In Austin. we look at things, this time of year, through orange-colored glasses. We drink the orange kool-aid. We mark the game dates on our calendars, even though we have several pocket-sized schedules at our disposal...it seems as though half the businesses in this town give them out.
It wasn't always that way.
When Mack Brown arrived in Austin, the football program was in depression. Former players and coaches were alienated; even the most rabid boosters were apathetic.
You could walk in to many Austin grocery stores on game day and buy a ticket for less than ten dollars.
But Brown came in with a plan and he stuck to it. He reached out to Coach Royal and former players. He sought the advise of powerful alums. He built lines of communication with the state's high-school coaches. He launched a public relations campaign that shook Longhorn Nation wide awake.
He also recruited like crazy.
The phrase "he can talk a hungry dog off a meat wagon" has been oft used to describe Mack Brown. His voice, ingrained with a southern twang, communicates honesty and integrity. He sells a family atmosphere at a high- level university and all the implied amenities that come with it.
But not everything went perfectly.
Austin is full of critics and Brown felt their sting. He would often become prickly with the press; at press conferences he would recite game stats and leave little time for critical questions. His handling of the Applewhite/Sims quarterback controversy put a bad taste in many mouths. He was seen to be pandering to the national media and spurning the local news outlets. In spite of a winning record and high-profile recruits, he was becoming viewed as a so-so game day coach.
Then came Vince Young.
Vince Young came to Austin with a troubled past and a father in prison. But he also was a huge high school talent. Within a couple of years, Young led Texas to a Rose Bowl win over Michigan in a game in which he dominated. That was the first time that I ever heard him speak...and I cringed. The language that spewed from his mouth was pure Houston-ghetto. I know people to whom English is a second language and their grammar was 100 times better. I was embarrassed for my school. What were they teaching this guy? How was this guy scholastically eligible?
The next year brought the Rose Bowl again along with the BCS Championship...and Young's language was just as abysmal.
Following that great game, Young showed up at White House to meet the President in a sort of jump suit. All his team-mates and coaches were dressed in coats and ties. He had decent start in the NFL, but things started spiraling downward: strip club fights, feuds with his coaches and booed by his team's fans. He was cut by his team earlier this year and signed to play a back-up role. It is probably his last chance.
Mack Brown, along with UT, catapulted to the financial top of college football. The stadium was expanded to hold nearly 100,000 people and runs close to being sold out. Brown makes in the neighborhood of $5 million a year plus perks. Many of his assistant coaches make near or over $1 million a year...and yes, they get perks also. UT is on the threshold of launching it's own television network, due to launch August 26th.
But there is large number of UT faithful that do not trust Brown.
Is he too politically correct? Is his smooth talk now appearing to be oily? Is he misjudging recruits and coaches? Has he relegated himself (no matter what he says) to the role of CEO rather than head coach? Is he a poor game day coach?
I sure as hell don't know.
But one thing for sure...You can't buy UT game tickets at a grocery store anymore.
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