Bowl History

New Mexico has a new holiday tradition. Since it's inception in 2006, the New Mexico Bowl has been played on the Saturday afternoon before Christmas at University Stadium on the University of New Mexico campus. The contest has pitted the Mountain West Conference against the Western Athletic Conference in the state's only annually nationally televised sporting event.

A Bowl Is Born

2006 Bowl Highlights

The New Mexico Bowl is the culmination of a collective effort of people with a vision in a state on the move. While the idea of playing a Division I College Football Bowl Game in Albuquerque had been around for a while, the push to make the New Mexico Bowl a reality started around 2005. The New Mexico Sports Authority, an agency created by governor Bill Richardson, saw the potential to make this event happen. After researching some of the game's most exciting collegiate bowls, the Sports Authority met with the commissioners of the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conferences.

A contest between these two leagues seems natural. The WAC has a long-standing history in this part of the country, especially the state of New Mexico. UNM was one of the WAC's original members, helping establish the nation's sixth oldest Division I-A conference in 1962. The Lobos withdrew membership in 1999, along with Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah, UNLV and Wyoming, in order to form the Mountain West Conference. But the state of New Mexico didn't lose it's representation in the WAC for long, as New Mexico State, the only other Division I college in New Mexico, became a member in 2005.

With the MWC and WAC interested in committing to the game, the Sports Authority, the University of New Meico and the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau worked together along with ESPN Regional Television (ERT) to put a deal together. ERT, which owns five other bowl games (Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, Sheraton Hawai`i Bowl, Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl, PapaJohns.com Bowl, and St. Petersburg Bowl) assumed ownership of the New Mexico Bowl and it was licensed by the NCAA Certification Committee in April 2006.

Acknowledging The Past

While the 2006 New Mexico Bowl was the first Division I Bowl game in the state of New Mexico, there was postseason action in the Land of Enchantment before. In 1980, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs played Eastern Illinois at University Stadium in the Division II championship game, called the Zia Bowl. It snowed in Albuquerque just two days before the game and the weather was unusually cold. Helicopters were brought in to dry the fields and the grass was painted green. A very small crowd showed up to the Cal Poly win the D-II national title, 21-13.

The Inaugural Game

Call it fate or just plain coincidence but just days prior to the first collegiate bowl game at University Stadium since 1980, the city of Albuquerque was dumped on with six or more inches of snow, forcing the game and practice fields to be plowed off so the Bowl could go on as scheduled. The game did go on as planned Saturday, Dec. 23, 2006 and an announced crowd of 34,111 watched as the San Jose State Spartans defeated the New Mexico Lobos, 20-12. For SJSU (9-4), the win provided a final highlight in a season in which it won more games than it had in the three previous seasons. For UNM (6-7), it dropped them to 0-5 in bowl games since 1997, and extended the Lobos' postseason losing streak to the sixth longest in the nation, having not won a bowl game since they beat Western Michigan in the 1961 Aviation Bowl. For a complete recap of the inaugural game, click here. The final box score, play-by-play, drive chart, post-game quotes, and photo gallery are also available.

New Mexico Bowl II

2007 Bowl Highlights

The second New Mexico Bowl was just as chilly as the first with kick-off temperature of 34 degrees but there was no snow for the 30,223 in attendance. The game ended up in favor of the Lobos as Paul Baker ran for 167 yards in his first start, and Donovan Porterie threw for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns to help New Mexico beat Nevada 23-0 on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. The Lobos (9-4) ended a 46-year span without a postseason victory and gave head coach Rocky Long, the team's 10th-year coach, his first bowl win in five tries. John Sullivan made field goals from 53, 39 and 37 yards, but credit was also given to New Mexico's defense, which delivered just the second shutout loss for Nevada under Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault. The Wolf Pack (6-7) hadn't gone scoreless since losing 10-0 to Weber State on Sept. 27, 1980, a span of 329 games -- the longest streak in college football at that time and the second longest in history. It was the first time Nevada was shut out since moving to Division I-A in 1992. For a complete recap of the second New Mexico Bowl, click here. The final box score, play-by-play, drive chart, post-game quotes and photo gallery are also available.

New Mexico Bowl III

2008 Bowl Highlights

Excitement was in the air for the third New Mexico Bowl as it welcomed two new teams, Colorado State and Fresno State, to University Stadium for the first time in the young game's history. It appeared that Fresno State was going to take home the trophy, leading 28-20 heading into the fourth quarter. Colorado State had other plans, rattling off 20 points in the final period for a 40-35 victory. Ram running back Gartrell Johnson, III was named the New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Player of the Game, finishing with 375 net yards from scrimmage, which is a New Mexico Bowl record. He ran 27 times for 285 yards, which is a New Mexico Bowl rushing record and a Mountain West Conference bowl game rushing record. Johnson’s 375 yards from scrimmage (rushing & receiving only) on 32 touches set a new mark for the most yards in FBS bowl history. Colorado State defensive end Tommie Hill was named the New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Game because of his interception of Fresno State quarterback Tom Brandstater with 13:26 remaining in the fourth quarter to jump-start the Rams' rally. For a complete recap of the third New Mexico Bowl, click here. The final box score, play-by-play, drive chart, post-game quotes, post-game notes and photo gallery are also available.

New Mexico Bowl IV

2009 Bowl Highlights

No one knew for sure what to expect as the fourth annual New Mexico Bowl approached. Fresno State was back for the second straight year but this time the Bulldogs were rolling on a lot of momentum that stemmed from a miracle, season-ending win at Illinois. Wyoming was is the same boat as Colorado State from the previous year. They were representing the MWC with a 6-6 record, needing the last game of the season to earn bowl eligibility, and were led by a first-year head coach. Again, it seemed like Fresno State was destined for the trophy. Wyoming trailed by 11 points in the fourth quarter. Its offense was led by a freshman quarterback, its defense was facing the nation's leading rusher. Time to worry? Not these comeback Cowboys. Freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels threw three touchdown passes, the last a 13-yarder to David Leonard in the second overtime Saturday, and Wyoming rallied past Fresno State 35-28. The first of 34 bowls in the 2009 season was a high-scoring matchup that was decided at the end by defense. Wyoming (7-6) stopped the nation's leading rusher, Fresno State's Ryan Mathews, on three rushing attempts from the 1 in the first overtime. The Bulldogs (8-5) tried a quarterback sneak on third down, and Mathews came up short again on fourth down. The Cowboys, who won four times this season after rallying in the fourth quarter, scored on the first possession in double overtime, then held Fresno State on downs. For a complete recap of the fourth New Mexico Bowl, click here. The final box score, play-by-play, drive chart, post-game quotes, post-game notes and photo gallery are also available.

Making It's Presence Known