Texas coach Mack Brown steps down

AUSTIN, Texas >> Texas says coach Mack Brown has stepped down Saturday and that the Alamo Bowl against Oregon on Dec. 30 will be his last game with the Longhorns.

Brown led the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship and ranks second at the school in career victories. He’s stepping down after 16 seasons — and one tumultuous week of reports and speculation that this was coming.

He is 158-47 at Texas, but 30-20 the last four seasons, including 19-17 in the Big 12.

The 62-year-old Brown was hired at Texas from North Carolina in 1997 and was credited with reviving a dormant program. Texas had a run of dominance from 2001-2009 when the Longhorns went 101-16. He is one of the highest-paid coaches in the country at $5.4 million this year.

In a statement released by the school, Brown said he was brought to Texas to “pull together a football program that was divided” and that he leaves comfortable that he did that.

“It’s been a wonderful ride. Now, the program is again being pulled in different directions, and I think the time is right for a change,” Brown said. “I love the University of Texas, all of its supporters, the great fans and everyone that played and coached here … It is the best coaching job and the premier football program in America.

“I sincerely want to get back to the top and that’s why I’m stepping down after the bowl game. I hope with some new energy, we can get this thing rolling again.”

The school scheduled a Sunday news conference for 1 p.m Sunday.

Athletic director Steve Patterson called Brown a “tremendous coach, leader and ambassador for our university and our student athletes.”