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Farewell Mack, Congratulations Carl

A decade ago, at the news conference when then Director of Athletics John Swofford ’71 introduced Mack Brown to the Carolina media, most were struck by how naturally and effectively Brown communicated. These communications skills earned him some needed patience from Carolina fans during the dark moments of his first two seasons.

Many were later impressed by Brown’s work ethic, his closeness to the players, his recruiting success, and his commitment to reestablishing relationships with North Carolina high schools and former Carolina football players. Carolina alumni were particularly happy when Carolina again had consecutive winning seasons, yearly bowl trips and back-to-back Top 10 rankings.

Most alumni were impressed by and grateful for what Mack Brown accomplished, but we were disappointed and somewhat surprised by his departure for the University of Texas. A few years ago, when courted by Oklahoma, Brown leveraged that opportunity into a major commitment by Carolina for a $50 million expansion to Kenan Stadium complete with 10,000 new seats, a spectacular new weight room, a remarkable new home locker room, spacious coaches offices, an impressive theater and memorabilia room, and generous financial enhancements for his assistant coaches and himself.

With all of the considerable success during the Brown era, it is important to understand that the turnaround in Carolina’s football program was not only because of Mack Brown. The University, its fans and supporters, the players and former players, the athletic department all made significant sacrifices and contributions to reviving our Carolina football program.

So after 10 years, Brown breaks his multiyear contract and leaves behind his players, recruits and remarkably generous supporters for an institution that has a rich football tradition but that has fired or reassigned its last three coaches. Yes, Texas is spending $90 million to expand its seating to more than 82,000, enlarging its weight room, adding 65 skyboxes and providing palatial offices for its coaches.

However, in going to Austin, Brown enters an unforgiving environment, where fans and media can be relentless and where the wealthy university regents are routinely intrusive. (Also, he went not knowing who the university president would be; in mid-December, Texas chose University of Illinois administrator Larry Faulkner to succeed Robert Berdahl, who has become the chancellor at the University of California-Berkeley.) And Brown will be chasing the legend of Texas’ revered former coach Darrell Royal instead of creating his own legacy at Carolina.

There are many who suspect that Carolina financially could not compete with Texas’ deep pockets. Both Brown and his wife, Sally Jesse Brown, are financially secure. (She has been a much respected and successful Chapel Hill real estate developer.) Others wonder whether, even after the resignation of longtime UNC basketball coach Dean Smith and the departure of Athletics Director John Swofford, Brown still was troubled that he did not receive the recognition he wanted or thought he deserved. Clearly, Texas is a “football school.”

Carolina has a balanced athletics program, where several sports routinely compete for national championships. As new Athletics Director Dick Baddour ’66 has observed, Carolina has many outstanding coaches who often are contacted by other institutions. They remain at Carolina, not because of financial remuneration but out of appreciation for UNC’s strong academic program and the special commitment Carolina has always had to a winning athletics program, where student athletes graduate and are expected to be role models.

With the selection of defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, Baddour has chosen perhaps the nation’s premier defensive coach to lead Carolina football. More important, he has selected a lifelong Carolina fan who wants to be the head coach only at UNC and whose work ethic, values and impressive achievements have earned him the support and respect of his players, fellow coaches and fans.

As Mack Brown leaves the nation’s oldest public university and Chapel Hill, we express our appreciation for the considerable role he has played with others in rebuilding “our” Carolina football program. But note, the program was always “ours” just as the University and this association are “ours.” There will always be a next chancellor, a next alumni director and a next football coach.

There is only one University of North Carolina, one General Alumni Association and one Carolina football program. That program belongs to us all, and it remains our obligation to support our program. We have every reason to believe that, like our University and our alumni association, our football program — now under Carl Torbush’s leadership — will remain strong. We are first and foremost an academic institution, long committed to excellence in all that we do.

Yours at Carolina,

Doug signature

 

 

 

Douglas S. Dibbert ’70

doug_dibbert@unc.edu

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