TEXAS COACH MACK BROWN STEPS DOWN

(AP) — Mack Brown united and revived a divided and dormant Texas football program and coached the Longhorns to their first undisputed national title in 36 years.

Now after four seasons with at least four losses, Brown is stepping down to make way for the next coach to try to push the Longhorns back into the nation’s elite.

Texas announced Saturday night that Brown, who won the 2005 national championship, is retiring after 16 seasons, with his final game to be the Dec. 30 Alamo Bowl against Oregon.

In a statement released by the school Saturday night, Brown acknowledged it was time for a change after a 30-20 record and 18-17 mark in the Big 12 over the last four seasons. Texas is 8-4 this season and lost the Big 12 title to Baylor in the final game of the regular season.

The announcement came after a week of intense speculation about the 62-year-old coach’s future and a flurry of reports he was considering stepping down.