Ironically, one coach with North Carolina High Country ties has just taken over a major college football program, while another has just retired. A second irony is that both are from an Atlantic Coast Conference school. And yet a third irony is that they both have strong connections to Avery County.
One day after Linville resident Mack Brown was named head football coach at the University of North Carolina for a second time, Newland native Paul Johnson stepped down as head coach at Georgia Tech.
The 61-year-old Johnson made the announcement Wednesday after meeting with his players.