In 1987, Frank Beamer in his first year at Virginia Tech, met a Tulane team led by Mack Brown and almost 35 years later it’ll be Brown against Shane Beamer now as the two square off in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Brown and Frank Beamer go back decades, two legends of the sport, and Shane Beamer even grew up around the Browns and their children.
Because of that Brown, now in his second stint at North Carolina, followed Beamer’s rise to head coach at South Carolina and thinks he has the tools to be great in Columbia.
“Shane’s a superstar in coaching,” Brown said. “I’m so proud of him. He’s killing it and doing a great job in his first year at South Carolina. I’m really, really proud of him. He’s like an extended family member for Sally and I.”
Brown joked there are two days he won’t want Beamer to win—Dec. 30 and again against his Tar Heels to open the 2023 season—but was incredibly complimentary of the job Beamer and his staff did this year.
It was eerily similar to Brown’s first year back in Chapel Hill (2019). Brown took over a team coming off a two-win season and won five combined game the two previous years and went 6-6 in the regular season with a bowl win.
Beamer did something similar—inheriting a two-win team and a combined six wins over two years—and got to the Duke’s Mayo Bowl with wins over Florida and Auburn.
“There’s nothing better than taking a team that was really struggling, and ours was the bottom of the league, and turn it into a bowl team. That’s so much fun. I’ve seen Shane do that,” Brown said. “They got better at the end of the year and kept getting better. You think, ‘Well they can’t beat Florida or they can’t beat Auburn.’ And they do. Then you’re looking at a road game at Missouri and it coms down to 31-28.”
Beamer spent his career bouncing around to different jobs across the country—South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Georgia, Oklahoma—and because of their family histories Brown kept track of it.
He said he’s really impressed with the job Beamer’s done in his first year as the Gamecocks’ head coach and some of the wins they were able to notch.
“I’m so excited for him. Everyone talked about how tough the South Carolina year was going to be and all the things they were fighting. Then he comes up and beats Florida and beats Auburn and nearly beats Missouri on the road. He’s done a tremendous job coaching.”
Momentum is a big piece of bowl games and Beamer didn’t shy away from saying a win would help make a statement for South Carolina moving into year two.
For instance, Brown parlayed a bowl win into an 8-3 regular season and a trip to the Orange Bowl.
“He’s a very upbeat, positive, tremendous amount of energy as a young coach. I think he’ll be a super star. He’s got a best consultant in the world in his dad,” Brown said.
“I’m sure Frank says, ‘I wouldn’t do that, brother. Ah, tried that in 1984 and it didn’t work so don’t do that.’ that’s what coach Royal did for me at Texas. Shane has a hall of famer right over his shoulder.”
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