By Mark Pszonak
There were rumors swirling that this would be Mack Brown’s last season with North Carolina, but after his recent statements that he planned to return, everything was somewhat quiet. That quickly ended this morning when the Tar Heels announced that he will not be returning in 2025.
Coach Brown accumulated a 44-32 record during his second tenure in Chapel Hill, including a 6-5 record this season as the Tar Heels prepare for their regular season finale against NC State. He has also led North Carolina to a bowl game in each of his six seasons. Overall, currently in his 35th season as a head coach, his record is 282-149.
However, this morning the Tar Heels decided to go in a different direction:
Statement from North Carolina: Mack Brown is out pic.twitter.com/36XVKrIyEK
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 26, 2024
The announcement doesn’t come as a huge surprise, even after his comments yesterday that he had no plans to retire. Coach Brown was very quick to respond to his firing:
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Statement from Mack Brown after UNc announced he will not return as @UNCFootball Head Coach next season. @WFMY @SilkyGilkey pic.twitter.com/TNN7bAvV4i
— Brian Hall (@bhallwfmy) November 26, 2024
The most likely scenario of how this went down is that North Carolina asked Coach Brown to retire, he refused to, and as a result they took the necessary steps to end his time in Chapel Hill.
Coach Brown won’t be the last head coach fired in the next week, but few will have the resume that he has compiled. While this is likely the end of his head coaching career, mainly because of his age (73), he will always be remembered as a winner and one of the more respected coaches of his time.
