The University of New Mexico Lobos and the NCAA Tournament: A History of Challenges and Triumphs
The New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team, representing the University of New Mexico, has a storied history within the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and NCAA Division I. While the program boasts a passionate fanbase and a legendary home court, success in the NCAA Tournament has remained elusive. This article delves into the history of the Lobos, from their early beginnings to their repeated appearances in the NCAA Tournament, examining their successes, challenges, and the figures who shaped the program.
Early Years and the Rise to Prominence
The foundation of Lobo athletics was laid by Roy W. Johnson, affectionately known as "Old Iron Head." Arriving in 1920, Johnson transformed the university's athletic facilities, even contributing his own labor. During his tenure as athletic director (1920-1949) and coach of various men's sports, including basketball, Johnson established regular competition with regional colleges, leading to UNM's inclusion in the Border Conference in 1931. He coached the UNM basketball team for all but two seasons from 1920 to 1940. 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.
The Bob King Era: Architect of Lobo Basketball
Lobo basketball first achieved national prominence after Bob King was hired as head coach in 1962. King, previously an assistant at the University of Iowa, inherited a struggling program. 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. Before King's arrival, New Mexico joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as a founding member. His impact was immediate, with his first team achieving a 16-9 record, the program's best in 17 years.
The following season, 1963-64, the Lobos, led by Ira Harge, secured their first WAC championship. 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. The success of King's early seasons led to a doubling of attendance at Johnson Gym, prompting plans for a larger arena.
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.
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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. 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 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.
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.
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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. In an investigation into illegal gambling, the FBI had placed a wiretap on the phone of a major Lobo booster. While Ellenberger was visiting this booster, in November 1979, he took a call on the tapped phone from assistant coach Manny Goldstein. They discussed an arrangement to transfer bogus credits from a California Junior College to the office of the UNM registrar. Based on this conversation, the FBI launched an investigation that exposed widespread academic fraud and financial improprieties within the program.
NCAA Tournament Appearances: A Quest for the Sweet Sixteen
The New Mexico Lobos 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 Lobos became frequent participants in the NCAA tournament during the 1990s. Despite these numerous appearances, the Lobos have struggled to advance deep into the tournament. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Lobos have never reached the Sweet Sixteen.
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Notable Tournament Runs
- 1968: 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.
- 1974: 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.
- 2012: New Mexico nearly made it to the Sweet 16 in 2011-12 but they came up short, 59-56, against Louisville.
- 2014: New Mexico was a No. 3 seed and was expected to make a deep tournament run. The Lobos went up against No. 14 Harvard but were upset in the round of 64 and thus extended the drought of not advancing to the Sweet 16 round another year.
The Pit: A Fortress and a Symbol
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. 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.
Beyond Basketball: UNM Athletics
The University of New Mexico boasts a diverse athletic program with successes beyond basketball. The women's cross-country team won the NCAA championship in 2015. In 2017, UNM won the women's national team title, and Lobo Ednah Kurgat won the individual title. 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. 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.
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