The New Mexico Lobos are the athletic teams that represent 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 ...

, located in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. The university participates in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

in the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations o ...

(MW) since 1999, after leaving the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...

. The university's athletic program fields teams in 16 varsity sports. UNM teams have won three national championships. The women's cross-country won the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

championship in 2015 and 2017 and the Division I Skiing championship in 2004.

History

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 Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

word for wolf. Previously the University's teams were referred to as the "University Boys" or "Varsities".

School colors

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 The Sandia Mountains (Southern Tiwa: ''Posu gai hoo-oo'', Keres: ''Tsepe,'' Navajo: ''Dził Nááyisí''; Tewa: ''O:ku:p’į'', Northern Tiwa: ''Kep’íanenemą''; Towa: ''Kiutawe'', Zuni: ''Chibiya Yalanne'') are a mountain range located in ...

and the description of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

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 school also used turquoise as an official color from 1973 to 1979. UNMHS Lobo

The fight song

In 1930, the UNM fight song was created. Dean Lena Clauve, a music education professor, wrote the music. Dr. George St. Clair, an English professor, wrote the lyrics.

Mascot

The University mascots are anthropomorphized wolves or "Lobos" named Louie and Lucy, they appear at every sporting and social event. Lobo Louie was created in the early 1960s and Lobo Lucy was created in the early 1980s. For a brief period in the 1920s, a live wolf pup appeared at every football game. Jim Young, a government trapper, caught a wolf in the western part of the state. A child teased the wolf at a game and was bitten, which forced officials of the school to get rid of the wolf.

Sports sponsored

The University of New Mexico sponsors teams in 7 men's and 9 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, competing in the Mountain West Conference.

Baseball

Current Head Coach: Tod Brown New Mexico Baseball 1906

Pitching Coach: Michael Lopez Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coach: Nate Causey The Lobo baseball program began in 1899. Its current head coach is Tod Brown. In recent years the Lobo Baseball Program has seen much success, the team competed in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship tournament. Prior to 2010 the Lobos hadn't made an appearance in the tournament since 1962. In 2012 the Lobos captured both the Mountain West Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles. The Lobos have not made a

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

appearance in its program's history. UNM's baseball team plays at

Santa Ana Star Field Santa Ana Star Field, formerly known as Lobo Field, is a baseball stadium located in Albuquerque, New Mexico that serves as the home of the University of New Mexico Lobos baseball team. Lobo Field had served as New Mexico's practice field as th ...

on the university's campus. They averaged 1,294 fans for the 2011 season and ranked 43rd in the NCAA per game.

Men's basketball

Current Head Coach:

Richard Pitino Richard William Pitino (born September 16, 1982) is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. From 2013 to 2021, he was head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gop ...

Assistant Coach: Andy Hill Assistant Coach: Isaac Chew Assistant Coach: Eric Brown New Mexico Basketball 1903

The Lobo basketball programs were established in 1899, but began its first competitive teams in 1903 and 1906, respectively. In 1920 a head coach would be hired, Roy W. Johnson. The current head coach is Richard Pitino Both men's and women's teams play in The Pit, formally known as Dreamstyle Arena, built in 1966. The Pit seats 15,411 spectators and ranks nationally in attendance for both men's and women's programs. Previously the Lobos played in

Johnson Gymnasium Johnson Gymnasium is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the campus of the University of New Mexico. It opened in 1957 and was the home venue of the New Mexico Lobos basketball team until The Pit opened in 1966. Tod ...

and

Carlisle Gymnasium Carlisle Gymnasium is an indoor arena on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was the home of the New Mexico Lobos basketball team from its opening in 1928 until the completion of the larger Johnson Gymnasium ...

, which both still exist on the main campus. The Lobo men's basketball team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times and have reached the second round seven times. UNM's most successful coaches in terms of wins are

Dave Bliss David Gregory Bliss (born September 20, 1943) is an American basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at University of Oklahoma, Southern Methodist University, the University of New Mexico, Baylor University, and Southwester ...

, Bob King, Roy Johnson, and

Steve Alford Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was a ...

Women's basketball

:Current Head Coach: Mike Bradbury :Assistant Coach: Valerie King :Assistant Coach: Keith Freeman The Lobo women's basketball team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 8 times. Former head coach

Don Flanagan Donald Elliott Flanagan (born November 29, 1943) is an American retired basketball coach. From 1995 to 2011, Flanagan was head coach of the New Mexico Lobos women's basketball, University of New Mexico women's basketball team. Early life and coll ...

(1999–2011) is the most successful coach in terms of wins.

Men's and women's cross country

Current Head Coach: Joe Franklin Assistant Coach: James Butler Assistant Coach: Dr. Richard Ceronie Assistant Coach: Laura Bowerman 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 2015, head coach Joe Franklin was named NCAA women's coach of the year for the NCAA Mountain Region and the NCAA nationally. In 2017, UNM won the women's national team title, and Lobo Ednah Kurgat won the individual title. The Lobo women were second place nationally in 2018.

Football

:Current Head Coach:

Danny Gonzales Daniel Ray Gonzales (born January 13, 1976) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of New Mexico. Prior to 2018, Gonzales had spent his college coaching career on Rocky Long's s ...

:Assistant Coaches: :* Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends: Derek Warehime :* Defensive Coordinator:

Rocky Long Roderick John Long Jr. (born January 27, 1950) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Syracuse. Prior to being hired by Syracuse, Long was the defensive coordinator at New Mexico. He play ...

:* Specials Teams Coordinator/Running Backs: Jamie Christian :* Offensive Line: Jason Lenzmeier :* Defensive Line: Jerome Haywood :* Safeties: David Howes :* Corners: Troy Reffett UNM Football team 1894

The Lobo football program began in 1892, but compiled its first competitive team in 1894. The Lobos were previously coached by

Mike Locksley Michael Anthony Locksley (born December 25, 1969) is an American football coach. Locksley is currently the head coach at the Maryland Terrapins football, University of Maryland. After serving as an assistant coach for several college football ...

from 2009-2011. He was fired in late 2011 after a dismal 2–26 coaching record in years at New Mexico. Locksley took the place of

(1998–2008), who was the winningest coach in the school's history. The Lobo football program has appeared in 12 bowl games since 1939. The Lobos have captured four wins in bowl games, including the 1946

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

, the 1961

Aviation Bowl The Aviation Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game played at Welcome Stadium in Dayton, Ohio, on December 9, 1961, between the New Mexico Lobos and the Western Michigan Broncos. New Mexico won by a score of 28 to 12. Attendance for the ...

, and the 2007 and 2016

New Mexico Bowl The New Mexico Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2006 at University Stadium, on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Owned and operated by ESPN ...

. UNM usually plays two large rivalry games each year with non-conference opponents, the

Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Divis ...

and the

New Mexico State Aggies The New Mexico State University teams are called the Aggies, a nickname derived from the university's agricultural beginnings. The mascot is known as " Pistol Pete". NMSU's colors are crimson and white. Since 2005 the Aggies have competed in the ...

. The Rivalry with the Aggies is referred to as the "

Rio Grande Rivalry The Rio Grande Rivalry is the name given to the New Mexico–New Mexico State football rivalry and known as the Battle of I-25. It is an intercollegiate rivalry between The University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. The rivalry be ...

", 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. The Lobos defeated the Wildcats 36–28.

Men's golf

Current Head Coach: Glen Millican Assistant Coach: Gustavo Morantes Volunteer Coach: Sean Carlon Dir of Player Personnel: Wright Zimmerly The men's golf team has won 24 conference championships: *

Border Conference The Border Conference, officially known as the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, was an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-affiliated college athletic conference founded in 1931 that disbanded following the 1961–62 season. ...

(3): 1948, 1949, 1950 (co-champion in 1948) *

Mountain States Conference A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

(6): 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1991, 1962 *

(8): 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1979, 1989, 1993, 1996 *

(7): 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, 2014, 2019 Many Lobo golfers have gone on to play and win on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

including:

Tommy Armour III Thomas Dickson Armour III (born October 8, 1959) is an American professional golfer. Armour first joined the PGA Tour in 1981 at the age of 21. He has two career PGA Tour victories, winning the 1990 Phoenix Open and the 2003 Valero Texas Open. ...

(four wins),

Charlie Beljan Charlie Benjamin Beljan (born October 10, 1984) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. Amateur career Beljan was born in Mesa, Arizona. He won the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ge ...

(one),

Brad Bryant Bradley Dub Bryant (born December 11, 1954) is an American professional golfer. Bryant was born in Amarillo, Texas, the son of a Southern Baptist pastor. He moved with his family to Alamogordo, New Mexico during his youth. Bryant attended the U ...

(one),

Curt Byrum Curt Allen Byrum (born December 28, 1958) is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He is the older brother of PGA Tour golfer Tom Byrum. Byrum was born and raised in Onida, South Dakota. He learne ...

(one),

Tom Byrum } Thomas Elliott Byrum (born September 28, 1960) is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. Byrum was born in Onida, South Dakota. He attended the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University bef ...

(one), and

Tim Herron Timothy Daniel Herron (born February 6, 1970) is an American professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He was previously a member of the PGA Tour, where he was a four-time winner. Early life Herron was born in Minneapoli ...

(four).

Women's golf

Current Head Coach: Jill Trujillo Associate Head Coach: Britney Choy

Women's soccer

:Current Head Coach: Heather Dyche :Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator: Karley Nelson :Assistant Coach: Paul Maestas

Softball

Head Softball Coach: Nicole Dickson Assistant Coach: Morgan Spearman The Lobos softball team has appeared in two

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...

in 1980 and 1981.

Men's and Women's Track and Field

Current Head Coach: Joe Franklin Joe Franklin is quoted as saying "We have to keep it fun" Coach Franklin was at Purdue from 1986-1991. This upcoming year will be coach Franklin's fourteenth year as the Track and Field's head coach. Franklin has led his team to 12 straight women's Mountain West titles.

Former varsity sports

* Skiing - UNM skiing officially became an NCAA-sanctioned program in 1982. They won a national championship in 2004. Citing financial issues, skiing was permanently eliminated in 2019. * Women's beach volleyball - Beach volleyball was permanently eliminated in 2019 due to financial issues. * Men's soccer - in 2018, UNM men's soccer was permanently eliminated due to financial issues. * Men's wrestling - in 1999, men's wrestling was permanently eliminated due to Title IX considerations and financial issues. * Men's gymnastics - Men's gymnastics had 16 individual NCAA champions. In 1999, men's gymnastics was permanently eliminated due to Title IX considerations and financial issues. * Men's swimming - in 1999, men's swimming was permanently eliminated due to Title IX considerations and financial issues.

Rivalries

Kit Carson Rifle Kit may refer to: Places *Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit * Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province * Kit Hill, Cornwall, England People * Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kit (surname) Animals * Young animals: ...

(

) *

(

)

Championships

NCAA team championships

New Mexico has won 3 NCAA team national championships. *Women's (2) ** Cross Country (2): 2015, 2017 *Co-ed (1) **

Skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

(1): 2004 *see also: ** Mountain West Conference NCAA team championships **

List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships Listed below are the colleges or universities with the most NCAA Division I-sanctioned team championships, individual championships, and combined team and individual championships, as documented by information published on official NCAA websites. ...

National runners-up

* Division I Men's & Women's Skiing (1992, 2006) * Division I Men's Soccer (2005)

Notable former Lobo athletes and coaches

Basketball

* Bob King, former head coach and, "architect of Lobo basketball." *

, winningest head coach at UNM *

, former head coach *

Ira Harge Ira Lee Harge (born March 14, 1941) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in Anguilla, Mississippi, Harge played high school basketball in Detroit, Michigan before starring in college at the University of New Mexico. He playe ...

, former NBA and ABA player *

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...

, former NBA and ABA player *

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

, former NBA player and 5-time NBA champion *

Luc Longley Lucien James Longley (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He was the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for four teams over 10 seasons. Long ...

, former NBA player and 3-time NBA champion * Kenny Thomas, former NBA player *

Danny Granger Danny Granger Jr. (born April 20, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who played ten seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 2005 after a two-year college stint at New ...

, former NBA player *

Darington Hobson Darington O'Neal Hobson (born September 29, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for Minas Tênis Clube of the Novo Basquete Brasil. He played college basketball for the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. Born ...

, former NBA player * Tony Snell, NBA player *

Cameron Bairstow Cameron David Bairstow (born 7 December 1990) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of New Mexico before being drafted 49th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He ...

, former NBA player

Football

* Roy Johnson, former UNM athletic director and football/basketball coach * Don Perkins, former NFL player *

Preston Dennard Preston Jackson Dennard (born November 28, 1955, in Cordele, Georgia) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the Unive ...

, former NFL player *

Brian Urlacher Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who spent his entire 13-season career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where h ...

, former NFL player

Baseball

Mitch Garver Mitchell Lynn Garver (born January 15, 1991) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Minnesota Twins. Early life Garver was born on January 15, 19 ...

, MLB player *

Jordan Pacheco Jordan Patrick Pacheco (born January 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Early career Prior to p ...

, MLB player and current hitting coach for the

Albuquerque Isotopes The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an el ...

Track and Field

* Josh Kerr, 2020 Olympic Bronze 1500m Medalist

Golf

, former PGA tour player *

, former PGA tour player * Charlie Belijan, former PGA tour player

References

External links

* {{Authority control

History

School colors

The fight song

Mascot

Sports sponsored

Baseball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Men's and women's cross country

Football

Men's golf

Women's golf

Women's soccer

Softball

Men's and Women's Track and Field

Former varsity sports

Rivalries

Championships

NCAA team championships

National runners-up

Notable former Lobo athletes and coaches

Basketball

Football

Baseball

Track and Field

Golf

See also

References

External links