A national championship-winning football coach has been fired.

North Carolina announced Tuesday that Mack Brown, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, will not return next season. Brown, 73, will coach his final game in Chapel Hill on Saturday against rival NC State.

The news comes a day after Brown said he plans to return next season. The Tar Heels (6-5) are bowl eligible, but it is unclear whether Brown would coach in that game.

Brown, the 2005 national championship winner at Texas, coached UNC from 1988 to 1997 and then returned to Chapel Hill in 2018.

“Mack Brown has won more games than any other football coach in UNC history, and we deeply appreciate everything he has done for Carolina football and our university,” athletics director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement.

“Coach Brown has put the Carolina football program back in the national conversation by improving the program’s facilities, significantly expanding staff, investing in salaries and strengthening our nutrition, strength and conditioning programs. He was also a dedicated fundraiser, strengthening the football foundation while supporting our other athletic programs.”

Brown posted a 44-32 record in his second stint with Carolina and made a bowl game each season. His teams were typically explosive on offense behind quarterbacks like Sam Howell and Drake Maye, but defensive issues plagued the Tar Heels during his final tenure.

Carolina played in the Orange Bowl in 2020, participated in the ACC Championship in 2022 and had 18 NFL draft picks during Brown’s second tenure.

Cunningham also praised the coach and his wife, Sally, for raising funds for UNC Children’s Hospital, hosting popular events like the Ladies Day Clinic and leading the program through the tragic death of wide receiver Tylee Craft earlier this season.

Brown ranks eighth all-time among FBS coaches with 288 wins. He is the only coach with more than 100 wins at multiple FBS schools – 113 at North Carolina and 158 at Texas.

Brown’s contract runs for three years. The remaining payments will be covered by the athletic department, the school said.

Cunningham and Chancellor Lee H. Roberts are leading the search for a new head coach.