoff Collins | North Carolina, 2024: defensive coordinator | Temple, Georgia Tech |
Other assistants under him (17)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Darrell Moody | Tulane, 1985–87: offensive coordinator | |
| Denny Marcin | North Carolina, 1988: assistant head coach | |
| Gerald Carr | North Carolina, 1992–94: quarterbacks coach | |
| Carl Reese | Texas, 1998–2003: defensive coordinator | |
| Darryl Drake | Texas, 1998–2002: wide receivers coach; 2003: assistant head coach and wide receivers coach | |
| John Butler | Texas, 1998: graduate assistant | |
| Duane Akina | Texas, 2001–02: defensive backs coach; 2003–04, 2011–13: assistant head coach and defensive backs coach; 2005–07: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; 2008–10: assistant coach and defensive backs coach | |
| Larry Mac Duff | Texas, 2007: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Blake Baker | Texas, 2010–12: graduate assistant | |
| Ephraim Banda | Texas, 2012–13: graduate assistant | |
| Darrell Wyatt | Texas, 2013: co-offensive coordinator | |
| Eman Naghavi | Texas, 2013: offensive quality control | |
| Tommy Thigpen | North Carolina, 2019–21: co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach; 2022–24: co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Jovan Dewitt | North Carolina, 2020–21: special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach | |
| Charlton Warren | North Carolina, 2022–23: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; 2024: assistant head coach and defensive backs coach | |
| Clyde Christensen | North Carolina, 2023: volunteer offensive analyst; 2024: senior advisor to the head coach | |
| Ted Monachino | North Carolina, 2023: senior defensive analyst; 2024: defensive line coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Texas | head coach | $5,453,750 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $850,000 | $5,353,750 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $850,000 | $5,193,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $850,000 | $5,161,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2009 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $850,000 | $3,060,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2008 | Texas | head coach | $2,910,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2007 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $325,000 | $2,751,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2006 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $325,000 | $2,664,000 USA Today via Leeds |
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Brown’s teams went for it on 23% of fourth downs and on 41% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 47% of plays and took 24.9 seconds a play, 2004–2024.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 11 g | Texas | 14 of 77 18% | 50% | 30% | 22.0 | +0.09 | |
| 2005 13 g | Texas | 21 of 75 28% | 57% | 37% | 25.4 | +0.14 | |
| 2006 13 g | Texas | 16 of 81 20% | 44% | 46% | 27.5 | +0.06 | |
| 2007 13 g | Texas | 23 of 95 24% | 43% | 47% | 23.7 | +0.07 | |
| 2008 13 g | Texas | 16 of 71 23% | 36% | 50% | 26.3 | +0.15 | |
| 2009 14 g | Texas | 16 of 103 16% | 30% | 54% | 23.6 | −0.03 | |
| 2010 12 g | Texas | 19 of 104 18% | 29% | 53% | 23.9 | −0.10 | |
| 2011 13 g | Texas | 19 of 106 18% | 40% | 41% | 27.4 | −0.07 | |
| 2012 13 g | Texas | 23 of 85 27% | 45% | 47% | 26.7 | +0.13 | |
| 2013 13 g | Texas | 24 of 116 21% | 28% | 43% | 23.3 | −0.07 | |
| 2019 13 g | North Carolina | 22 of 108 20% | 39% | 49% | 24.8 | +0.15 | |
| 2020 12 g | North Carolina | 19 of 71 27% | 38% | 46% | 25.6 | +0.27 | |
| 2021 13 g | North Carolina | 20 of 89 22% | 41% | 48% | 25.4 | +0.17 | |
| 2022 14 g | North Carolina | 35 of 106 33% | 62% | 55% | 24.4 | +0.19 | |
| 2023 13 g | North Carolina | 19 of 88 22% | 38% | 53% | 22.6 | +0.16 | |
| 2024 12 g | North Carolina | 28 of 98 29% | 51% | 49% | 25.0 | +0.05 | |
| All 205 g | 334 of 1473 23% | 41% | 47% | 24.9 | +0.08 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.