Consider these achievements from his 11 full seasons leading the Longhorns, who currently are 4-0 and ranked second in the country:
- A 115-26 record, which averages out to 10.5 wins and 2.4 losses per year.
- At least nine victories each season, highlighted by 10 or more each of the last eight years and two losses or fewer in five of those eight seasons.
- An 8-3 record in bowl games, with a current run of five straight wins - three in Bowl Championship Series games.
- A 3-1 record in the last four games against bitter rival Oklahoma, among the nation's best programs.
- A 38-0 mark against Big 12 Conference opponents Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma State - especially impressive considering Texas plays South Division foes Baylor and Oklahoma State every year and that Kansas, Missouri and OSU have been strong during recent seasons.
- A 3-0 record at Nebraska, which is known for its home dominance.
- A 13-0 record in 2005 for Texas' first national championship since 1970, capped by the epic 41-38 victory over top-ranked Southern California in one of the all-time great college football games.
That's quite an impressive résumé, to be sure. However, Brown has detractors and has had them throughout his time in Austin. Some complaints might be unfair, but some are valid.
You could point to the fact that he's 5-6 against Oklahoma, including an ugly 0-5 run from 2000-04 during which the Sooners outscored (or embarrassed, if you prefer) Texas by a combined 189-54.
You could point to the fact that he's taken the Longhorns to the Big 12 title game only three times and won just once.
You could point to the fact that he's 3-3 at Texas Tech, lost to less-than-great Dennis Franchione Texas A&M teams in 2006 and '07, and has struggled to a 2-4 mark against Kansas State, including a ghastly 41-21 home defeat in '07.
You could point to the fact that he's guided Texas to more Holiday Bowls (four) than BCS bowls (three). The ironic thing there is that Brown's Longhorns are 3-0 in BCS bowls - winning back-to-back Rose Bowls in 2004 and '05 and last season's Fiesta Bowl - and only 2-2 in the Holiday. San Diego's a great place to visit, but don't blame Texas fans if they'd rather be in Pasadena (California, not Texas), New Orleans, Miami or Glendale, Ariz., come the first week of January.
All in all, the Brown era at Texas could best be described as highly and consistently successful, with a few disappointments thrown in.
As for Brown as a program leader, he's really about as good as it gets.
He's a great recruiter who attracts the lion's share of the best talent in the state that has the country's best high school football. He makes high school coaches feel special and reaps the rewards on national signing day each February.
He went from fan favorite Major Applewhite at quarterback to blue-chip Chris Simms, then from the indomitable Vince Young to the impossible-not-to-like Colt McCoy, he of that noted Tuscola Jim Ned football factory.
Brown helped Ricky Williams win the Heisman Trophy in 1998, and Young and McCoy were Heisman runners-up after producing junior seasons that would have won the Heisman almost any other year. Fear not when McCoy departs after this season; big-time freshman Garrett Gilbert will be ready to put his stamp on the Longhorns.
Brown always puts together a strong staff and allows his coaches to coach, and the hiring of fiery defensive coordinator Will Muschamp - who will become the Longhorns' head coach when Brown's ready to step down - was brilliant.
Brown's a charismatic figure who's comfortable with the media scrutiny that comes with overseeing one of the country's elite programs. I appreciate the fact that when you ask him a question in a postgame media conference, he always looks you in the eye and produces a thoughtful answer.
And he makes sure to tout Texas' proud history, keeping legendary coach Darrell Royal a visible figure and inviting ex-players to remain close to the program.
Critics of Brown say he's too corporate, too polished, too media-aware, too corny. Critics say many of the same things about North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, and he's done pretty well.
Is Mack Brown the country's very best college football coach? Maybe, and maybe not. It could be Florida's Urban Meyer, USC's Pete Carroll, Ohio State's Jim Tressel, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops or Louisiana State's Les Miles.
But Brown surely is in the discussion, and in my opinion only Meyer and Carroll have a slight edge on him because they have multiple national titles.
Note to Texas fans: You don't have to love everything about Brown, but you should appreciate the stellar job he's done in restoring Texas to its place among the top five college football programs.
And you're going to miss him when he's gone.
gwille@temple-telegram.com
