It’s Official: Brown to Texas

Mack Brown, who turned North Carolina into a football power, took the responsibility of trying to return Texas to national prominence on Thursday.

Brown, who was offered the Texas job on Wednesday, announced his resignation from North Carolina after meeting with Tar Heels players.

Brown, who had 69-46-1 record in his 10 years at North Carolina, replaces John Mackovic, who was fired after a 4-7 season.

“We’ve had a good run. We’ve had a good stay,” Brown said. “There’s not any reason for me to leave here [at North Carolina.] I think it’s the challenge of starting over.”

Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds hailed Brown’s arrival, saying he will win over Texas faithful who became divided and frustrated during the six-year tenure of Mackovic.

“Mack Brown is just mesmerizing,” Dodds said. “He has a philosophy about things that is very sound, whether it be football, academics or alums. He’s very convincing.”

Brown received a five-year contract with rollover clauses that make it a seven-year deal worth $750,000 a year. Brown’s salary at North Carolina was about $165,000.

Dodds said it would be Brown’s choice whether to coach No. 7 North Carolina (10-1) in its bowl game or start working for Texas.

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No. 19 Missouri (7-4) is expected to receive a bid from the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, providing there aren’t upsets in Saturday’s Big 12 or Southeastern conference championship games. Missouri, which hasn’t played in a bowl game since losing, 21-17, to Brigham Young in the 1983 Holiday Bowl, would play the winner of Saturday’s Western Athletic Conference title game between No. 20 Colorado State (9-2) and New Mexico (9-2).

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Doug Williams, a former Grambling State quarterback, was introduced Thursday as the school’s new coach and successor to Eddie Robinson. Williams becomes Grambling’s first new coach since 1941, when Robinson started a career that ended with 408 victories--more than any other college coach. . . . Bobby Wallace, who built North Alabama into a Division II power, will take on the formidable task of coaching the foundering Temple Owls. Wallace, 43, succeeds Ron Dickerson, who resigned under pressure last month with an 8-47 record in five seasons. In the 12 years before Dickerson’s arrival, the Owls went 52-90. Wallace, who gets a five-year contract, had an 82-36-1 record at North Alabama, including Division II championships from 1993-95. . . . Southern Mississippi’s Jeff Bower confirmed he plans to talk to Arkansas officials about the coaching vacancy at the school that was created when Danny Ford was fired last Saturday after a losing season.