Dr. Jack Brown, PhD - Swimming & Diving Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Dr. Jack Brown, PhD

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
jackbrown@unc.edu
Phone:
919-962-6000

The 2023-24 season is Dr. Jack Brown's fifth year as the Associate Head Coach of the UNC swimming and diving programs. He arrived at Carolina in 2019 after seven seasons with the Missouri Tigers. Brown coaches the Tar Heels’ individual medley, middle-distance, and distance groups, along with serving as the swim teams’ mental performance coach. He is also a published author, with his recent release of the The Six Questions: A Step-By-Step Guide to Swimming Fast.

During the 2022-2023 season, Brown helped direct UNC to some highest performances in recent history. The women’s team recorded their highest NCAA finish since 2001, placing 10th, while the men finished 23^rd at the national championship meet.

Brown’s group had numerous NCAA qualifiers and All-America performers and broke multiple school records. Ellie Vannote smashed the 200 fly school record (1:54.07), while Louis Dramm broke the program’s records in the 200 IM (1:43.21). Additionally, Brown’s group helped break the team records in the women’s 200 medley and 400 medley relays and the men’s 400 freestyle relay.

In the long course pool, Brown’s swimmers also experienced success. Patrick Hussey broke the school record in the 200 freestyle (1:48.39) and earned the right to represent Canada at the World Championships as part of the 800 freestyle Relay. Louis Dramm qualified to represent Germany at the U23 European Championships in the 200 IM and 400 IM. His athletes also excelled in the classroom, as he had 17 athletes from his group named to the All-ACC Academic team.

In 2022, Brown’s group continued to perform for the Tar Heels at the conference, NCAA, and international levels. The women Finished 14^th at the NCAA Championships, while the men fought to 27^th. Ellie Vannote earned her first individual All-America award in the 100 fly, while the men smashed the school record in the 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay, and 400 freestyle relay. In the long course pool, Patrick Hussey qualified and competed at the world championships representing Canada in the 200 fly and the 800 freestyle relay.

Brown’s continued to flourish at the national level in 2021 with the women finishing 12th at the NCAA Championships, while the men placed 24th. The Tar Heels had a total of seven first team and five honorable mention All-America individual performances, while two relay teams earned first team honors and two others honorable mention. The men’s squad also finished sixth at the ACC Championships, the program’s best showing in five years.
During Brown’s first season at Carolina in 2019-2020, he helped five athletes to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships. His athletes also set five new school records, along with numerous athletes qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials. In His groups included five All-America performances, 15 ACC Academic Honor Roll recipients, and multiple athletes on the All-ACC and All-ACC Academic Team.

Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Brown spent three seasons at Missouri as a full-time assistant coach following four years as a volunteer and graduate assistant. During his tenure with the Tigers, Brown worked with the middle distance, distance and individual medley groups, serving as the primary coach of the distance group for his final three seasons. His distance group rewrote the record board at Missouri, and his swimmers went on to score in multiple events at the NCAA Championships.

While at Missouri, Brown also earned his doctorate in sport psychology. In addition to his role as a full-time coach, Brown served as the swim teams’ mental performance coach.

Prior to becoming a full-time assistant, Brown served as head group coach of the senior group for the Columbia Swim Club where he had several athletes set Missouri Valley records and qualify for Olympic Trials, U.S. Nationals and Junior Nationals. Brown also has coaching experience with the University of Arizona and Tucson Ford Aquatics, where he was a volunteer coach in 2010.

Before earning his doctorate in sport psychology, Brown graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Arizona, where he was a member of the NCAA Championship team in 2008. A 10-time All-American, conference champion and former school record holder, Brown’s primary events were the 400IM, 200 IM, and 200 Breaststroke. In 2010, he was named a first-team Academic All-American, NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, and PAC-10 postgraduate scholarship recipient.

Following his collegiate career, Brown was a two-time member of the U.S. National Team, a multiple-time U.S. Open champion and record holder, and an U.S. Olympic Trials finalist in the 400 IM.

A native of Atlanta, Brown competed with Swim Atlanta and was a standout performer at The Westminster Schools, where he has been inducted into the Breithaupt Athletic Hall of Fame. He owns and serves as the president of the Brown Performance Group, which is a mental performance-based education and counseling group. He and his wife Sarah, a former conference champion diver at Stanford and an orthopedic physician assistant, have two children, Finley (4) and Eleanor (2).