New Mexico hires Davie as coach

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico has hired former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie to head up its troubled football program.

Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs announced the appointment Wednesday. UNM has scheduled a news conference Thursday afternoon to introduce Davie, who will become the university’s 31st head coach.

Notre Dame fired Davie in 2001 after he had compiled a 35-25 record, at the time the third-worst winning percentage for the Irish.

Although his teams did well academically, the Irish were placed on NCAA probation for the first time under Davie as the result of a relationship between Irish players and a booster that started under Lou Holtz and continued under Davie. They also produced no first-team All-Americans and only one first-round draft pick, Luke Petitgout.

New Mexico officials declined to comment further on Davie’s hiring.

Davie is currently the lead college football analyst for ESPN’s prime-time Saturday night game. Before being hired as head coach at Notre Dame, he spent 20 years as an assistant, including three years as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator and nine at Texas A&M.

He replaces Mike Locksley, who was fired mid-season after a three-year tenure that was mostly marked by losses and off-field problems.

The Lobos (1-9) got their first win of the season, and just the third win in as many years, last week by beating UNLV 21-14. They have two games remaining.

UNM was 2-26 under Locksley, including consecutive 1-11 seasons the past two years.