The 1908 University of New Mexico football team was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

team represented the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

as an independent during the

1908 college football season The 1908 college football season ran from Saturday, September 19, to November 28. The Penn Quakers and the Harvard Crimson each finished the season unbeaten but with one tied. The LSU Tigers went unbeaten and untied against a weaker opposition. ...

. The team compiled a 5–1 record and outscored all opponents by a total of 111 to 34. Walter R. Allen was the team captain. Hermon H. Conwell was the first-year head coach. Conwell was a graduate of Kansas Agricultural College who was hired in 1908 and placed in charge of the mathematics department. On November 13, the team defeated the by a 16–12 score in

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in, and the County seat, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...

. The ''Roswell Daily Record'' noted: "This was the first strictly college foot-ball game ever played in Roswell. It is the start of college athletics, and the lovers of this sort of sport are hoping that the spirit will grow." On November 22, the team played its annual

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

game against New Mexico Agricultural College (later renamed

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

). The university team won the game by a 10–6 score, the first victory for the university over the Aggies since 1894. Fullback Welcher drop-kicked a field goal for four points in the first half, and each team scored a touchdown in the second half. On Thanksgiving Day, November 26, the team played

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in a game that matched two undefeated teams. Arizona had not allowed any of its prior opponents to score a point and won the game by a 10–5 score. The ''

Albuquerque Morning Journal The ''Albuquerque Journal'' is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of New Mexico. History The ''Golden Gate'' newspaper was founded in June 1880. In the fall of 1880, the owner of the ''Golden Gate'' died and Journal Publishing Company was c ...

'' called it "very decidedly the best football game ever seen in New Mexico or Arizona". The game was also the first meeting between the two universities, marking the start of the

Arizona–New Mexico football rivalry The Arizona–New Mexico football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Arizona Wildcats and New Mexico Lobos. They have met 67 times on the football field. Arizona leads the series 44–20–3. Kit Carson Rifle From 1938 t ...

Schedule

References

University of New Mexico football New Mexico Lobos football seasons University of New Mexico football football {{collegefootball-1908-season-stub