Written by MICHAEL KOH
Mack Brown and UNC were able to turn lemons into lemonade Monday night.
Brown’s exit from Chapel Hill a little over a year ago can be described as awkward at best and acrimonious at worst. The Hall of Famer had expressed his intention to return for at least one more season, but UNC didn’t give him that chance when it dismissed him prior to Carolina’s final game. He was allowed to coach that game, which the Tar Heels promptly lost.
In his postgame press conference, Brown went back on previous comments and claimed he knew all along it was time to go. The displeasure in the room was easy to detect, and not just from Brown. John Preyer, then the chairman of UNC’s Board of Trustees, voiced his intense disagreement with how Brown’s dismissal was handled. And while some fans may have been eager for a change, the controversial hiring of Bill Belichick a few days later and his disastrous first season seems to have swayed some opinions.
Brown quickly moved back to Texas following his exit and wore the Longhorns’ famous burnt orange whenever he got the chance. Never mind that the Horns themselves had dismissed Brown a few years before. It seemed obvious that Brown bore ill will toward UNC, which put the football program in an uncomfortable position. Despite everything, the man is the program’s all-time winningest head coach.
Which made it all the more surprising when UNC announced Brown would be honored at midcourt during Monday night’s men’s basketball game against Louisville at the Smith Center. But there he was, with not a touch of orange (or Carolina blue, for that matter) on his ensemble. The Tar Heel fans gave Brown a rousing ovation, then voiced some boos when Belichick joined him. Up on press row, several reporters noted the convenient timing of the ceremony, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham still on his way back from the Winter Olympics in Italy.
For the time being, it appears Brown’s standing in Chapel Hill has been somewhat repaired. No one will ever be able to undo his underachieving seasons with Sam Howell (in attendance Monday), Drake Maye, Omarion Hampton and other future pros. But there’s no doubt last year’s 4-8 season cast Brown in a bit of a softer light.
Who knows when Brown will be back? Maybe never. He seems happy in Texas, where he’s even started a podcast with Longhorn legend Vince Young, the pair forever connected thanks to their national championship win. It made Monday’s ceremony feel especially important — not only to bury the hatchet with Brown, but also to give appreciative fans a chance to send him off on their own terms.
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Featured image via Todd Melet
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Chansky’s Notebook: Mack is Back (Again) Chapelboro.com.
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