Two of the winningest active coaches in the FBS will be on opposite sidelines when North Carolina takes on Notre Dame this Saturday. The Tar Heels’ Mack Brown ranks second with 257 wins. The Fighting Irish’s Brian Kelly ranks fifth with 161.
Both Brown and Kelly have racked up their respective victories at three different schools. Brown has been at the helm at Tulane, UNC and Texas. Kelly has won games at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.
Though Brown is in his second stint and 13th overall season with the Tar Heels, he’ll likely long be remembered in burnt orange. Brown won 158 games at Texas. His 16-year run in Austin was highlighted by a national championship in 2005 and another appearance in the national title game in 2009.
Kelly, meanwhile, has certainly established his legacy as a Notre Dame great. He recently passed Knute Rockne for the most victories by a head coach in program history.
"That's really special," Brown said on Monday of Kelly's feat.
Kelly is in his 13th season in South Bend. The biggest hole in Kelly’s résumé is what Brown accomplished a decade and a half ago — winning it all. Kelly has taken Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff in two of the last three seasons, though, and the Irish currently have the second-best 2022 recruiting class in the country according to Rivals.
Kelly appears poised for more success at Notre Dame for years to come. Brown, on the other hand, is in a later stage in his career. This is his third year back at UNC after taking five years off from coaching. The Tar Heels have had their moments since Brown’s return but still only have a 19-13 overall record to show for them.
Brown turned 70 in August. Kelly turned 60 on Oct. 25. It’ll be intriguing to see where Kelly stands among the winningest coaches of all time if he stays in the game for the next decade, or at least a good portion of it. Brown ranks seventh all time with his 257 wins. For reference, former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz ranks 10th with 249.
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