Texas head coach Mack Brown, left, looks on as Colt McCoy right, puts on the Golden Hat Trophy after the Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 16-13 during the AT&T Red River Rivalry held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Rodolfo Gonzalez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Texas Coach Mack Brown Shares His Ideals for a Successful Program

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Henry Hipschman | Last updated May 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Legendary Texas Longhorns football coach and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Mack Brown now offers his advice on how to build a successful football program.

Once one of the top coaches in college football, Brown has learned how to establish more than just a successful program, but a positive culture as well. Brown recently joined the More Than The Scoreboard podcast where he discussed what he believed to be the keys to a winning football team.

"Usually when you come in, there’s not a trusting team, it’s a team that’s down, they’ve been losing, and you’re just another face," Brown said via On3. "You’ve got to communicate well enough to get them to talk to you so you can build up trust and respect."

Brown, 73, spent 36 seasons in college football as a head coach including 16 with the Texas Longhorns, where he led the team to its 2005 BCS national championship win. Most recently Brown also served as head coach at North Carolina, where he spent six seasons before being fired in 2024. Brown's career 288 wins as a head coach rank seventh all-time in FBS history.

Despite his success, Brown does not try to promote his ideals alone, but instead tries to surround himself with a staff that shares the same mentality.

"I learned when I sat out for my five years that I didn’t want to hire any staff member or coach that I didn’t like, that I didn’t respect, that I didn’t admire, because you’re around them all day," Brown said.

Another part of Browns strategy includes player communication to understand where the problems root themselves in a losing program.

"You’ve got ask them what’s wrong. You’ve got to ask them how to fix it. And then you’ve got to ask them what they need and want," Brown said. "If you feel like it’s what’s best for the program, you’ve got to do it to get credibility with them and build up some trust.”

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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