What has Brown done for you?

Brown feted even in loss to Oregon in Alamo Bowl

By Steve Habel

SAN ANTONIO – Things were not supposed to end this way for Mack Brown, the coach that led Texas to the 2005 National Championship and the cusp of another in 2009.
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The hard times and tough seasons finally caught up with Brown in 2013, and his final time striding the Longhorns’ sideline ended with a definitive 30-7 loss to Oregon in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, a city known for desperate underdogs making a last stand.

Afterward, the Texas players and coaching staff said they were disappointed at the way they things ended in Brown’s final gig on the 40 Acres after 16 seasons as the face of the Longhorns.

“We all love coach Brown and it’s tough to not get a win for him in his last game here,” said Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas’ All-America defensive end. “Coach Brown was never shy to show us that he loves us and that he cares about us other than football. It’s tough to see him go.”

There were plenty of tributes to Brown before, during and after the game. Bevo, Texas’ 1,300-pound Longhorn mascot, usually sports a halter with his name across his nose but wore a harness bearing the word “MACK” in honor of Brown for the Alamo Bowl. Brown said he didn’t have time to notice.

Then the Texas band spelled out Brown’s name during its halftime performance, but the coach was still in the locker room, trying to figure out a way to stop Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. He said after the game that his wife, Sally, told him of that tribute but he didn’t see it.

But afterward, a majority of the normally fickle Texas fan base that helped jam the Alamodome stood and chanted Brown’s name and cheered when he led his team to the south end of the stadium, his ‘Hook ‘em Horns” raised high for the final time as Texas coach.

“Our fans have been great for 16 years,” Brown said in his final press conference as the Longhorns coach. “Sally and I can’t even answer all the emails, texts Facebook messages and tweets we’ve received the past two weeks. It’s been wonderful.”

Texas defensive coordinator Greg Robinson said UT will have a hard time finding a coach that brings as much to the table as Brown did in his time at Texas.

“He has been everything to Texas for as long as I can remember,” Robinson said. “It’s just hard to believe that he – and we as a coaching staff – are ending things here and it’s tough to end them this way. The total focus from coach Brown the past two weeks is for us all to give all we had to beat Oregon and not let his leaving be a distraction.”

As much as the players wanted to send their coach out on a winning note, Brown wanted to finish strong and leave Austin with a final great memory.

“I’m disappointed in the game and that we lost,” Brown said. “We all the distractions this team has dealt with, me being one of them, they’ve done everything right for the past two weeks getting ready for Oregon. They tried as hard as they could tonight.”

Brown said he hasn’t even thought of what life will be like when he wakes up in the morning.

“I’ll probably get up at 6 a.m. and be watching a video (of this game) and be worried about somebody,” he said. “I told (the players) to stay out of trouble tonight, that I didn’t need a call. Since I’ve been here I never really look back. I want to be driven and move forward.”

And with that, Brown excited the press conference to stage-left. He did not look back.

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