UMass football head coach Don Brown was recently relieved of his duties.
The decision comes as the Minutemen navigate another disappointing season. Brown, who began his second stint as UMass head coach in 2022, departs with a record of 6-28 during this tenure.
Following Brown’s dismissal, his wife, Deborah Brown, took to social media to highlight the stark financial disparities between UMass and its opponents, particularly regarding NIL funding.
The Minutemen have faced a challenging schedule that included SEC teams such as Missouri, Mississippi State, and Georgia.
“The combination of NIL money of the teams UMass played this season is a combined $48,798,653 million dollars to our $36,000. And we played how many teams so close?!” Deborah Brown posted on X.
Needless to say, UMass lost all three matchups against those SEC teams in decisive fashion.
Now, don’t get me wrong. We all know exactly where UMass’ place is in the college football world.
However, Deborah has provided us with the exact numbers that smaller programs are allegedly grappling with.
In other words, don’t expect the Minutemen to be competing with Michigan for five-star quarterbacks anytime soon…
The 68-year-old Don Brown has a coaching career that spans more than four decades. He began in 1977 and has worked across football, basketball, and baseball.
While primarily a football coach, Brown even served as the interim head baseball coach at Yale in 1992 and worked as a high school basketball assistant early in his career.
As a head football coach, Brown has led three different college programs: Plymouth State (1993-1995), Northeastern (2000-2003), and UMass, where he has held the top job twice.
His first stint with UMass (2004-2008) was marked by significant success, including five consecutive winning seasons and two conference championships.
The Minutemen reached double-digit wins in 2006 and 2007, cementing Brown’s legacy in Amherst.
In his second stint with the Minutemen, the results were markedly different.
UMass won just one game in Brown’s first year back in 2022, improved to three wins last year, and has struggled again this season.
As he approaches 70, questions loom about what’s next for Brown.
He could opt to retire after a long career, or he might explore opportunities to return to coaching in some capacity, likely as a defensive coordinator – a role in which he has excelled throughout his career.
What are your thoughts on the growing challenges that the “little guys” face when trying to compete in the NIL world???
