Mack Brown Resigns From Texas

UT and Mack Brown made it official Saturday night - he will resign as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.

After a week of speculation, Brown made his decision to step away from the program that he has invested 16 years into. Texas won the BCS national Championship once (2005) under Browns' tenure and played in the title game another time.

He informed the team Saturday of the news that he will step down after the Alamo Bowl. The school released a statement announcing the resignation shortly thereafter and has scheduled a press conference for 2pm Sunday afternoon.

"Sally and I were brought to Texas 16 years ago to pull together a football program that was divided. With a lot of passion, hard work and determination from the kids, coaches and staff, we did that. We built a strong football family, reached great heights and accomplished a lot, and for that, I thank everyone. It's been a wonderful ride," Brown said in a statement.

"Now, the program is again being pulled in different directions, and I think the time is right for a change. I love The University of Texas, all of its supporters, the great fans and everyone that played and coached here. I can't thank DeLoss Dodds enough for bringing our family here, and Bill Powers and the administration for supporting us at a place where I have made lifelong friendships."

"It is the best coaching job and the premier football program in America. I sincerely want it to get back to the top and that's why I am stepping down after the bowl game. I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again."

Speculation will continue as to what exactly was the reasoning for Brown's resignation. As seen in his statement above, he believes that the program is "being pulled in a different directions". Could this be differences in philosophy between Mack and new athletic director Steve Patterson?

New athletic director Steve Patterson, who replaced DeLoss Dodds after he retired in November, called Brown "a tremendous coach, mentor, leader and ambassador."

"He is truly a college football legend," Patterson said in the statement. "I've had a number of talks with him recently, and he has always said he wanted what was best for The University of Texas. I know this decision weighed heavily on him, and today he told us he's ready to move forward."

Brown's resignation comes just one day after he denied such rumors at the Longhorn's annual football banquet. Sources close to Mack claim that he was "enraged" when the news was leaked of his impending decision.

The news also comes just one day after the announcement that Nick Saban had agreed to a contract extension with Alabama.

Now the search for a new head coach will begin for Texas. Big names like San Francisco 49er's HC Jim Harbaugh, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher, and even Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy have been mentioned as potential candidates for the open position. Gundy is a man, ya know. 

Brown leaves with a record of 158-47 in his 16 seasons at Texas, nine wins short of tying Darrell Royal for the most in school history. He won 10 or more games for nine consecutive seasons (2001-09), and he's currently No. 10 on the FBS all-time coaching wins list.

We asked our readers in a poll if they thought Mack Brown should step aside as the coach at UT - 69% said that it was time for Mack to move on, while just 15% said he should stay.

(Source, ESPN)