 
As Mack Brown enters his 13th season as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns, the records just keep growing. With a mark at Texas of 128-27, the 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year has the best winning percentage (.826) of any coach in UT history. The winner of the 2008 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year award, the 2005 Paul W. "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year award, and the coach of the 2005 BCS National Champions, he is one of a handful of coaches in the history of college football to lead two separate programs to a Top Five national finish. A member of the Longhorn Hall of Honor, Brown is only the second coach in UT history to reach the 100-win plateau at Texas, joining Darrell Royal. He also became one of only eight active coaches at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools who have won 100 games at their current school. Of the 80 coaches that have ever won 100 games at a FBS school, Brown is the 13th fastest to reach the century mark (124 games) and the second-fastest among active coaches. In 2008, he reached 200 career victories, making him just the 19th coach who has spent at least 10 years at an FBS school to do so. Brown's fundamental football philosophy is basic. It is built on a rock-solid, attacking defense and a pro-style offense combined with a team-first family philosophy. His "one heartbeat" belief of developing talent and leadership within a family atmosphere has established a consistency of success matched by few. The only team in the nation to record at least 10 wins for nine consecutive years (second-longest streak in NCAA history), Brown's squad has been the best in the country during the first decade of the 21st century. In that time, his Longhorns have won seven of nine bowl games, including a stretch of five straight for the first time in school history, and have recorded at least 11 victories on six occasions. In addition, they have finished in the nation's Top Six six times since 2000 and in the Top 10 seven of the last nine seasons. Texas is also the only team in the country to post at least nine victories in each of the last 12 seasons. But excellence and consistency are nothing new to the coaching veteran of 38 years, including 27 as a head coach. Establishing stability has been a trademark of Brown's career, highlighted by his success at North Carolina and Texas. He rebuilt UNC after a series of disappointing seasons and turned it into a nationally-elite program. At Texas, he has taken a program that had suffered through six non-winning (five losing) seasons in the 12 years prior to his arrival, including a 4-7 record in 1997, and led it to the 2005 National Championship, another BCS Championship Game appearance in 2009 and three BCS Bowl victories. Brown's squads have registered 14 consecutive nine-plus victory seasons, 20 winning seasons in a row and 18 consecutive bowl berths. He also has guided his squads to 14 straight national Top 25 finishes, which includes 13 Top 15 rankings. Brown stands alone as the only coach in NCAA Division I-A with a current streak of 14 nine-plus win campaigns in a row and ranks first among college coaches in consecutive winning seasons and bowl berths. His 148 wins in the last 14 years are the most nationally as are his 195 victories since 1990. Fresh off a season that saw North Carolina finish 11-1 and fourth nationally (USA Today/CNN), Brown was hired as the 28th head coach in the storied history of Texas football on Dec. 4, 1997. He immediately developed a plan of attack, hiring a staff of veteran coaches who had familiarity with the Southwest. Brown has worked to keep the foundation of that group intact and linked tradition with winning, education and entertainment. From his first season, he steadily has restored pride in one of college football's most historic programs and put the swagger back in being a Longhorn. Brown has brought enthusiasm back to the UT program while wowing everyone from recruits to supporters and alumni. His down-home wit and wisdom are clearly energetic, thoughtful, engaging and enthusiastic. That passion has helped the Longhorns sign some of the nation's finest recruiting classes year in and year out, while raising the enthusiasm and support for Texas football to an all-time high. Beginning with an eight-city speaking tour of Texas in 1998 -- which turned into a revival as thousands of fans poured into crowded rooms to hear him speak - Brown rapidly invigorated the mood and spirit of the UT faithful and hasn't missed a beat since. Brown reunited the Longhorns lettermen, welcoming any and all to practices and began a lettermen's reunion and golf tournament that has grown immensely each spring. Thousands of former lettermen and their families return to campus for the annual UT Spring Jamboree that Brown has turned into a weekend event in Austin. The Jamboree now features a lettermen's golf outing and reunion to go along with pregame festivities and the Orange-White scrimmage. The weekend has set attendance records each year, topping out at 43,500 in 2009. Brown also has added a Fan Appreciation Day in the fall that has attracted crowds of more than 10,000. "Mack has helped bring back the pride in Texas Football," former Longhorns All-American and NFL great Tommy Nobis said. Tradition is what makes the college game so exciting, and Mack is doing a great job getting everyone excited about wearing the burnt orange and white and being a Longhorn again." Brown also quickly built two other important bridges -- one with legendary former head coach Darrell Royal and the other with the important constituency of Texas high school coaches. "Mack has done everything right from the first day he hit town," Royal said. "He has established strong ties with the high school coaches, built a tremendous bond with the lettermen and gained unbelievable support. "With all of the great things he has done in public relations, what people have learned is that he can coach, too. He is a dedicated football man and has assembled an outstanding staff. Together, they organize all the facets of the job. Talk about `not leaving a stone unturned' ... he turned over every rock as fast as he could. A major state official in North Carolina told one of our top people Mack could be elected governor, and he wasn't kidding. Mack is that strong with people." The union with Royal, whom Brown idolized as a young player in high school, has been a meaningful relationship for both men. Royal regularly participates in team events and has access to an office Brown had built for him in the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletics Complex. An enthusiastic supporter of tradition, Brown is just as passionate in his appreciation of high school coaches, a group he treats with the utmost respect. The gregarious coach has engaged the proud Texas high school coaching community. Brown invites every high school staff to visit UT practices and rapidly built powerful bonds in that community. UT's high school coaches clinic has gone from a couple hundred coaches prior to his arrival to more than a thousand and become one of the state's most popular spring events. "I have never seen anyone make friends better or quicker with the high school coaching community," said Eddie Joseph, former executive VP of the Texas High School Coaches Association. "Mack is amazing. He has the ability to make everyone feel at ease around him and makes the coaches from junior high on up feel comfortable. I think the thing that makes him so great for the coaches to work with is that he has a passion for high school coaches. He has a great deal of respect for the coaches." With his team, the message was clear from the first meeting on the evening of Dec. 4, 1997. He did not believe in rebuilding. He believed in winning. The standard was simple. He expected that, together, he and the team would have fun. He expected that, together, he and the team would do things the right way. He expected that, together, he and the team would win. Each year, Brown has built on that foundation while accomplishing feats not seen in Austin in decades. Brown's 12 consecutive seasons of at least nine wins are a UT first, as are his back-to-back 11-win campaigns (2001-02, 2004-05, 2008-09), nine 10-victory seasons in a row, and three 12-win seasons (2005, `08, `09). Texas also has set a school record with a streak of 12 straight bowl berths, bettering the nine straight bowl games from 1977-85. UT has extended its streak of Top 25 finishes to 12 in a row, a first since the Horns earned eight final Top 25 rankings in a row from 1968-75. The Longhorns have also extended their current streak of Top 13 finishes to 10, which is a UT record. The Longhorns have claimed or shared the Big 12 South Division title in six of the last 11 years, including four conference championship game berths and two Big 12 titles. In 12 seasons, Brown's Longhorns squads have featured a Heisman Trophy winner, two runners-up and a third-place finisher, three Maxwell Award winners, three WCFF Player of the Year Award winners, two Doak Walker Award winners, two Thorpe Award winners, two Nagurski Trophy winners, a Butkus Award winner, a Lombardi Award winner, two Manning Award winners, a Hendricks Award winner, a Draddy Trophy winner, 50 All-Americans, 63 first-team All-Big 12 selections, five Big 12 Offensive Players of the Year, five Big 12 Defensive Players of the Year and 10 Big 12 Freshman of the Year honorees. During that time, UT has established one of the nation's premier offensive attacks, while rejuvenating a once struggling Longhorns' defense into one of the nation's best. Defensively, Brown has transformed a unit that ranked 85th nationally in total defense in 1997 into a group that led the nation in total defense (236.2 ypg) and led the Big 12 in rushing (89.5 ypg), passing (146.7 ypg) and scoring (13.7 ppg) defense in 2001. That came on the heels of a pair of seasons that saw UT rank sixth nationally in total defense (286.7 ypg) in 1999 and seventh (278.3 ypg) in 2000. The 2008 defense also led the Big 12 in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense (third NCAA), while the 2009 unit led the nation in rushing defense (72.4 ypg) and was third in total defense (251.9/first Big 12). The aggressive defensive style of the Brown era has seen the Horns more than double their production in sacks and tackles for loss and significantly increase the number of turnovers forced in the last 12 seasons compared to the 12 years prior to his arrival. In 2008, Texas led the nation in sacks and then tied for second in 2009, a year it also led the nation in turnovers gained and interceptions. On offense, the Longhorns have set 136 school records and featured the school's only 3,000-yard passers (Colt McCoy, 2007, 08, 09/Vince Young, 2005/Chris Simms, 2002/Major Applewhite, 1999), 2,000-yard rusher (Ricky Williams, 1998), 1,000-yard receivers (Quan Cosby, 2008/Jordan Shipley, 2008, 09/Roy Williams, 2002, 03/Kwame Cavil, 1999/ Wane McGarity, 1998) and 1,000-yard passer/rusher (Vince Young, 2004 and 05) in a season. In 2008, Cosby and Shipley combined to become the first duo in school history and just the 11th in NCAA history to each have 85-plus catches and 1,000-plus receiving yards in the same season. UT became just the second team in NCAA Division I-A history to boast a 2,000-yard rusher and passer as well as a 1,000-yard receiver in 1998. In his career at Texas alone, Brown became one of just three head coaches in NCAA Division I-A history to lead a player to a 3,000-yard passing season, a 2,000-yard rushing season and a 1,000-yard receiving season. Texas also has re-established its home field advantage and, as a result, dominance under Brown. In his 12 seasons, the Longhorns have increased their season ticket sales by nearly 45,000, up to a school-best 83,800 in 2009, and set school attendance records while playing in front of sellout crowds in their last 59 home games and have attracted the top 10 crowds in UT history. With a full house on hand the past 12 seasons, UT has gone 66-6 in games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, including a 39-3 mark in Big 12 home games. At one point, UT had a streak of 21 consecutive victories (third-longest in UT history) and the longest for UT since it won 42 straight from 1968-76 (No. 6 in NCAA history). The Longhorns also set the marks for the Big 12's longest intraconference winning streak (21 games) and the longest intraconference road winning streak (13). Texas has lost only nine road games in Mack Brown's 12-year tenure with two of them coming in his first three games at UT. The Longhorns have won 41 of their last 45 true road games. The only losses during that stretch were a 42-38 shootout at Texas Tech in 2002, a 45-42 defeat at Kansas State in 2006, a 38-30 loss at Texas A&M in 2007, and a 39-33 loss with one second remaining at No. 7 Texas Tech in 2008. The Horns set a UT-record streak with 17 consecutive road wins before falling to Kansas State in 2006. T also won 12 consecutive road games from 2000-02. Texas is 46-9 (.836) overall on the road and 39-5 (.886) versus unranked road foes during the Mack Brown era. In fact, UT is currently riding a school-record non-conference road winning streak of 10, which betters the previous mark of seven from 1956-63. Texas has won 31 of its last 35 Big 12 Conference road games, including a league-record 13 consecutive conference road wins from 2002-06. The Horns are 35-6 (.854) in league road contests under Mack Brown. Brown's on-the-field success has had an impact on the student-athletes' future opportunities as well. As of the 2009 NFL Draft, two of his Longhorns have been selected in the first round in six of the past nine drafts. When OT Mike Williams (Buffalo Bills) and CB Quentin Jammer (San Diego Chargers) were selected fourth and fifth, respectively, in 2002, it marked the first time in UT history that two Longhorns were chosen among the first five overall picks. Brown's Longhorns featured a pair of first-round picks in 2004 when Roy Williams (seventh pick) was taken by the Detroit Lions and Marcus Tubbs was selected by the Seattle Seahawks (23rd pick). he 2005 NFL Draft had Longhorns Cedric Benson (fourth pick) and Derrick Johnson (15th pick) in the first round. In the 2006 NFL Draft, Vince Young (third pick) and Michael Huff (seventh pick) were both first-round choices, and in 2007, Michael Griffin (19th pick) and Aaron Ross (20th pick) were selected in the opening round. UT had four players selected in the first two rounds of the 2007 Draft with Justin Blalock and Tim Crowder chosen in the second round following Griffin and Ross. That marked the most Longhorns chosen in the first two rounds since 1982. Three members of his 1997 Carolina squad were picked in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, which tied for the most of any collegiate program. In the 25 drafts during Brown's time as a head coach, the NFL has picked 92 of his student-athletes, and he has had a player selected in 24 straight drafts. He has had 18 players (14 from UT/four from UNC) selected in the first round in the last 12 drafts. Over the past 12 years, Brown has had 55 players selected in the draft with 42 of those coming in the first four rounds. With all of the success on the field, the primary emphasis has remained the same with Brown's squads -- maintaining a high level of achievement in the classroom and in the community. Eighty percent of his players at North Carolina received their degrees and he has increased the pace at Texas, while more than a third of his players at Texas have regularly earned 3.0 grade point averages and achieved spots on the Big 12 Commissioner's and Athletics Director's honor rolls. Over the last four years, the success in the classroom has reached an all-time high. The Longhorns have led the Big 12 in academic all-conference selections for four straight seasons, and for the past three years have had equal or more first-team selections than all but two Big 12 schools have had total selections. By the end of the 2010 summer semester, 104 of Texas' 120 (86.7%) seniors who completed their eligibility at Texas during the four-year stretch are expected to have earned their degrees. Early graduation also has been a positive trend at UT over the last five years. During that timespan, over 50 percent (62-of-120) of Texas' seniors graduated prior to the Longhorns' bowl game. The Longhorns' 2009 class included 20-of-21 seniors that are on pace to earn their degrees by the summer of 2010 with 14 earning their degrees prior to the BCS National Championship game. The 2008 class featured 19-of-23 (82.6%) graduates by the end of spring with all 23 on schedule to complete their degrees by the spring of 2010. Twenty-two of 24 seniors (91.7%) from the class of 2007 have graduated, with the other two on pace to complete their degrees in 2009. From the 2006 group of 23 seniors, 19 (82.6%) have graduated and four more are less than two semesters short of their degrees. Of the group of seniors on the Horns' National Championship team in 2005, 26-of-29 (89.7%) earned their degrees by last May. Eighteen of those seniors had received their diplomas prior to UT's victory over USC. In 2009, Texas registered two first-team academic All-America honorees in DE Sam Acho and OT Adam Ulatoski, after having also done so in 2007 with C Dallas Griffin and DT Derek Lokey. Griffin went on to earn UT's first Draddy Trophy, which is now renamed the Campbell Trophy and has been likened to an "academic Heisman." QB Colt McCoy was a finalist for that award in 2009 and recognized as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. In 2008, RB Chris Ogbonnaya also earned second-team academic All-America honors. Alongside academics, Brown's life skills program features numerous seminars to prepare student-athletes for life after football, while Longhorns players make countless visits to area children's hospitals and serve as tutors and mentors at schools across Austin. On the field, Brown led the 2009 Longhorns to Texas' second National Championship Game appearance in five years and also matched the school record of 13 wins. The lone loss came in the title game to No. 1 Alabama after QB Colt McCoy was injured on the first series and did not return. Despite the loss of the national player of the year, Texas was within three points with the ball with just over three minutes remaining, and following the game, the polls kept the Longhorns ranked No. 2 - their fourth Top Five ranking in six years. They also completed their ninth-consecutive 10-win season, which is the second-longest streak in NCAA history. The Texas offense ranked third in scoring (39.3 ppg) and 22nd in passing offense (273.6 ypg), while the defense led the nation in rushing defense (72.4 ypg), was third in total defense (251.9 ypg) and 12th in scoring defense (16.7 ppg), along with leading the nation in turnovers gained and interceptions, and ranking in the top 10 in sacks, TFL and pass efficiency defense. McCoy became UT's 20th unanimous All-American and won the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Year Award, Davey O'Brien Award, Manning Award and Unitas Golden Arm Award. He also became a two-time finalist for the Heisman Trophy. WR Jordan Shipley was a consensus All-America honoree and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, while S Earl Thomas also earned consensus All-America honors and was a finalist for the Thrope Award. Meanwhile, DE/LB Sergio Kindle became the first player in college football history to be named a finalist for both the Butkus Award and Hendricks Award, and also was named first-team All-America, along with C Chris Hall who was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. In addition, K Hunter Lawrence was a semifinalist for the Groza Award and DE Sam Acho was a semifinalist for the Lott Trophy. Texas entered the 2008 season with less media acclaim than previous seasons, but by mid-season, a 45-35 win over No. 1 Oklahoma propelled the team to its own No. 1 ranking. It marked the first regular-season No. 1 ranking for the program since Oct. 8, 1984, and began the toughest four-game stretch in the history of college football where the Longhorns would face a team ranked in the Top 11 in every game. The team finished within one second of completing the gauntlet before falling at No. 7 Texas Tech on the last play from scrimmage. Despite the difficult loss, the team rebounded to win all of its remaining games, capped by a thrilling 24-21 win over No. 10 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, providing Texas a school-record fifth-consecutive bowl win, including three BCS bowls. The Longhorns finished the season ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. On offense, Texas averaged 42.4 points per game (fifth NCAA), 475.8 total yards (ninth NCAA) and 308.3 passing yards (seventh NCAA), led by McCoy, who set the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage (77.6). McCoy earned first-team All-America honors and was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. On defense, Texas led the nation in sacks and led the Big 12 in scoring defense (18.8 ppg), total defense (342.9 ypg) and rushing defense (83.5 ypg/third NCAA). DE Brian Orakpo became UT's 19th unanimous All-American and won the Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award and Hendricks Award. Shipley also earned third-team All-America honors, while WR Quan Cosby was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award. In 2007, the Longhorns capped their seventh consecutive 10-win season with a 52-34 Holiday Bowl victory over No. 12 Arizona State, while also securing their fourth bowl win in consecutive years, a UT first. The Longhorns finished the season with a No. 10 national ranking in both polls, marking the fifth time in seven seasons they had finished in the Top 10. Along with Dallas Griffin winning the Draddy Trophy and the two academic All-Americans, OT Tony Hills earned first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, RB Jamaal Charles was named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, S Marcus Griffin earned All-America honors from ESPN.com and DT Frank Okam was named third-team All-America by The Associated Press. Texas finished in the top 20 in both rushing defense (6th/93.4 ypg) and rushing offense (17th/207.5 ypg), while also finishing in the top 20 in total offense (13th/462.9 ypg) and scoring offense (14th/37.2 ppg). The 2006 Longhorn season continued the validation of a premier football program that had achieved back-to-back Rose Bowl victories, including the BCS National Championship. Ranked No. 2 in the country as defending National Champions, Texas lost to No. 1 Ohio State in the second game of the year, but fought their way back to a No. 4 National ranking before an injury to McCoy helped lead to narrow losses in the final two games of the regular season. Still, they bounced back with a come-from-behind victory over Iowa in the Alamo Bowl to earn a 10-3 record. The season included victories over both Oklahoma and Nebraska, the two teams that played for the Big 12 championship after the late season losses. Cornerback Aaron Ross won the Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back, and offensive lineman Justin Blalock was a finalist for both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. Ross and Blalock earned first-team All-America honors, while Hendricks Award finalist Tim Crowder and Lott Trophy semifinalist Michael Griffin were recognized as second-team All-Americans. McCoy, a redshirt freshman, earned National Freshman of the Year honors as he tied an NCAA record with 29 touchdown passes. Brown had the most successful season of his career in 2005, leading Texas to its first National Championship since 1970. Texas made a return trip to the Rose Bowl for its first appearance in the BCS National Championship game, where the Longhorns ended USC's 34-game winning streak and extended their own winning streak to 20 with a 41-38 victory. The team was led by Maxwell Award winner Vince Young. Young, who was also the Heisman runner-up and Davey O'Brien and Manning Award winner, finished his career as Texas' all-time winningest quarterback with a 30-2 record. Texas' offense set UT records in points scored (652) and total yards (6,657), while ranking first in the nation in scoring (50.2 ppg), second in rushing (274.9 ypg) and third in total offense (512.1 ypg). Texas was also highly ranked on defense. Led by UT's first-ever Thorpe Award winner Michael Huff, the Longhorns finished sixth in scoring defense (16.4 ppg) and 10th in total defense (302.9 ypg). In 2004, the Longhorns managed their fourth consecutive 10-win season, while defeating six teams ranked in either the AP Poll or ESPN/USA Today Poll. It was also their third 11-win season in four years and was capped with Texas' first BCS selection and a 38-37 Rose Bowl Championship over No. 13 Michigan. UT was led by All-Americans on both sides of the ball in senior running back and Doak Walker Award winner Cedric Benson and senior linebacker, Nagurski Trophy winner and Butkus Award winner Derrick Johnson. Behind Benson, the offense ranked second nationally in rushing offense (299.2 ypg), seventh in total offense (464.4 ypg) and 12th in scoring offense (35.3 ppg). The Longhorns rushed for over 300 yards six times, the most since 1977, and put up at least 400 yards in nine of their 12 games. With Johnson taking the lead, the defense ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense (17.9 ppg), 16th in rushing defense (107.4) and 32nd in turnover margin (+5). They held teams to 14 points or less on six different occasions. Under his guidance in 2003, Texas rallied from a 4-2 start to post six straight victories and finished with a 10-3 record and No. 12 national ranking. The Longhorns were led by a balanced offense and defense that was one of only four programs nationally that ranked among the NCAA's top 25 in total offense and total defense. Texas averaged 232.5 rushing yards per game (8th NCAA) and produced its most yards on the ground (3,023) since 1977. It also averaged 206.6 passing yards per game to mark just the third time in school history that the Horns averaged 200 yards rushing and passing in the same season. Led by its first-ever Butkus Award finalist and consensus first-team All-American, LB Derrick Johnson, UT's defense ranked 25th nationally allowing 329.9 yards per game. Brown's 2002 squad found itself once-again mentioned among the national title contenders until late in the season. With an 11-2 record and a No. 6 final ranking, the Horns posted back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in school history and consecutive Top 10 finishes for the first time since 1977-78. Texas capped the year with a 35-20 victory over LSU in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns also won or shared the Big 12 South title for the third time in the last four seasons. Led by first-team All-American and Lombardi Trophy finalist DE Cory Redding and first-team All-Big 12 performers LB Derrick Johnson and CB Rod Babers, the Longhorns defense finished the year ranked among the nation's top 16 for the fourth straight year. In 2001, Brown saw his efforts in rebuilding the UT program into a national power reach new heights and provide promising hope for the future. The Longhorns came within three points of a possible berth in the National Championship game for the first time in decades. exas opened the season with its first preseason Top Five ranking since 1983 and with wins in its final six games, claimed the Big 12 South title for the second time. The Horns were ranked among the nation's Top 10 in 16 of the 17 polls in 2001 and only a narrow 39-37 defeat at the hands of No. 9 Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game prevented Brown's team from likely playing for the national title. With a 47-43 victory against No. 21 Washington in the Holiday Bowl, Texas posted a school record-tying 11 victories (11-2) for the first time since `83 and just the fifth time in school history. The win also secured the program's first Top 10 finish since that year. Led by unanimous first-team All-American and UT's first-ever Thorpe Award finalist CB Quentin Jammer and All-Americans LB D.D. Lewis and Redding, the Longhorns topped the nation in total defense (236.2 ypg). Jammer, the first Longhorns' defender since Jerry Gray in 1984 to earn unanimous first-team All-America honors, and Lewis shared team MVP honors. The Longhorns were one of only two teams nationally that ranked among the NCAA's top 10 in all five major statistical categories. True freshman LB Derrick Johnson was tabbed The Sporting News' Freshman of the Year and named the Holiday Bowl Defensive MVP. Offensively, Texas' balanced attack was led by a passing game that posted the third-most yards (3,083) on UT record and a scoring attack that ranked first in the Big 12 and sixth nationally (39.2 ppg). OT Mike Williams earned first-team All-America honors and was joined by WR Roy Williams as first-team All-Big 12. True freshman RB Cedric Benson set freshman records for rushing yards (1,053) and rushing TDs (12) en route to Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. In 2000, Brown's youthful Longhorns overcame a pair of tough losses as well as injuries that sidelined its first, second and third-string tight ends and slowed its All-America candidate at defensive tackle -- Shaun Rogers. Despite starting as many as five true freshmen and featuring a 44-man depth chart that included 36 underclassmen, UT rallied from a 3-2 start to run off six consecutive victories. UT lost a shootout with No. 8 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl and closed out the year with a 9-3 record (7-1, Big 12) and a final No. 12 national ranking, its best finish in the polls since 1983. Texas' explosive offense ranked 14th nationally in total offense (439.0 ypg) and eighth in scoring (38.6 ppg.). RB Hodges Mitchell, a first-team All-Big 12 choice for a second consecutive year, led the way. Mitchell rushed for 1,118 yards, and for the second year in a row, established himself as the only player in UT history to gain 1,000 rushing and 300 receiving yards in a season. His path was paved by consensus first-team All-American and Outland Trophy finalist OT Leonard Davis. With the loss of nearly every pass catcher from 1999, the greatest challenge Brown and his offensive staff faced in 2000 was honing the skills of a stable of young wide receivers. That project was a success as true freshmen B.J. Johnson and Roy Williams rewrote the Longhorns record books while each earned second-team Freshman All-America honors. Texas' revitalized defense was led by two-time first-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year DT Casey Hampton. An Outland Trophy semifinalist and first-team All-America in 1999, Hampton became the first lineman in UT history to lead the team in tackles in back-to-back seasons and finished his career then ranked second on UT's all-time tackles for loss list (54). He was joined by Jammer on the first-team All-Big 12 unit, as Texas led the nation in pass efficiency defense (88.3 rating) and ranked seventh in total defense (278.3 ypg). Despite the loss of Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams, All-Big 12 wide receiver Wane McGarity and four starters from a veteran offensive line, Brown's 1999 squad registered a 9-5 record and claimed the Big 12 South Division Championship. The offense set a school record with 3,580 passing yards and registered the second-most total yards in school annals (5,336). Defensively, UT began its climb back among the nation's best, ranking sixth in total defense (286.7 ypg). WR Kwame Cavil set UT and Big 12 records with 100 receptions for 1,188 yards en route to second-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12 honors that year. Sophomore quarterback Major Applewhite set UT marks with 3,357 passing yards and 21 TDs while earning co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year recognition. Mitchell became the first back in UT history to rush for 1,000 yards and record 300 receiving yards en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors and earned a spot among the Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award semifinalists. OG Roger Roesler earned first-team All-Big 12 recognition and third-team All-America honors. DE Aaron Humphrey, who posted 20 sacks in his two years under Brown and finished his career then ranked third on UT's all-time TFLs list (50.5), also ranked eighth on the Longhorns all-time sack chart (24.5) and earned Longhorns MVP honors in 1999. DE Cedric Woodard, a 2000 NFL Draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens, had 19 TFLs in 1999 and 40 for his career (No. 8 on UT's all-time list at the time). In 1998, running back Ricky Williams ran away with virtually every major college football award. Williams claimed the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Walter Camp and Associated Press Player of the Year honors and the Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award as Texas rebounded from a 4-7 season to finish 9-3 and ranked 15th nationally. After starting the year with a 1-2 record, the Longhorns won six consecutive games and eight of their final nine contests, including snapping No. 7 Nebraska's 47-game home winning streak with a 20-16 victory. Brown's first UT team capped the year with a 38-11 victory against No. 25 Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl, the Longhorns' first New Year's Day bowl victory since 1981. Williams led the nation in rushing with a school-best 2,124 yards and set a school record with 28 rushing TDs. The Longhorns tallied the fourth-most yards of offense in school history (5,177) at the time. WR Wane McGarity, TE Derek Lewis and offensive linemen Ben Adams and Jay Humphrey all earned first-team All-Big 12 honors for an offense that was among the best in UT history. Adams and Humphrey also were tabbed first-team All-American. Defensively, the youthful Longhorns featured a predominantly underclassmen unit but re-established themselves after ranking 85th in total defense (399.2 ypg) and 104th in scoring defense (33 ppg) in 1997. Born in Cookeville, Tenn., Brown was a three-sport star at Putnam County High School, where he lettered three times in football. He went on to attend Vanderbilt (1969-70) and graduated from Florida State. He lettered twice as a running back for the Seminoles (1972-73). An injury sidelined him for much of the 1973 season and that led to the start of his coaching career as he became a student coach. He completed his bachelor's degree in education in 1974. Brown began his full-time coaching career in 1975 at Southern Mississippi, where he worked with the receivers for three seasons. He earned a master's degree in administration from Southern Miss in 1976. Brown then coached the wide receivers at Memphis State in 1978 and at Iowa State in `79. He was promoted to offensive coordinator at Iowa State in 1980, and in his time at Ames, the Cyclones broke 17 school and Big Eight Conference offensive records and produced league leaders in rushing and total offense. rown went on to lead the quarterbacks at LSU in 1982, when the Tigers went 8-2-1 and played Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. In just his 10th season of full-time coaching, Brown had become a head coach, taking over the Appalachian State program in 1983. At the age of 32, he directed the Mountaineers to their first winning record in four years with a 6-5 slate. After one season, he left to become offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. In his only year on Barry Switzer's staff, the Sooners were 9-2-1, won the Big Eight title and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl. Brown helped Oklahoma develop its best passing attack in years, as he coached quarterbacks Danny Bradley, a first-team All-Big Eight selection, and Troy Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl Champion signal caller with the Dallas Cowboys. Brown became head coach at Tulane in 1985 and quickly went about rejuvenating the Green Wave's sagging football fortunes. Tulane had suffered three consecutive losing seasons before Brown's arrival, but by his third season in 1987, he led the Green Wave to a 6-5 mark and a berth in the Independence Bowl (just the program's fifth bowl game since 1940). That season, the Green Wave set school records for total offense and points, ranking 11th nationally in scoring (32.5 ppg). That remarkable season earned Brown a spot in the Independence Bowl Hall of Honor in 2002. He also served as athletics director his final two years at Tulane. In 1988, Brown took over a North Carolina program that had suffered two losing seasons in its previous three years and three non-winning seasons in its previous four years. While rebuilding the foundation, Brown's Tar Heels squads posted back-to-back 1-10 seasons in 1988 and `89. In 1990, Carolina was 6-4-1 and the Tar Heels were beginning a run of eight consecutive winning seasons and six straight bowl game appearances. UNC's 54-18 (.750) record during his last six years ranked as the ninth-best nationally during that period. His final two seasons were the most impressive. He compiled a 20-3 (.870) mark and led the Heels to a No. 4 final ranking in the USA Today/ESPN poll and No. 6 ranking by The AP in 1997. At UNC, Brown recruited and coached several of the finest players in school history. From his 1997 squad, DE Greg Ellis (No. 8, Dallas Cowboys), LB Brian Simmons (No. 17, Cincinnati Bengals) and DT Vonnie Holliday (No. 19, Green Bay Packers) earned All-America recognition and were selected among the first 19 picks in the 1998 NFL Draft. Along with that trio of first-rounders, Brown also helped develop several other Tar Heels standouts. Marcus Jones, a consensus first-team All-America defensive tackle, earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1995. Corey Holliday, the leading receiver in Tar Heels history, was a CFA/Hitachi Scholar-Athlete and is a former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dwight Hollier, who made more than 500 tackles during his Tar Heels career, also played in the NFL. Natrone Means, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his final two seasons at UNC, went on to lead the San Diego Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX and the Jacksonville Jaguars to the 1996 AFC title game. QBs Jason Stanicek and Mike Thomas combined to rewrite Carolina's passing and total offense records. CB Thomas Smith came to UNC in 1989 as a walk-on from a small high school in North Carolina and departed as a first-round pick of the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills. RB Leon Johnson, one of the premier all-purpose offensive threats in ACC history, played eight seasons in the NFL. CB Dré Bly, a three-time All-American who recorded an ACC-record 20 interceptions during his career, is in his seventh NFL season, the last three with the Detroit Lions. Freddie Jones, a second-round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers in 1997, is one of the NFL's top pass-catching tight ends who currently is a member of the Arizona Cardinals. After leading UNC to a 10-1 regular season record and a No. 6 national ranking, Brown accepted the head coaching position at Texas on Dec. 4, 1997. One of the most respected coaches in the college game, Brown has served on numerous national committees. He has been a member of the NCAA Football Rules Committee and the NCAA Football Issues Committee. He has been chairman of the Football Coaches' Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the College Football Association. A past member of the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) Ethics Committee, Brown also has served on the AFCA Public Relations Committee. He has been invited to coach in five postseason all-star games, including the Japan Bowl, Hula Bowl (twice) and East-West Shrine Game (twice). He and his wife, Sally, have four children -- Matt, Katherine, Barbara and Chris. Sally enthusiastically involves herself in football team activities. In 1999, she retired as president of Marin Development in North Carolina. She is past president of the Public, Private Partnership (PPP), an organization that fostered improved relations between the University of North Carolina and the town of Chapel Hill. She also volunteered time to chair the fund-raising efforts for the UNC Black Cultural Center and was a member of a Carolina Alumni Advisory Committee. In Austin, the Browns continue to be active in community affairs, serving as honorary co-chairpersons of the Capital Campaign for the Helping Hands of Austin. The Browns have been instrumental in the opening of The Rise School of Austin (an early childhood education program that integrates children who have disabilities with their typically developing peers) and serve on the school's Board of Directors. They lend their name along with legendary UT QB James Street to the annual James Street/Mack Brown Golf Tournament benefiting The Rise School. The Browns also contribute privately to numerous other causes in Austin, and in September 2008, they were named the Citizens of the Year for Caritas of Austin, which provides meals and aid for the homeless. The Browns themselves have spent many hours serving food at Caritas. Earlier in that year, The University of Texas honored Mack Brown with The Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs. The Chair is part of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, a university-wide global affairs research center named for renowned lawyer and public servant, Ambassador Robert S. Strauss. The center is part of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Legendary Penn State head coach Joe Paterno traveled to Austin to present The Chair. In June 2007, Brown paired with Attorney General of Texas Greg Abbott to commend fathers who provide a nurturing home for their children, and asked dads from across the state to join in the fight against domestic abuse. In May 2009, Brown went on an eight-day trip to visit U.S. troops in Germany, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Djibouti and Spain as part of the Coaches Tour 2009. The Browns have previously endorsed a new Texas license plate, which was designed to raise public awareness for child abuse and neglect and the need for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers. After the Bonfire tragedy at Texas A&M in 1999, the couple initiated a blood drive on the UT campus that attracted more than 250 blood donors. |
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