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DEL.ICIO.USNo ‘shade’ for Texas’ Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Austin, Texas — The Vince Young saga had still not played out at Texas. That story out of the National Football League combine in Indianapolis, alleging that the quarterback rage had scored only 6 points out of a possible 50 on an exam intended to gauge prospects’ intelligence, had triggered Mack Brown’s ire.
“That six was inaccurate. It was graded improperly,” he said. “It just mushroomed from that. It’s some kind of goofy test that doesn’t seem to have stood up too well in the past. Vince is a very intelligent young man. He left needing only three and a half hours for his degree and he would have graduated in the fall.
“I’ll tell you this, we have no place to hide ‘em at Texas,” inferring that there is no soft curriculum for athletes.
Spring practice was just beginning and Mack Brown was about to rebuild his case for the defense of the national championship the Longhorns had won in the Rose Bowl Jan. 4. (“My mother’s birthday,” he said. “She called and asked me what I was going do for her next year.”)
This hadn’t happened in Austin since the days of Darrell Royal, who did it three times, 1963, 1969 and l970. This was what Mack Brown came to Texas for, and he has done it in the stadium bearing Royal’s name. Royal is still about, 81 years old and visitor to practices nearly every day. He has his own particular Longhorn vernacular, such as “The less you say, the less you have to take back,” “Don’t sit in the shade,” and other chuck wagon sayings. His approval of Brown as a Longhorn is couched in this phrase: “He’s been dipped and vaccinated.”
The Browns come from Cookeville, Tenn., and football has put food on their table for a long time. Mack’s grandfather was the winningest high school coach in eastern Tennessee. His brother, Watson, a year and a half older, is head coach at University of Alabama-Birmingham.
“Not many coaches can pick up the phone, call another coach and say ‘I’ve got this problem, what would you do about it,’” Mack said. “And I do now and then, and so does he.”
Both Browns went to Vanderbilt, Watson because he wanted to be a sports writer — but later saw the light — and Mack planned to be an attorney. Something changed his mind as well and he switched to Florida State, there lettered two seasons as a running back.
There has been one particular thorn in Mack’s side at Texas — Oklahoma. The Sooners. “We beat them the first two times, and nobody said anything. Then we lost five in a row” — twice when Oklahoma ran up over 60 points — “and it became like a burr under everybody’s saddle. Then we beat them last year and nobody says anything.”
This was a major stop on the road to National No. 1, and Texas is still celebrating. No doubt he would have been everybody’s “Coach of the Year” if 79-year-old Joe Paterno hadn’t intervened. Nevertheless, Mack has won more games the last ten years than any coach in the big dog division.
“Now, I’m just gonna sit back and enjoy it. We may hold onto it and sit out the year,” he said and grinned. “Just kiddin’. As Coach Royal says, ‘Don’t sit in the shade.’”
He is surrounded by the Taj Mahal of facilities and a state crawling with prime prospects.
“Recruiting in Texas is the hardest thing I have to do. There are 1,200 schools that play football, more prospects in the Houston area than in all of North Carolina. And about all we can take is 20 or 25 .”
The first shoes to fill are the large brogans of Vince Young, 6 feet 6 , 235 pounds. Right now the leading prospect is about as Texas as a kid can get — Colt McCoy out of Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, population 620. Colt is 6 feet 3, about 195, and led the state in everything legal and decent in Level 2A, and is ready to move up after a year of running the scout team.
Now, about Young’s future in the NFL, how would he best be used, as Mack Brown sees it. “Well, lean heavily on his throwing, but let him do it with what he does best, run, like Michael Vick. We didn’t run him a lot.”
Statistics show that he was Texas’ leading rusher, 1,050 yards to go with his 3,036 passing. The indelible memory of his championship game is a run, his last for the 8 yards that put Texas over the top against Southern Cal. Right then he owned the world, No. 1 draft pick, top of the heap. Things have changed, having nothing to do with the NFL’s IQ exam. Brown is aloof to opinion on how his pro career will shape up, sorry that he took early departure, but also says little of that. Except to say, “You have to do what you have to do.”
One of the first messages that greets a fellow approaching the Darrell Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium area is a stern admonition that shouts out: “We Are Texas.” And don’t you forget it.
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By northwestDAWG
March 3, 2006 08:32 PM | Link to this
Browns main problem with Okla. was only 5 yrs. The Dawgs problem with the Reptiles has taken on the epic proportions of a Greek Tradgedy.(did I spell that right?)
By DawgsSuck
March 5, 2006 07:08 AM | Link to this
GatorBAIT!!! GatorBAIT!!!
By rush smith
March 5, 2006 09:52 AM | Link to this
I heard Coach Royal at a QB Club shortly after he retired with much success (3 natl champs) at age 51. He replied-I love coaching but kissing those 18 year old asses gets old in a hurry!.
By Carl Nassif
March 5, 2006 09:52 PM | Link to this
Congrats to Coach Brown and Texas but, if White gets 4 more inches on the fourth down play in the fourth quarter, folks would be asking Brown how he blew another.
By AugustaHorn
March 6, 2006 01:16 AM | Link to this
Blew another? To whom, the ESPN-annointed “greatest college football team of all-time?” While playing them in their backyard? Hardly. What Mack Brown and The University of Texas accomplished is HIGHLY impressive. No amount of “what if’s” can overshadow their national championship. For those who think overwise, Dandy Don Meredith said it best on MNF, “If ‘if’s’ and ‘but’s’ were candies and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas!” Hook ‘em Horns!
By h Charles
March 6, 2006 08:31 AM | Link to this
Great article. Great to see one the nation’s winningest coaches get the recognition he deserves — particularly since he is such a class act. Not once did he raise the issue of this nation’s media calling USC the winner and “best team ever” BEFORE the Rose Bowl! He just congratulated USC for a great game, and quietly accepted the trophy. If Texas can figure out a QB, watch out again next year. Arrogant Bob Stoops will be throwing his “Spurrier” visor again at the Red River Shootout.
By Canesqueezins
March 6, 2006 10:26 AM | Link to this
AS the 5th grade winner of the city school system spelling bee, yes, you have put one too many Ds in tragedy. But, nonetheless, the Horns took ‘em to task when it mattered, all there is to say. The Trojans gakked it up. And, yes, it has reached the proportions of a Greek Tragedy.
By rj
March 6, 2006 10:43 AM | Link to this
I have to concur with the great comments for Coach Brown. As a North Carolina fan, it hurt sooo much when he left us to go to Texas. But he knew he had to go home to coach. He turned around the Tar Heel program (wish it would have stayed that way). Bottom line is all the GREAT USC had to do was stop Vince Young shorter than 8 yards. They failed to do so. One other thing, why isn’t anyone ragging the USC coach’s decision on the 4th down play. You have to kick in that situation. The clock was on their (USC) side.
By Jamie
March 9, 2006 09:41 AM | Link to this
That Darrell Royal fella’s smart as a tree full o’ owls. He oughta publish a book of those wise old chuck wagon sayings…
By Ron Kline
March 15, 2006 09:32 AM | Link to this
The statement “We Are Texas” only means that arrogance still lives large in Texas!