Brown knows what it takes to get Texas back on track

Sporting News, The, Jan 26, 1998 by Tom Dienhart, Mike Huguenin

New Texas coach Mack Brown just loves high school coaches, and he has his grandfather to thank.

There was a time when little Mack sat on the lap of E.H. "Jelly" Watson and had sweet recruiting pitches whispered in his ear. "Compliment the recruit's mama on her pecan pie and fawn over his father's Craftsman tool set," Jelly may have told Mack. And Jelly surely emphasized the importance of currying the favor of the prospect's coach, too, for it is through the coach the recruiter gets into the home, and Jelly was a prep coach who had seen and done it all.

Jelly has died, but he left a legacy in middle Tennessee as the area's all-time winningest high school coach. While Brown built a name for himself under the national spotlight at North Carolina, he hasn't forgotten grass-roots guys such as his grandfather. That's why he always has saved a few spots on his staff for the Friday night bosses, guys like Bruce Chambers, a former coach at Carter High School in Dallas. Brown recently named Carter as running backs coach at Texas. Chambers just happens to be coming from a school that annually produces some of the nation's most outstanding athletes, some of which the Longhorns could use after last season's 4-7 record. Brown knows that, but he's also sincere in his family for high school bosses.

"I really enjoy high school coaches," Brown told the Austin American-Statesman. That's my granddad in me. The best friends I've had have been high school coaches.

"I used to spend every day in the spring on the road. I used to be able to drive through a town and stop by and see the coach. NCAA rules won't allow me to do that anymore. But I will go to a lot of (high school) clinics. And I will be constantly picking up the phone to call coaches."

Brown was on the phone before he was in front of the microphone being introduced as John Mackovic's successor. Brown had skids to grease, which is why he was chatting with Eddie Joseph, vice president of the Texas High School Coaches Association, as the media gathered to chat with Brown about his new job running the show in Austin.

It's that type of salesmanship that had been lacking in Texas under the aloof Mackovic, who didn't blend well with the boots and black-slapping Longhorns crowd. Mackovic failed to immediately cultivate a kinship with the high school coaches, though his rapport wasn't as bad as many liked to believe. Mackovic annually landed some great prospects, but many (including Californians Bryant Westbrook and Ricky Williams, among others) came from out of state.

Brown fits Texas like a pair of boot-cut Wranglers. He's more Billy Bob that Biff, which will sell well among the texas alumni and, more important, high school coaches and recruits who pledge allegiance with one hand over the heart and the other raised high with index finger and pinkie extended in a "hook 'em Horns" salute. Longhorns faithful would love for Brown to win with Lone Star guys. But he'll have heavy competition from--among others--Baylor's Dave Roberts, one of the best recruiters in the nation. He'll also have to deal with Aggies coach R.C. Slocum, whom Brown considers a friend. Slocum and Brown have talked and reached an understanding that negative recruiting would benefit neither school.

Brown's impact won't cause a quake on the Texas plains when signing day arrives February 4; he has had too little time to woo a group of recruits similar to the bumper crop he left behind in North Carolina. High school coaches in that state loved routing their top talent to Brown, who took it and used it to lift UNC from a composite 2-20 mark his first two year to an aggregate 20-3 mark over the past two. But given time to tell his tale to hotshots from Amarillo to Corpus Christi, the laid-back, P.R.-savvy Brown will have Texas-sized talent in Austin--which he'll need to fill the 10,000-gallon expectations.

RELATED ARTICLE: inside dish

New Texas coach Mack Brown again has raided LSU's coaching staff. after hiring Carl Reese away from Gerry DiNardo and making him the richest defensive coordinator in the land, Brown has hired Tigers defensive tackles coach Mike Tolleson. ... Charles Woodson told a throng of 14,000 in Crisler Arena during a fete for winning the national title, "It's great to be a Wolverine. Aren't you glad the Heisman Trophy winner is here in Ann Arbor instead of down in Tennessee somewhere?" ...Florida State suffered a blow when backup tailback Davy Ford had reconstructive knee surgery; he could miss the season. With Vannez Gooch having transferred to Florida and Dee Feaster planning to move to cornerback, that leaves Travis Minor as the only tailback on the roster. Plan on Feaster staying on offense and the `Noles stepping up their recruitment for some tailbacks. In addition, safety Jeff Chaney could move to offense. ...David Kelly was considered perhaps Georgia's best recruiter before leaving for LSU in 1996. The `Dogs didn't truly replace Kelly's recruiting skills until they hired Rodney Garner from Tennessee two weeks ago. Tennessee then offered Kelly a job, but he turned it down. ... It didn't take long for former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Dick Winder to land on his feet. Spike Dykes has welcomed him back into the Texas Tech family. The Red Raider's offensive coordinator from 1987-95, Winder now will coach receivers. ...Adrian Autry, who led Northwestern with 1,049 yards rushing in '97, wont return for a fifth year of eligibility. But Wildcats fans shouldn't sweat it, as promising sophomore-to-be Brian Marshall is waiting in the wings. ...Look for Washington State coach Mike price to sign a five-year deal for about $450,000 per year in salary and outside income. In the Pac-10, only USC's Paul Hackett, Arizona State's Bruce Snyder and Stanford's Tyrone Willingham make more.