Mack Brown is currently in his second stint as head coach at North Carolina, but his first go at the job has paid off in a way that has nothing to do with football. 

Per ESPN.com, a spokesman for the Tar Heels football team announced one of Mack's former players, Dr. Michael Bolognesi, performed knee replacement surgery for the legendary coach. 

Brown issued a statement on Bolognesi repairing his knee Monday:

"First off, how cool is it that one of our former players replaced my knee yesterday. We talk about building young men so they can be productive husbands, fathers and citizens. Carolina produces a lot of special people and I'm happy we were able to play a small part in Mike's development because we counted on him and he, along with the rest of the surgical and anesthetic team, did a tremendous job."

Prior to his 16-year tenure at the University of Texas, Brown spent 10 seasons at North Carolina from 1988-97. 

Bolognesi was a defensive back for the Tar Heels from 1989-93. 

Brown was hired to lead the Tar Heels football team last November after Larry Fedora was fired following back-to-back nine-loss seasons. 

It will be Brown's first head-coaching job since he resigned from Texas following the 2013 season. He was discharged from the hospital on the same day as the operation. 

North Carolina will open the 2019 season at home against South Carolina on August 31.