App State plays 'Return of the Mack' to welcome UNC coach Mack Brown

Monica Holland and Sammy Batten, The Fayetteville Observer
·2 min read
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As UNC and Appalachian State football teams left the field at Kidd-Brewer Stadium in Boone at halftime on Saturday, the speakers blared a hip-hop tune from 1996 that held a special message.

"Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison serenaded the Tar Heels and Mountaineers and nearly 40,000 fans in the highest attendance The Rock has ever seen, but the music was meant for one man in particular.

UNC coach Mack Brown is in his second stint leading the Tar Heels, but before he ever donned baby blue, Brown coached the Mountaineers.

North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Mack Brown celebrates a 38-7 win over Duke at Kenan Memorial Stadium on Oct. 2, 2021, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Mack Brown celebrates a 38-7 win over Duke at Kenan Memorial Stadium on Oct. 2, 2021, in Chapel Hill, N.C.

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Brown was a successful offensive coordinator at LSU when he received his first head coaching opportunity with the Mountaineers in 1983. He directed Appalachian State to a 6-5 record in his one and only season before departing to become the offensive coordinator for legendary coach Barry Switzer at Oklahoma.

"I loved Appalachian State and the mountains of North Carolina and all it stands for,'' Brown said. "But I was making $38,500 as head coach at Appalachian State. Oklahoma offered $125,000. I wanted to stay (at Appalachian State). But I knew Oklahoma was one of the best programs in the country and it would be a great experience to call plays for Barry Switzer. So I said, 'I'm not real smart, but I think I need to go.' ''

Brown has remained connected to the area. He and his wife Sally have maintained a home in nearby Linville for years and spent much of their time there after Brown stepped down as head coach at Texas.

After UNC rallied for a 28-21 halftime lead after trailing 21-7, everyone at The Rock heard these words going into the break:

Those lyrics would prove prophetic if the Tar Heels can hang on for the Week 1 win.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: App State football plays 'Return of the Mack' for ex-coach Mack Brown