The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
12.15.2013 | Football
Mack Brown is stepping down as head coach after 16 years.
• Video of Sunday's press conference
Head coach Mack Brown
Opening statement: We have had 16 great years here. Sally said yesterday, four presidential terms. So that is a long time and we have had a blast. When we came we were asked to pull together a divided fan base that is a difficult fan base at times and we were able to do that.
I remember some experiences I was thinking about last night. One, Coach Royal told us, when asked what do you have to do to be the head football coach at Texas, and he said, there is such a diverse group that follows this football team that you have to pull them all together and that is very difficult to do. He said when you get them all together, it's wonderful and it's a powerful place. But when it is not, it is very divided and it is a very difficult place to manage. So he said it's like a box of BBs and the BBs are dropped all over the room and what you got to do is get all the BBs back in the box. And we were able to do that. We were able to do that for a long time until 2010 and then as of late the BBs have gotten back out of the box.
Just a few experiences have been wonderful for us; meeting Coach Royal and being around him and getting to know him on a personal basis, like an older brother, was unbelievable. I miss him today. The first day he walked out onto the practice field I was so proud to be the head coach at Texas and have him come out and stand there with his arm around you talking about his football team and seeing those white helmets with the longhorns on the top. I remember the first game in the stadium with New Mexico State and being so proud to look out and I am so proud now that the stadium looks so much different now than it did then. But that was a wonderful first experience. Things have changed since 9/11 but when we got here we use to have the pilot fly by the tower and show the team they won the game for away games and go by and see the lit tower from the sky and all the kids would cheer. That was fun. Ricky Williams' Heisman was a wonderful experience, the National Championship and the BCS games were unbelievable and something that I will cherish. We also had our tough days too. The A&M bonfire was an experience that I really hate today on Thanksgiving because of the fact that those families lost their children. The call that we got about Cole Pittman dying on his way back for spring practice is something that every coach fears that when you get that call that you have lost a child, something so special to someone else.
As the season ended with (Athletic Director) Steve Patterson coming in and as I promised you, we sat down on Friday afternoon and he and I and Bill Powers had a great meeting. We had a good conversation and they expressed their support and wanted me to stay. I told them that I would like to talk to Sally and sleep on it. We went through the banquet and got up the next day and all of us met again and mutually decided that it was best for us to move on. There was still a divided fan base and that is not fair for Texas, that is not fair for our players, that is not fair for our coaches because they continue to be under undue pressure. So it was time for me to move on and let someone else come in and restart the program.
This is a top-five program annually, it may be the best job in the country. You should be in the mix every year and it is time for Texas to get back in the mix like we were from '04 to '09. That was a wonderful run, it was a lot of fun and we haven't lived up to those expectations since 2010. There are great young players on this team and the future is very bright. We are leaving it better than we found it and it has been a fun ride.
I want to thank all of our current players, our staff, and our coaches because they have done an amazing job this year of overcoming so much adversity and it will really help all of us in our lives to really handle tough days and move forward. I am so proud of them. I also want to thank all the coaches and staff that we have had in the 16 years we have been here because we have had a lot of guys work really hard and a lot of great players.
It has been overwhelming since yesterday's announcement the messages Sally and I have gotten from friends, fans, our ex-players, and I apologize to you because there are way too many to answer. We are going to have more free time here pretty soon so hang on, it'll take a while.
I do want to thank our fans. Our fans have been unbelievable. They have treated us with so much dignity and so much class and not one time since I have been at Texas, when we have been outside, has anyone ever insinuated anything rude to us. It has just been unbelievable and I thank you, fans.
We have been so blessed to come to the state of Texas. We have got wonderful friendships here that we will have for the rest of our lives. Bill Duval never missed a Thursday practice. He and Baker Montgomery have never missed a game. Red McCombs, I talk to at least two times a week. Joe Jamail, we don't have an agent so Joe has been our lawyer and I talk to Joe every night and right before I came over here. Somebody told me that we ought to shut Joe up because he talks too much. I said, you know Joe, he is 88 so he is going to say what he wants and I can't shut him up. Joe has been a great friend to us and The University and will continue to be. We love him and appreciate him very much.
I want to thank you guys who have been professional in the media. Some of you are good friends and some of you have handled things with integrity, ethics and class and I appreciate that very much because we are in a time where not everyone is doing that. You all are in a difficult profession where you have got some that are taking short cuts like they do in sports and I encourage you that are doing it right, even if you get behind sometimes, to continue to do it right because we need the truth told in America. We are not getting that all the time. We are getting rumors that are unsubstantiated and there are too many people that are trying to get ahead and using false stories to get there name out there. So please, with you guys and ladies, as much as I appreciate what you do and what you stand for you got to tell the story so we need you to tell the truth. I think that is very important as we move forward. In time I will tell my story. It is very interesting to be the head football coach at a program like Texas and one of these days I will get with one of you all that has been solid and has integrity to tell the story or I may even write a book because being the head football coach at Texas is very interesting.
Also I would like to thank Don Evans, Tom Hicks, DeLoss Dodds, Peter Flawn and Bill Cunningham for bringing me here 16 years ago. We owe them a whole lot. DeLoss Dodds is the best athletic director in the country. He and I have worked very closely together over the last 16 years and he is just unbelievable with what he has done and has been able to accomplish and I look forward to spending some time with him in the future. I also appreciate Larry Faulkner and Bill Powers. They have been great university presidents, they both care about students and kids, and both care about education and sports.
Now after the Oregon game, Sally and I will transition to the next phase of our lives. I have never done anything but coaching so that is something I will have to look at. By contract we will be working as special assistant to the President and we will also have some free time for opportunities outside The University. So it will be fun to explore those things and see what is out there for us and move forward. In talking to Jamail a few minutes ago, he said some people have called about coaching and I said bad timing. I need to back off for a day or two.
Yesterday was tough telling the staff, the recruits, our players and the wives that we will no longer be here. That is a very difficult thing. We actually went to the recruiting dinner last night and tried to make sure that the recruits understand what is going on and that we encourage them to come to Texas because it is a wonderful place, the best university in the country, and we would want them to come here and pull for them and for them to hang in here because Steve is going to hire a tremendous coach. He will have choices of the best coaches in the country and it is a fresh start for them. So the negativity that has been around the program will be cleared with the new guy and that is a great time for them.
After that, the coaches continued to recruit and they will be in the building with me this afternoon and we won't practice today but we will be working on our game plans for Oregon. I do promise the Texas fans and our football players that we will do everything within our power to make sure we are prepared for Oregon and that is very important for us.
On after being a coach all his life, is coaching out of his system and what is his next transition: All I know for sure right now is I am going to spend two weeks trying to beat Oregon and I am going to be working for President Powers. That is all I know.
This came up yesterday afternoon. We made the decision about three or four o'clock, walked out to the practice field, had an hour of practice, and then met the team and recruits so it has been a little bit of a whirlwind.
Steve Patterson said probably shouldn't do it last night because you will be too tired to get a good night's sleep but that didn't help very much.
On has he thought about the legacy he will be leaving here like the All-Americans and graduation rates: I really haven't. I have been spending my time thinking about the players and the recruits, thinking about their futures and our coaches that their lives have changed drastically with their families since yesterday at four or five o'clock.
I figured I would be asked that today and I think if you ask me what I wanted to be remembered for would be pretty simple. I would want to be remembered for bringing some joy to Texas, getting us back on track so the standard is set so much higher than it was before I was here so that should help us. I have to live up to that standard now. I would think the second thing is that I did it with integrity and class. And I think the third thing is the wonderful young people that have gone through this university under our tutelage that they have good lives and are better citizens for it. Those are the three things I would want to be remembered for I think.
On how hard it was to make this decision: It's all I've ever done so it's really hard. Sally and I are going to work hard for two weeks but then we're on uncharted territory. We're newlyweds getting ready to be rookies at something. That's where we're headed.
On how many times he went back and forth before making decision: I was really back and forth all week because I sincerely want what's best for the University of Texas. There are just too many distractions, too many negatives out there, and the players and the assistant coaches shouldn't be having to deal with negatives about me, nor should our university. That's not healthy for our place and this university is so much bigger than any person that it is definitely better in my mind that Steve and Bill get a new, exciting coach. Everybody will be pumped. He's undefeated I know already. He hasn't lost a game at Texas. And I remember the most successful run I had was the time I took the job 16 years ago until the first game. Then, after that, it gets tougher because you have to coach.
On his continuing role with Texas: We will do anything that Bill and Steve ask us to do. I have no interest in being involved in the coaching search because that's their choice. So what we'll do is what we've always done: we'll do what we're told. If there's something we can do to help, then we want to help. We don't want to sit here and do nothing. I'm sure that'll take a little while for everybody to get on the same page and hiring the new coach is a lot more important than what happens to us, so I'm sure that'll be the focus. They'll get a new coach in here and get him going and obviously, if he wants to ask me questions, I'll try to help him in any way I can as well but I will not be involved in that search.
On how the players reacted: The players are great kids and they were wonderful. I didn't get to see them much. It kind of stunned them and they all came up and hugged my neck and wanted me to break them down, which I don't usually do. Then they went on their own, a lot of them came and recruited. I think I'll have a much better sense at a team meeting tomorrow where I'll have a chance and sit down and tell them because they need to know that we'll still be here for them. We won't interfere with a new coach but if there's some relationship we've had with them and they need advice on certain things outside of football, Sally and I will be here for that.
I've got to thank all the high school coaches in the state. They've been unbelievable. I've got to thank all these parents because they've put up with rumors about me being fired every week for about two years, maybe three. I've been out of here so many times that it was a shock when I finally did it. They've put up with a lot. The players have been loyal, the parents have been loyal, the coaches had so many opportunities to leave last year and none of them left. They've been great.
So, I need to sit down with the players tomorrow and if they're still looking at the NFL, we've got Arthur Johnson and the staff that will still be working with them daily, but I'm going to be working with them through Oregon and then I'll be in town so I'll be able to help them any way I can. If some of them want to transfer, we need to talk to them about that. I would encourage them to wait and see who the new coach is and go through spring practice. I told them yesterday that they should not be mad at this university. They chose it, they came, it's a wonderful place and I made the choice so let's move forward. It's important to beat Oregon and move on from there.
On if recent years have cast a shadow over good memories: Not at all. The reason that's out there is we used to win 12 and 13 and we won eight. It's not about integrity, it's not about class, it's not about grades, it's not about any of that stuff. You've got to win and we set a standard at this place that you better win all of them. That's the expectation and I understand that. I understand if you don't win all of the games here people are unhappy. Other people love eight wins and this place isn't that way and I agree with them. I do not think that we've lived up to the standards that we have set since 2010. I thought we were going to this year, I really thought we had a chance to make a run and it didn't happen. Bless their hearts, the coaches and players did everything they could against the perfect storm of everything bad that could happen and they still fought through it. I'm proud of them but I love the University of Texas and I want only the best for it. It's an unbelievable experience that we got an opportunity to coach here and it's changed our lives.
On the one thing he wants people to know: Yes, I want to make sure that everybody knows that I've been treated fairly and it's a wonderful run here and that I love the University of Texas. I have no regrets at all.
On if he truly felt that he could come back: Yes, yes I did. I'm not going to go into all of that but I was told I could stay, I felt like I could stay, I really didn't feel like it was best for the university to stay. I thought they needed change.
On what the new coach can expect: Whoever takes this job is going to have a wonderful experience. Like coach Royal told me, I said, 'Coach what do you have to do to win at Texas as the head football coach?' He said, 'Well, you need to get all the BB's in the box, you need to reach out to your lettermen because they're very, very important here,' and they are and I need to thank them. Our lettermen have been unbelievable. He said, 'You need to reach out to the faculty.' He said, 'You've got to handle the wonderful media that surrounds you at the University of Texas,' and then he said, 'Oh, yeah, you need to win all the games.'
On feelings left by Texas fans: I have absolutely no anger, no regrets for anything that's happened. I'm angry with us, too. I told the staff and the coaches, 'You've got to win more than eight games at Texas.' We're the ones that screwed it up – we won nine the first year and got a parade. That's what's changed over 16 years and that's okay. The standard is set really high here and I'm darn proud we were part of that standard.
On when he first sensed things pulling in different directions: About December, right after the A&M game in 2010. And it's been a fight since then. When you play for a national championship and lose, that's not good. You need to win. It's a real negative thing when you do that. You didn't win 12, you lost one and that one cost everybody a national championship and we don't' have a bunch of those around here. That was a difficult time but since then it's been an absolute fight and we've got it back now where we've got depth, we've got speed, we've got good players and that was part of the decision, too: could we win next year? And I thought we could. I thought we could've won this year and you've got a lot of things coming back so I really thought that all I wanted to do was get it back for the next guy. I think it's better now and he'll have a chance to come in here and get it back and that's fun for him and fun for these kids. They just need new energy. A lot of negative energy around and you know what, life's too short. We don't need negative energy, especially around kids.
I was sitting there Friday night at the Banquet and then I met with families on Saturday morning. Sitting there, talking to families about coaching their children, their students, for the next four years and not being able to in my mind honestly tell them I would be able to do that for the next four years really threw me. I felt like, you know what, these people need a commitment for four years, I can't give them that. I just can't do that. That bothered me and I told them that last night. I said, 'A big part of my part of this decision was that I can't promise you four years. I just can't. Everybody says if you win them all next year, win 12, win 10, its fine, but I can't promise that. The ball bounces funny.'
On what inhibited team this year: Injuries. Lose your quarterback, I think we lost eight of our top 10 players, and nobody wants to hear it but its fact. How do we know it's not going to happen next year? We've had really bad injuries for the last three years. I think that's something the new coach has to look at – why has there been so many injuries for the last three years. I can't answer that. I've tried and I can't.
On why he can't promise four more years: Well you've got to win and if we didn't win next year, then we weren't going to keep coaching because we had sub-par seasons, as such for Texas, with eight wins and nine wins and then this year hopefully nine, but Oregon's real good. I've watched them and they're a BCS team headed to the Alamo Bowl. Again, we've got to get it back to top-5 in the country and we weren't doing that and to me, that's what really bothered me.
On if there is anything he would change over last 16 years: There would be two things. I would want (late Texas DT) Cole Pittman back and I would want the bonfire to not have happened at A&M. Those are two horrible things in my life that I will never forget and like I said, playing A&M on Thanksgiving, I thought about the families because I want to keep my children. When you lose your children there is nothing worse than that in the world and I think about that every Thanksgiving because there are 12 families that don't have a good Thanksgiving. That'll never go away.
Cole Pittman, I'm responsible for the precious things that those parents send you, the most precious things in their lives – their children – and we lost one. I talked to Marc and Judy Pittman today and I have the program from the funeral in my office that I look at very often. It's just a memory to me to just make sure that when we're responsible for 125 kids, we've got to make sure they tell us when they're going home, make sure they text us when they get home, make sure they text us before they leave home, make sure they text us when they get back, because we cannot afford to lose someone's child and that's very, very important to us.
Closing remarks: Bill and Steve are coming up and I think Steve's wonderful. I think we are so lucky to have him. I got to spend quite a bit of time with him, a little bit in New York and some Friday, and a lot yesterday and today kind of cleaning up things and getting ready to move forward. As great as DeLoss was, and he had a great run, he was ready to step out. As good as our run's been, Steve is a breath of fresh air. He's going to move forward. He was very honest and direct with me through this whole process. One of the things I'm going to miss is not working with him. I think he's a star. Bill and his committee did a great job of hiring him and Bill and Steve will get us a great new football coach and we'll move forward. So I'm going to get out of the way because y'all are more excited about the one coming than you are the one leaving. I've been doing this a long time. I'm going to let them talk to you about the process and where they're headed with the new coach.
Thank y'all very much.
Athletic Director Steve Patterson
Opening statement: I'll just say, on my behalf, I really appreciated the opportunity to work with Mack the past couple of weeks -- my first couple of weeks here, and I really enjoyed our conversations. As an alum, the guy really did a great job building this program for the last 16 years.
On what the search committee will look like when deciding the next head coach: We've really been focused on just getting through the last 24-48 hours with Mack and Sally and the rest of us. Bill and I will sit down after this and get our plans together, but we're going to go out there and find the best coach we can for The University of Texas.
On if there is a timeline for choosing Brown's predecessor: I think the key is setting the criteria, getting some clarity around that, then moving as expeditiously as we can to hire the best football coach we can as quickly as we can.
On who he will seek input from: Certainly you have constituents that you're going to want to consult, make sure they're informed and have their input from the standpoint of setting criteria and strategic direction.
On knowing many will want to give input: Thank God. They're called fans, and we want people to be passionate about football. I think it was Darrell Royal long ago that said 'The great thing about UT is people have a passion for football and the tough thing about UT is people have a passion for football.'
On if he envisions hiding out during the process: I think that's the only successful way to have a search process. I'm not going to be sitting in front of you guys everyday talking about who I had a phone call with. At the end of the day, there's been a lot of malarkey in the press over the last couple of weeks. I think Bill and I have had lunch with about a dozen coaches or something, it's been reported one time or another. We haven't talked to anybody or had anything go on. I think you have to have the ability to have a private conversation and come out of it with the best coach you can get and that's the only way you're going to get there.
On what it is like for this to be one of his first duties as athletic director: I've been an alum for 30-something years and followed the school for a long time. Went to school here, was on the nine-year plan, so I know a lot of the people involved here. Hiring coaches and running an athletic enterprise is not foreign to me.
On what Texas is losing in Brown as head coach: Obviously a great, classy operator -- won a heck of a lot of ballgames. Today's performance was a tour de force, this was Mack Brown. When you sit with the man, like we did for the last week, and when you watch him perform, when you watch him with the recruits last night, when you watch him play with his kids after the game -- you see what a classy guy he is.
On if the new coach will be sought from the NFL: I think in college football, college ball is a different enterprise than the NFL. There are far different requirements with a college coach. Certainly, you don't have the same story of interaction with high school coaches and students and academics and mentoring and donor relations and all of those kinds of demands that go into college coaching that you have at the pro level. I think whoever is going to coach here has got to have some extensive experience in the college game.
On what Brown told him was the reason that he wanted to step down: He didn't tell me anything different than what he just told you guys for the last 20 minutes. I think it was a tough decision for him and one that he went back and forth on. The one thing he was consistent about, was he said 'what's best for The University of Texas.'
On the special skill-set needed and the challenge behind being the head coach at Texas: I think you have to be good with the press, you have to be able to recruit, you have to be able to understand what a big time college football program is about. You're going to be under a lot of scrutiny. You've got to win and you've got to win big. You have to graduate your student-athletes, you have to take real classes. You've got to mentor them, you've got to recruit the right kind of folks. You're not going to necessarily have all of those requirements at some other schools out there.
On if the head coach at Texas has to have the same level of eloquence that Brown has: I think any executive, you have a list of criteria they have to meet, and if they don't necessarily have all of those skills themselves, they've got to figure out a way to get the people around them to do that. Mack's a tough, tough act to follow.
On if it is different hiring a profession basketball coach opposed to a college football coach: I think it's a matter of evaluating what the skillset is and the criteria. For any coach, any executive, the criteria are different at different spots. We've been talking for the past couple of minutes about what you're going to need to have at UT and that's the kind of coach we're going to have to go find.
On the pressure felt to hire someone that will bring the fan base back to unity: I don't worry about pressure. I've been operating in this universe for all of my adult life.
On if he would like to have a new coach named by Christmas: I'd like to have a coach by Tuesday at noon if we could. I don't think so.
On if he already has a short list of names in mind. No, I think we need to sit down and get clear about what the criteria are, and then you sit down and start talking to people and match those up.
On if he will be identifying specific criteria: Yeah, I think at the appropriate time. I mean, we've really been focused through today on figuring out where we are with Mack.
On if he will have any conversations with assistant coaches: I think once you hire a head coach, then we'll figure out who in the staff might stay.
On if he will use a search committee: Bill and I haven't had a chance to sit down and talk about that.
On reactions to hearing Brown's decision: I genuinely was looking forward to working with Mack. I think it was a decision that weighed heavy on him. I thought what was best about it was how classy he was about genuinely wanting to do what was best for the school and the student-athletes, and he and Sally had to figure that out.
On if there is anything he has learned in the process of Brown leaving: I have been hiring coaches for 20-plus years. I think the appreciation that you have is one of how different the college coaching game and responsibilities are than the professional.
On if he has had any coaches reach out to him regarding the new position: I have not had any conversation with anybody.
UT President Bill Powers
Opening statement: Let me just say, you heard one of the most eloquent discussions of transition that Mack Brown was making. He is an unbelievably classy, successful human being and we are blessed Mack Brown was the coach here at The University of Texas for 16 years. I'll just leave it at that.
On how the Friday meeting went and if he felt Brown knew that he would step down: There were discussions over a period of time. I think Mack described this as a difficult choice for him – back and forth. That's the way decisions are made. On Saturday, he decided this was the best for him and family and the university, and it's his decision.
On if the step down was Regent driven: No. I did not hear from any Regents on this. I have not over the last period of time. I have kept our liaisons informed as to where we are. I read in the papers and in the blogs that this was Regent driven. I was not given any direction, at all, from any Regent on this issue. In fact, I was told by Regents 'We don't hire the coaches.'
On what role Brown will now play in regard to his contract being through 2020: I think you know that's in his contract, which was a provision that was put in a few years ago. I think we've always known Mack won't coach all of his life and when he didn't, we want him to be a Longhorn. He can represent the university in a whole variety of ways. That is the role he'll play, as a special assistant. We'll sit down and work that out. We'll give time to do commentary, consulting, or whatever he wants to do – that's part of the contract. He will have some role in representing the university, and if it's not precisely defined, we'll sit down and work that out.
On who will hire the next head coach: Let me say, Steve will hire the next coach. Athletics is not my field, it is Steve's field. We will talk together and consult. We will sit down and go through a process. I'm sure that we'll get influence from outside sources, but Steve Patterson will hire the next football coach.
On what Texas is losing in Brown as head coach: I think this is a moment to reflect on that. Mack would always shun talking about the legacy -- it is an unbelievable legacy. This is a transition of one of the great football coaches in America of all time, certainly on the field. A national championship with a four-year run that is almost unsurpassed. A tremendous 16-year career with wins, even more than that. We've got graduation rates and the family atmosphere, the way he represents the university, and you see him, Steve mentioned this, talk to the players after a game, after a victory, after a loss. You see him work with these young people. As I said, we're transitioning with one of the all-time great human beings and football coaches.
On if he, or a representative of the university, had contact with Nick Saban: I haven't. You've read in the newspapers that several months ago there was contact with his agent, I think that's behind us. I think a lot has been made about that, casual contact of that sort, why not talk to him. That happens, and I think that's all behind us. Other than that, I have had no contact with Nick Saban or his agent or any intermediaries that know Nick Saban. All of those rumors, the lunches, the meetings, they are simply behind us.
On if the head coach at Texas has to have the same level of eloquence that Brown has: I think the eloquence in what you saw today, yes, dealing with the press, it's a very visible institution… You see that when he's talking to the families or the players. Honesty and what he says he can take to the bank, I think that is a skill that any college coach is going to have, not just with the external world but within the community and with the players and with the coaches. I think that would be a good point.
On reactions to hearing Brown's decision: My first reaction was that I know Mack has been weighing this for some time and he's a good friend. He's done so much for our university, and my first thought was about Mack.
On the salary of the new contract with Brown: There are things in his contract, including his role at the university should he want to transition into that – we have had some discussions of those that are in his contract. We've clarified some of those. We haven't had any discussions since he's actually decided to step down and go into that role other than the discussions you had with him about what his role would be. More officially, it will be to benefit the university, and Mack and I will work that out. He will be a tremendous asset to the university, but it will be consistent to him doing other things in his career.
On continuing Brown's role as an advisor: Yes, absolutely. The idea is it will give him a chance to do some consulting or whatever he wants to do but also do a number of things to advance the interest in The University.
On if he is frustrated with the pressure behind the decisions being made and the media interference: Well as Mack has said and as Steve has said, there is good news and bad news about that. We are blessed that people are interested in us and there has been a lot of interest in this. I think a lot of it is Texas and a lot of it is Mack Brown and what his legacy is. He is a stand-up guy, he is very charismatic, but there has been a lot of interest. It is difficult, I will say, to conduct business when you find out you're having lunch with so and so at such and such when you are not in that town. It affects the players and it affects the coaches so there was a lot of pressure but that is life at a major public university.
