The University of Texas announced Sunday it is hiring Charlie Strong as its head football coach, replacing the outgoing Mack Brown, who announced last month that he was leaving the team after 16 years.
Strong, 53, will become the first black coach of a men's sport at UT in the university's history, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
"To follow a future Hall of Fame coach like Mack Brown, who built a program that had great success and a reputation of doing it with class and integrity, is extra special," Strong said in a statement released by the university.
Strong will receive a salary of $5 million per year for five years, Sports Illustrated reports, citing an unnamed athletics official.
Men's athletic director Steve Patterson explained the hiring decision by saying Strong "led championship defenses as an assistant, a resurgence at the University of Louisville with double-digit game winning seasons, and twice been selected conference coach of the year."
Patterson added that "Charlie is a man of great integrity, with a wonderful family, who is well respected inside and outside the game."
UT will host a news conference Monday at 11 a.m. to formally introduce Strong to the public. The press conference will be streamed live at TexasSports.com. It will also be carried by the Longhorn Network and KVET AM 1300.
