Mack Brown met with the media this afternoon after announcing he would retire after the Alamo Bowl, ending 16 storied years on the 40 acres. Brown leaves with one BCS National Championship and two Big 12 Conference Championships.
Brown thanked Texas for everything, saying one day he’d have someone “with integrity†help him tell the story of being head football coach of the Longhorns, or just write the book on his own.
He said the choice to retire was made around 4pm yesterday after meeting with President Bill Powers and Athletic Director Steve Patterson. He subsequently left and told the players after practice.
Brown and the staff will still be recruiting until the dead period begins, and will then be working on the game plan on Oregon. Brown stated he will start the next chapter in his life and transition into a position of Special Assistant to the President, saying his role will be what “Powers and Patterson want him to do.” Brown was adamant he will not be involved in the  coaching search.
Brown hopes with his retirement the negativity will clear, and things will get back on track. Brown said he wants to be remembered for setting a high standard, doing things with integrity and class, and making great people.
On this season, Brown said there were too many distractions, too many negatives out there about him. Brown said the University is bigger than a person, and the staff and kids should not have to deal with negativity brought on by him.
On his team, Brown said he wants the players and staff to know he still supports them. He thanked all the high school school coaches and parents. Brown got a laugh from the crowd about the obscure radio station guy from Topeka, KS who announced Brown was quitting two years ago after the Baylor game.
Brown said he told the players not to be mad at the University, reiterating that he made the choice to retire.
Mack Brown said it’s all about winning at the University of Texas – that he had set a high standard, and that standard had not been reached recently. Â He praised the players and coaches for fighting so hard, and said he felt like this was the year things would get back to where they needed to be. Brown made it clear he was told he could come back for 2014, and he made the choice not to because it was not best for the University.
Brown said all he wanted to do was get things back in position to win, and he believes the next coach has things built for him to win quickly. Says the depth and everything is set where he felt he/someone could win next year. Brown did say he felt like he could not make a four year commitment to the newest recruits and that played a factor in his decision.
When asked if what he could change looking back, Brown wanted to fix two things: He wanted Cole Pittman back and he wanted the bonfire accident at Texas A&M to have not occurred. He said those were two horrible things in his life he’d never forget – things he thinks about each Thanksgiving. Â Brown then left his final press conference to a standing ovation.
School President Bill Powers and Athletic Director Steve Patterson then took the stage. Both parties basically had the same message they said repeatedly, the highlights of which are the following:
Powers claims he was given no directions from any regent on the Mack Brown issue. He also said he was told by Regents “We don’t hire the coachesâ€.  He completely denied anything related to Nick Saban.
Patterson says they’ve been focused on Mack and Sally Brown, but  will now sit down with Powers and get things together to find the best coach they can for Texas. A timeline was not given. Will not provide daily updates on the search. Praised Mack Brown as a classy guy.
Powers called Brown’s legacy “unbelievable.â€
To Mack Brown – We thank you for all you’ve done over the past 16 years to make Texas Football the standard bearer of College Football, and for rescuing the program from a long fall from grace. We wish you the best in the future Coach, and look forward to what you built becoming the dominant power in the country.
