Gridiron Glory: A History of New Mexico College Football Programs
The Land of Enchantment boasts a rich history of college football, with the University of New Mexico Lobos leading the charge. From their early beginnings to recent seasons, the Lobos have experienced periods of triumph and tribulation, shaping the landscape of New Mexico college football.
Early Years and Coaching Tenures
The first New Mexico Lobos football team took the field in 1892, marking the beginning of a long and storied program. The team didn't have a head coach from 1892 to 1893 and in 1899. The Lobos didn't field a football team from 1895 to 1898, 1900 and 1902. From 1920 to 1930, the Lobos were coached by Roy Johnson, who is credited with building the first athletics facilities on campus for the Lobos throughout the 1920s.
In the years that followed, a series of coaches took the helm, each leaving their mark on the program. Chuck Riley became the head football coach for the New Mexico Lobos and remained there for three years, but posted a disappointing record of 7-13-3. Under head coach Gwinn Henry, the Lobos posted an 8-1 record in 1934. Under head coach Ted Shipkey, who was hired to succeed Henry, the Lobos posted yearly records of 4-4-1, 8-3, 8-2, 5-4, and 5-4-1 from 1937 to 1941. Shipkey resigned after five seasons as head coach. The 1938 season was capped with a 26-0 loss in the 1939 Sun Bowl to Utah. Overall, New Mexico was held to 59 yards passing, and was intercepted four times. Furthermore, they were unable to cross Utah's 40-yard line during the entire game.
From 1942 to 1946, the Lobos were led by head coach Willis Barnes, and they posted records of 4-5-2, 1-7, 6-1-1 and 5-5-2 in that span. Barnes' 1945 team won the Sun Bowl and his 1946 team tied in the Harbor Bowl. His final record at UNM is 16-18-5. Barnes resigned after five seasons. As the head football coach at UNM, Berl Huffman struggled to find success on the football field. His three-year tenure produced a record of 8-22-1 that included no winning seasons. The Lobos' best season under his watch was a 4-5 mark in 1947. Huffman was fired after three seasons.
The DeGroot and Titchenal Eras
Dudley DeGroot, previously head football coach at West Virginia, was hired to take over the Lobos football program after Huffman's firing. Under DeGroot's watch, the Lobos compiled a record of 13-17 in three seasons, which saw the Lobos' fortunes improve on the field. DeGroot saw how limited his talents were and decided to concentrate and gamble on an all-out defense.
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For three seasons, Bob Titchenal served as the head football coach at New Mexico. His teams compiled records of 5-3-1, 5-5 and 2-8 for a total of a 12-15-1 record. His teams struggled on the playing field and recruiting was a difficulty for Titchenal and his staff.
Bill Weeks's Successful Stint
Bill Weeks served an eight-season stint as the head football coach at New Mexico from 1960 to 1967, compiling a record of 40-41-1. His 1961 team won the Aviation Bowl and his 1964 team finished the season ranked No. Coach Weeks won more conference championships - three - than any head coach in the history of New Mexico football. After starting his head coaching career 5-5 in 1960, Weeks and the Lobos embarked on the most successful four-year run in school history. That success was followed by outright Western Athletic Conference titles in 1962 and 1963 and a shared conference title in 1964. From 1961 to 1964, the Lobos went 29-12-1 for the best four-season record in program history. Rudy Feldman, previously associate head coach at Colorado, took over as head coach following Weeks' retirement.
The Sheppard and Franchione Years
Mike Sheppard was hired away from Long Beach State to take over as head coach of the Lobos football program on December 25, 1986. Under Sheppard, the Lobos sank to new lows, failing to finish better than 3-9 in a single season and fan support and ticket sales at an all-time low to that point.
On December 5, 1991, Dennis Franchione was hired away from Texas State and announced as the Lobos new head coach, given the task of rebuilding the lowly program after five dismal seasons. In his six seasons at New Mexico, he led the Lobos to a 33-36 record, including a 9-4 mark in 1997, which earned the Lobos a WAC Mountain Division Championship and an invitation to play in the Insight.com Bowl, their first bowl berth since 1961. Franchione departed New Mexico for TCU after the 1997 season. During the 1996 and 1997 seasons, his roster included future NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, who would set numerous defensive records during his time at UNM.
Rocky Long's Era
He led the Lobos to three straight post-season bowl games (2003-05) for the first time in school history and the Lobos were bowl-eligible for seven straight seasons, another record. This streak continued into the 2007 season as the Lobos accepted a bid to the New Mexico Bowl. After 11 seasons, and an overall losing record of coaching at UNM, Long decided to resign on November 17, 2008, two days after the Lobos' regular season ended. Long cited that he was not the right person to lead the program to newer heights.
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Locksley, Davie and Gonzales
In late May 2009, a former administrative assistant at New Mexico filed an age and sex discrimination complaint against Locksley with the Equal Opportunity Commission. The complaint was filed by Locksley's former administrative assistant Sylvia Lopez. Lopez claimed to have been subjected to age and sexual discrimination before being transferred out of Locksley's office. The claims were later withdrawn. In late September 2009, Locksley was reprimanded for an altercation with an assistant coach. He was subsequently suspended without pay for ten days. Locksley led his Lobos to 1-11 records his first and second seasons. Despite fan outcry to fire him, he returned for his third season. The high buyout was a large reason UNM chose at first not to fire him.
In Davie's first season as head coach, the Lobos finished the 2012 season with a 4-9 record. Following the season, Davie was given a contract extension by the Lobos athletics department. In 2013, Davie's second season at the helm, UNM compiled a 3-9 record. After another subpar season in 2014, the 2015 Lobos compiled a record of 7-6, which culminated with an appearance in the New Mexico Bowl, UNM's first bowl appearance since 2007. Multiple players earned All-Mountain West honors, including Jaxton Eck, named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
UNM fires head football coach Danny Gonzales.
Bowl Games, Rivalries, and Traditions
New Mexico has participated in 14 bowl games. Annually played from 1938 to 1990, the winner of the Arizona-New Mexico rivalry game took ownership of a gun in the Battle for the Kit Carson Rifle. The gun is a Springfield Model 1866 rifle that is rumored to have once belonged to the famous frontier scout, Kit Carson. Game scores from each game are carved into the stock of the rifle.
New Mexico's biggest rival is its in-state foe, the New Mexico State Aggies, whom they play annually. The series is known as the Rio Grande Rivalry. The rivalry between New Mexico's only two NCAA Division I institutions dates back to January 1, 1894 - 18 years before New Mexico achieved statehood - when the schools met in a football contest in Albuquerque. While it is clear that New Mexico won that first game, school records seem to disagree on the score. According to New Mexico media guides the final score was 25-5 but according to New Mexico State media guides the score was 18-6.
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Beginning in 1993, the two universities played for the Maloof Trophy, but it was short-lived; the trophy was retired in 2000. Until 1937 the series was competitive with the Aggies holding a 15-12-4 lead over the Lobos. Since 1938 the Lobos have dominated the series 54-16-1 except during 1959-1968 when the Aggies won 7 of 10 meetings. The Lobos' all-time advantage is 72-33-5; however, the rivalry remains spirited. Most recently the Lobos defeated the Aggies 55-52 on September 21, 2019, in Albuquerque.
The Modern Era and Mendenhall's Arrival
New Mexico hires Bronco Mendenhall as football coach.
The Pride of the Lobos
The New Mexico Lobos football team is the intercollegiate football team at the University of New Mexico. The Lobos compete as a member of the Mountain West Conference. Their official colors are cherry and silver.
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