A Legacy of Wolves: Exploring the History of University of New Mexico Athletics
The University of New Mexico (UNM) boasts a rich and diverse athletic history, embodied by its teams, the Lobos. From humble beginnings, UNM athletics has grown into a program with national recognition, marked by memorable moments, legendary figures, and a passionate fan base. This article delves into the key aspects of this evolution, highlighting the people, events, and traditions that have shaped Lobo athletics.
The Genesis of Lobo Athletics
The foundation of UNM athletics was laid by Roy W. Johnson, affectionately known as "Old Iron Head." Arriving in 1920 after a successful athletic career at the University of Michigan, Johnson inherited a program with limited resources. The UNM gymnasium was a small wooden structure where the walls served as out-of-bounds markers for basketball games. Basketball was primarily an intramural sport. Johnson dedicated himself to building collegiate-level athletic facilities, even performing some of the hard labor himself.
During his nearly 40 years at UNM, Johnson coached every men's sport the school offered, while also teaching physical education. A decorated veteran of both World Wars I and II, he served as the UNM athletic director from 1920 to 1949. Johnson established regularly scheduled games against regional colleges, and in 1931, UNM became a founding member of the Border Conference. He coached the UNM basketball team for all but two seasons from 1920 to 1940.
Early Basketball Success and the "Architect of Lobo Basketball"
After Johnson stepped down as head basketball coach after the 1939-40 season, the position passed to a few different coaches before Woody Clements took over 1944-51 and 1953-55, compiling a record of 113-119 (.487). The Lobos won the Border Conference in 1944 and 1945, and they appeared in the NAIA post-season tournament in 1947, losing to Hamline University in the first round. From 1951 to 1962, the Lobos competed in the Mountain States Conference, known at the time as the Skyline Eight.
Lobo basketball first achieved national prominence under Bob King, who was previously an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Iowa. The Lobos had only two winning seasons from 1947 to 1962, compiling a 113-252 (.310) record, including a dismal 42-149 (.220) during the last eight years. New Mexico joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as a founding member before King's first season. His first team went 16-9, the best Lobo record in 17 years.
Read also: University of Georgia Sorority Guide
King transformed a moribund program into a consistent winner and produced future ABA MVP Mel Daniels. The Lobos won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship in 1964 and 1968, making frequent appearances in national rankings. The team reached the NIT tournament final in 1964 and received its first bid to the NCAA tournament in 1968.
The 1963-64 season saw the Lobos win their first WAC championship, led by Ira Harge, who King had recruited from a junior college in Iowa. The team posted wins over Kansas and at Purdue and received a berth in the 1964 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The rise of the program continued in the 1964-65 season, led by sophomores Mel Daniels and Ben Monroe. After an early loss at Kansas, the Lobos won ten straight, later building a 19-3 record and attaining a #10 national ranking, their first appearance in the AP poll. They dropped their next four games on the road, however, including a one-point loss at #10 BYU. They were again invited to the NIT, where they lost to St. John's to finish 19-8. Daniels averaged over 17 points and 11 rebounds a game, providing the fast-growing Lobo fan base a preview of things to come.
Due to the success of King's first three seasons, attendance at Johnson Gym more than doubled, and plans to build a larger arena began to take shape. In the 1965-66 season, Daniels averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds a game, and the Lobos raced out to an 11-1 record after beating #7 BYU. University Arena opened as the home venue of the Lobos on December 1, 1966. Because the playing surface is 37 feet below grade, students nicknamed the arena "The Pit," and the nickname stuck. The team began the 1966-67 season ranked 6th in the country and rose to #5 before winning at #2 UTEP, the defending national champion and highest-ranked team New Mexico had ever beaten at that point. The Lobos reached #3 with an 11-1 record but then lost four straight and fell out of the rankings. Despite a disappointing WAC campaign, they received a bid to the NIT. The Lobos beat Syracuse in the first round before losing to Rutgers, finishing the season 19-8 and ranked #18 in the UPI. Daniels averaged 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds a game, finishing his career with a still-team record 44 double-doubles, and he became the first Lobo to be named as an All-American. He was selected as the ninth pick overall in the 1967 NBA draft by the Cincinnati Royals, but he chose to play in the fledgling American Basketball Association (ABA), becoming one of its greatest all-time players.
Stoking the popularity of Lobo basketball by this time was the success of two longtime rivals. New Mexico began playing New Mexico State in 1904, currently totaling over 200 games; they first played UTEP in 1929, with over 140 games total. Don Haskins took over at UTEP in 1961 and led the Miners to a 128-32 (.800) record in his first six seasons, including a 28-1 national championship season in 1965-66. New Mexico State hired Lou Henson as head coach in 1966, and like the Lobos under King, in his second season the Aggies began achieving national rankings and post-season tournament appearances. They went 74-14 (.841) from 1967 to 1970, including a 27-3 season in 1969-70 in which they were ranked in the top five most of the year, culminating in a Final Four appearance. The Lobos, Aggies, and Miners played one another twice every season, home-and-away, and a fierce rivalry grew among them.
The Lobos lost Daniels and Monroe to graduation and were picked in the 1967-68 preseason to finish last in the WAC. Instead, they started the season 17-0, rising to #6 before beating #5 Utah in the Pit, propelling the Lobos to #4. Four starters averaged in double-figures in scoring, led by senior guard Ron Nelson at 19.5 points a game. They swept their regular season match-ups against New Mexico State, with both teams ranked in the top ten at the time of their second game. The Lobos won the WAC championship, Nelson was named a Helms All-American, and the Lobos earned their first NCAA tournament appearance. They entered the tournament 23-3 and ranked #6. They hosted their first-round game in The Pit but lost to unranked Santa Clara.
Read also: History of the Block 'M'
The 1968-69 season began with high expectations and the Lobos ranked in the top ten, but they dropped out after a string of road losses. Howard led a young team, scoring 19.7 per game, with sophomores Willie Long and Petie Gibson beginning their runs as three-year starters. The Lobos swept #8 New Mexico State, with Gibson hitting a memorable last-second shot in the latter game, leading to a brief return to the national rankings. The team finished the season 17-9 but failed to receive an NIT berth. The Lobos slumped to a 42-36 record over the next three seasons.
After the 1971-72 season, assistant coach Norm Ellenberger was elevated to head coach, and King served as Assistant Athletics Director the next season. King then left to become head coach and Athletics Director at Indiana State University. In 1976, he recruited future Hall of Famer Larry Bird to ISU, where he led the Sycamores to a 48-12 record in his first two seasons. Bob King transformed the New Mexico program, becoming known as the "Architect of Lobo Basketball." Since his arrival at UNM, the Lobos have won over sixty percent of their games and earned over thirty berths to post-season tournaments, while suffering only five losing seasons. In 1992, UNM announced that the basketball court at University Arena would be named in honor of King. "Bob King Court" was dedicated at formal ceremonies on December 1, 1992, the 26th anniversary of the opening of The Pit.
"The Pit" and Basketball Dominance
The most renowned enduring feature of the Lobo basketball program is its home venue, known as "The Pit", recognized as one of the best college basketball arenas in the country. University Arena opened as the home venue of the Lobos on December 1, 1966. Because the playing surface is 37 feet below grade, students nicknamed the arena "The Pit," and the nickname stuck. The Pit opened in 1966 and the Lobos have been dominant playing there, winning over 80 percent of their games, while regularly placing among national leaders in attendance.
The Lobos became frequent participants in the NCAA tournament during the 1990s and have made 16 appearances overall, as well as 20 NIT appearances. They have won the MWC regular season championship and the conference tournament five times each.
The Ellenberger Era: Success and Scandal
Under Norm Ellenberger, the Lobos won WAC championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiled an overall record of 134-62 (.684). Ellenberger was named head coach in March 1972 after serving as an assistant under King since 1967. It was Ellenberger's first Division I head coaching position, but he made up for what he lacked in experience with energy and enthusiasm. Like King, Ellenberger got off to a fast start in his first two seasons. In 1972-73, the Lobos raced out to a 9-0 record, including road wins at Oregon State and eventual Southwest Conference champion Texas Tech, leading to their first appearance in the national rankings in nearly four years. The team was led by the strong inside scoring and rebounding of Darryl Minniefield, Bernard Hardin, and Mark Saiers. In late February the Lobos were 21-3, ranked #15, and leading the WAC, before losing their last two games and finishing second in conference.
Read also: Legacy of Fordham University
The 1973-74 Lobos began the season 12-0, launching them to a #8 ranking. Hardin led the way, averaging 17 points a game, and the team became the highest scoring Lobo squad to date at over 84 points a game. Bill Hagins replaced Minniefield, and the team was again dominant inside. After a string of road losses, the Lobos recovered to win six of seven and secure the WAC championship in a strong season for the league when five of eight teams were ranked at some point. The Lobos earned their second trip to the NCAA tournament and tallied their first tournament victory, downing Idaho State before losing to San Francisco in the second round. The 1974-75 Lobo team was depleted by graduation and slipped to a 13-13 record.
Ellenberger began relying heavily on recruiting Junior College (JC) transfers, a tactic that would lead to his best season as Lobo coach but later to his downfall. The 1975-76 team improved to 16-11 with a largely mercenary squad of JC transfers who would later quit the team before the end of the season. A memorable highlight of the season was the first game in a brief but intense rivalry with UNLV before the teams were in the same conference. Ellenberger was well-respected as a teacher of defense, and he was a frequent participant in basketball coaching camps and workshops, where he became friends with UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian.
The 1976-77 team featured JC arrivals Michael Cooper, Marvin Johnson, and Willie Howard, the nucleus for a successful and exciting two-year run. Cooper is among the best overall players ever produced by the Lobo program and was named an All-American in 1978. He averaged 16 points and five rebounds a game as a Lobo, also leading the team in assists and steals. "Coop" later became a mainstay of the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s, winning five NBA championships over a 12-year career. His defensive prowess made him an eight-time recipient of NBA All-Defensive Team honors, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987. By contrast, Marvin "Automatic" Johnson was one of the greatest scorers in Lobo history. He became the fourth leading scorer in school history at the time in just two seasons, set single season records for total points, season points per game (24.0), career points per game (21.9), and he scored a still-school record 50 points in a single game. Willie Howard was a talented inside player averaging 13 points and six rebounds a game, frequently providing explosive scoring off the bench. Further JC transfers Jimmy Allen and Will Smiley completed a strong Lobo front line.
The injection of talent made the Lobos exciting and competitive, but they took time to gel as a team, beginning the season 6-4 with a couple of disappointing losses. They beat Iowa and USC on the way to another showdown with #9 UNLV, losing a high-scoring game, then losing to #10 Arizona. Before the 1977-78 season, Ellenberger installed what he called the "Equal Opportunity Motion Offense", a run-and-gun attack emphasizing picks and passing as players rotate through each position, taking advantage of his versatile, athletic lineup. The scheme also employed a full-court pressing, trapping defense to generate points off of turnovers. The team played at a frenetic pace and led the nation in scoring at 97.5 points per game. Phil Abney and Russell Saunders were JC additions; Abney initially backed up Howard but later moved into the starting line-up. The Lobos stood at 7-2 after losing to #10 Syracuse, then rattled off 14 straight wins, including a home-and-away sweep of #9 UNLV, pushing them into the national rankings and eventually into the top ten. Attendance at The Pit jumped to over 17,000 a game, second most in the nation, as fan enthusiasm soared. The Lobos won their fourth WAC championship with a 13-1 league record, losing only at ranked Utah, and entered the NCAA tournament ranked #5 and seeded second in the West Regional, with the opportunity to play in The Pit for the regional final with a win.
The 1978-79 Lobo squad returned starters Abney and Saunders while adding another strong JC class including Larry Belin. The team began the season 8-3 but struggled away from The Pit, losing its first seven road games. The team finally broke through, winning another exciting game at UNLV, beginning a string of nine wins in its last ten games. The strong finish earned the Lobos an NIT bid, where they lost to Texas A&M, finishing the season 19-10. The 1979-80 roster appeared once again loaded with talent, and fan expectations were again high, but disaster struck the program in the early weeks of the season as the "Lobogate" scandal unfolded. Leading players like Belin lost eligibility and were dropped from the team. The "Lobogate" scandal involved forged academic transcripts, payments made for bogus Junior College credits, and other devices to attain eligibility for players who lacked academic credentials.
Football: Rivalries and Bowl Games
The Lobo football program has appeared in 12 bowl games since 1939. UNM usually plays two large rivalry games each year with non-conference opponents, the Arizona Wildcats and the New Mexico State Aggies. The Rivalry with the Aggies is referred to as the "Rio Grande Rivalry", the rivalry first began in 1894. The Lobos have led the series since the 1940s; it stands at 66-31-5 in favor of the Lobos. The Rivalry with the Wildcats is referred to as the "Kit Carson Rifle"; the rivalry began in the early 1920s. The Wildcats of Arizona have led the series. The last meeting with the teams was in 2008.
UNM has played in 13 Bowl games in its history, going 4-8-1. The heyday of Bowl appearances came during an 11-season span from 1997 to 2007, when UNM made it to six Bowls. Even better, UNM qualified for three straight from 2002-04, and five in six years from 2002-07. The Lobos picked up a win in 2007, a 23-0 whitewashing of Nevada in the 2007 New Mexico Bowl.
- 1939 Sun Bowl: Utah 26, New Mexico 0
- 1944 Sun Bowl: Southwestern 7, New Mexico 0
- 1946 Sun Bowl: New Mexico 34, Denver 24
- 1947 Harbor Bowl: New Mexico 13, Montana State 13
- 1961 Aviation Bowl: New Mexico 28, Western Michigan 12
- 1997 Insight.com Bowl: Arizona 20, New Mexico 14
- 2002 Sega Sports Las Vegas Bowl: UCLA 27, New Mexico 13
- 2003 Las Vegas Bowl: Oregon State 55, New Mexico 14
- 2004 Emerald Bowl: Navy 34, New Mexico 19
- 2006 New Mexico Bowl: San Jose State 20, New Mexico 12
- 2007 New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 23, Nevada 0
- 2015 Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Arizona 45, New Mexico 37
- 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 23, UTSA 20
Mike Locksley coached the Lobos from 2009-2011. He was fired in late 2011 after a dismal 2-26 coaching record in 2+1⁄2 years at New Mexico.
Other Sports and National Recognition
Beyond basketball and football, UNM has a diverse athletic program with successes in various sports. The Lobo baseball program has seen much success; the team competed in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament. In 2012 the Lobos captured both the Mountain West Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles. UNM's baseball team plays at Santa Ana Star Field on the university's campus.
The women's cross-country team at the University of New Mexico, known as the New Mexico Lobos, won the NCAA championship in 2015. In 2017, UNM won the women's national team title, and Lobo Ednah Kurgat won the individual title. UNM teams have won 3 national championships.
Traditions and Symbols
The Lobos name began in 1920. A UNM Weekly student newspaper editor, George S. Bryan, came up with the teams' name, the "Lobos", which is the Spanish word for wolf. In the early years of the university, the school colors were black and gold. Tradition holds that in the 1890s, a faculty member suggested the school adopt colors more representative of New Mexico. Crimson and silver were initially suggested based on, respectively, the crimson evening glow of the Sandia Mountains and the description of the Rio Grande as a "silver ribbon winding through the valley" as seen by students and professors taking picnics in the Sandias. Crimson was later changed to the cherry color which is the color of the Sandia sunset. Cherry and Silver became the official colors in 1897.
The University of New Mexico Spirit Program consists of two co-ed cheerleading teams (one large and one small), a dance team and the Lobo Louie and Lobo Lucy mascots. For a brief period in the 1920s, a live wolf pup appeared at every football game. In 1930, the UNM fight song was created. Dean Lena Clauve, a music education professor, wrote the music.
tags: #university #of #new #mexico #albuquerque #athletics
