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Like many University of New Mexico football fans, the departure of Bronco Mendenhall as Lobos head coach left me stunned, disappointed and somewhat annoyed.
Mendenhall’s decision to depart UNM for Utah State after only one season, frankly, left egg on my face. After all, in an April column titled “Bet on Bronco,” I wasn’t shy about praising Mendenhall, touting him as the absolute best choice for the job.
Mendenhall had the track record, personality and familiarity with the program to make Lobo football matter again. Plus, after a long conversation the two of us had in the spring reminiscing about Mendenhall’s time at UNM 25 years earlier, I was convinced he was in it for the long haul.
“Lots of great memories, lots of great relationships,” Mendenhall recalled of his first stint in New Mexico. “I just felt that this would be a great opportunity and privilege,” to return to the Land of Enchantment. “I love a challenge and I love change.”
Mendenhall added he was also comfortable with the facilities as well as the NIL investment to attract players.
Did something change during a somewhat successful, by UNM standards, 5-7 season? Shortly after the final game, Mendenhall was hired away. Certainly, there were excellent reasons, including a $1 million raise to $2 million annually and a return to his home state of Utah.
However, why take the New Mexico job in the first place, then leave Lobo football in a precarious position, if you were pining for something else all along? After sitting out two years following successful stints at BYU and the University of Virginia, those opportunities would have been available in the Beehive State or just about anywhere else.
Speculating here, but could there have been something else that precipitated his fleeing UNM? In our conversation almost a year ago, Mendenhall recounted that near the end of his run at UVA, he “felt like there was going to be a status quo-like this is enough, we’re relevant enough.”
Maybe the football community, UNM leadership and fans, just aren’t ready to go all in. Attendance for the final home game against nationally-ranked Washington State drew only 14,067 fans. That doesn’t exactly scream, “stay, Bronco, stay.”
Plus, who knows what else was going on behind the scenes? I recall one New Mexico head coach leaving after he felt his assistants were insulted by a UNM administrator surrounding festivities at a bowl game.
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The current changes in Loboville, including the exit of key players through the tranfer portal and the loss of assistant coaches, don’t breed optimism for the future of an already fragile program. A little research indicates that Mendenhall is the first head coach in UNM football history to quit after only one season, and with the hiring of Jason Eck from Idaho, the Lobos have their third head coach in three years. That too is unprecedented.
How can UNM football rise above a seemingly never-ending cycle of mediocrity? I do not have the answer, but I do have a proposal. How about a Lobo football summit, a gathering of stakeholders to search for solutions?
The UNM president and director of athletics would host leaders of the student body, the business community, state government, media, plus current and former players. Perhaps about 25 people in all, chewing the fat and sharing ideas over a weekend. Find out, from their perspective, what has worked and what hasn’t as they search for a consensus.
Will a tweak here, an adjustment there, make a difference? Is providing more money the answer or not worth the investment? While some will likely believe more cash is the solution, others might propose punting altogether, dumping football or dropping out of FBS. After face-to-face discussions, could one simple idea make a light bulb go off to lead the Lobos out of darkness?
Don’t hold your breath. It’s doubtful those in charge would go for my proposal. After all, people in power often believe they have all the answers.
However, what’s that old saying, attributed to Albert Einstein? “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Sounds familiar.
