Since January 2007, he was an executive vice president with the 76ers. But that was just a title. In his heart and soul, he remained a coach. He just didn't have a coaching job.

But he's looking for one. Hard. To that end, he has resigned his front-office position with the Sixers, making his intentions known to president/general manager Eddie Stefanski earlier this week. The Sixers made an official announcement yesterday.

Where's Brown going? The first rumor yesterday came from foxsports.com, suggesting interest from Stanford, which is searching for a replacement for Trent Johnson. The rumor was shot down at that site almost as quickly as it popped up.

Brown did not respond to a telephone message from the Daily News. Sixers chairman Ed Snider was unavailable for comment.

Brown, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002, coached the Sixers for six seasons, taking them to the NBA Finals in 2000-01, their first appearance in the championship series since winning the title in 1982-83. He won an NCAA championship with Kansas in 1988 after taking UCLA to the title game in 1980, and won an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2003-04.

He has said repeatedly that he did not want his coaching career to end with a 23-59 season with the New York Knicks in 2005-06.

"I think Larry will be a coach, and should be a coach," said former Sixers president/general manager Billy King, who worked with Brown for a decade. "He's one of the best in the business.

"He was a great sounding board for making decisions. We didn't always agree, but you always want advice and that's what he provided. He's a coach, and I think that's what he will be again."

Brown won 1,010 games in his NBA career, including eight seasons of at least 50 victories. In 23 seasons, he has won seven division titles and three conference titles. He was the coach of the year in 2000-01, and a three-time coach of the year in the ABA.

"It's rare you'll find a separation between an organization and an executive as amicable as the one the 76ers had with Larry Brown," Stefanski said in a statement. "Larry was born to coach and this is something he and I talked about when I took the job back in December, so it comes as no surprise to me. Working with Larry was always a pleasure, and to watch him contribute with Maurice [coach Maurice Cheeks], his staff and the players was terrific." *