Co-champion of the MWC and MWC Coach of the Year.


I just can't put the guy up in those nasty SDSU uniforms...
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Give the guy props he has never changed his style... Coached the game with a RUNNING offense, and a tough DEFENSE...

Long also made sure to point out he doesn't work much with the offensive side of the ball, and gave some tips for what a good head coach does for his coordinators.

"I have nothing to do with that side of the ball, by the way," Long said.  That's (offensive coordinator) Andy Ludwig, him and the offensive coaches are the ones that develop the offensive game plan and they are pretty inventive. A head coach, if you have a really good coordinator and good coaches, you know what a head coach does? Stay out of their damn way.

And of course The Rock never takes credit for himself...

“I’m uncomfortable with the award because it has nothing to do with me,” Long said at his Tuesday press conference. “It has to do with players playing well and winning games. You only win those kinds of awards if the players win games.

“It’s more a statement of the program than of the individual. I think it’s more of a statement of how far the players have come.”

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Congratulations Coach Long... You deserve it!

Classic quotes.  This is his second MWC Coach of the Year award, he also won it here in 2002.  He is the fourth coach to win multiple MWC Coach-of-the-Year honors, joining Sonny Lubick (1999-2000 at Colorado State), Urban Meyer (2003-04 at Utah) and Gary Patterson (2005 and 2009 at TCU).  That's some pretty good company.  Long live The Rock!  Here's the full article:

http://www.coachingsearch.com/home/1928-rocky-long -a-good-head-coach-stays-out-of-the-way.html

Yep... It amazes me Lobo fans were angry about the boring run offense and tough defense Because Lobo fan felt they could "call the play" from the stands...

One of the funniest quotes The Rock gave me was, "I would run triple option here, but the fans would run me out of town if I did."

Should have done it Rocky, they wanted you out anyway...

BTW- Lobo fans how has that worked out for us anyway?

What's cool is Bob Davie is like The Rock, and old school guy that wants to grind you up, and play tough defense...

Funny we have come full circle... We know dogs chase their own tails, do Lobos do it as well...

Yep it's sad that we had to be beaten down so badly as a program for people to accept things like the triple option... Things Rocky always wanted to do but thought wouldn't be tolerated here by all the great football minds like Spannaballer.

I only wish he would not have left us with the stinging probabation which we are still recovering from.  I do wish him well however, and have fond memories of him running the triple option here as a qb.

What is Rocky's record in bowl games as head coach? Curious minds would like to know?

What is Rockys overall record at UNM? Did we lose more games than he won? I seem to forget so any help in reminding me would help

Congrats to the Rock who is a always will be a Lobo.

Just so you guys know there is no one more passionate about the Lobos than Rocky. He may be at a rival school but his blood bleeds Cherry and Silver like no other.

Coach Davie is doing everything Rocky did as far as how he is setting this program up. The Strength and Conditioning is the same. He is again focusing on instate kids just like Rocky. He is a smash mouth type coach just like Rocky. Coach Davie eludes to Rocky constantly. Walkons again are treated like any other player on the team.

Well deserved and I'm happy to see him have success. He deserved his "uncomfortable" accolades here and deserves them at SDSU as well.

-Alfredo Moreno
Portland, Ore.

My Favorite Lobo coach until now.....Congratulations Rocky.

SpanaBaller wrote: What is Rocky's record in bowl games as head coach? Curious minds would like to know?

What is Rockys overall record at UNM? Did we lose more games than he won? I seem to forget so any help in reminding me would help

Considering what Rocky had to work with, and how he was able to build things up, and grow a program that traditionally hasn't been very good is amazing...

It isn't like he was given a palace to coach in with some tradition or large fan support... He built it all up from basically ground up. Yes, I know Franchione left a couple of players no doubt, but Rocky's biggest success was once Franchione's players left and he was able to get HIS system in and HIS players in...

Honestly, I see Davie having the same problems that Rocky did... Sure those "Lobo fans" are somewhat supporting him right now, but look at the way many got weird towards the end of this season, as UNM wasn't going to hit those bowl expectations... 4 victories went from GREAT to we have to do better... Nobody looked at the overall picture or body of work, just at wins and losses...

It is kind of funny because Lobo football has just about every disadvantage a program can have and Lobo fan expects GREAT things... Really backwards.

I really like what Bob Davie is doing and like every Lobo coach I will support him in any way that I can, because I'm one of those guys that believes someday we will move forward.

who gives a sh*t....really.

We rip on Iowa fans for not letting go of Alford yet people around here are willing to (insert sexual innuendo here) Long for what he accomplished AT A RIVAL CONFERENCE SCHOOL no less, four years removed from a disastrous final year and leaving us on probation.

In terms of what he did at UNM is like being the tallest midget.  What Davie did this year IMO is way above anything RL accomplished here, and i know Rocky did some really good things-but was still a sub .500 football coach.  Problem is and no fault of his own,  Long was only good relative to the crappy history of UNM football.  I enjoyed his time here but he peaked and it got stale with the OC flavor of the month issue.  He left calling out the 'damn fans' which i thought was in poor taste right or wrong.

I think UNM can do better and should ascribe to do better and not make legends of below .500 coaches.  He never won a MWC title here, and he gravy trained his title at SDSU in down MWC year no less.  Hell we almost beat Boise st...not exactly a powerhouse like they've been.

lobojonz wrote: who gives a sh*t....really.

We rip on Iowa fans for not letting go of Alford yet people around here are willing to (insert sexual innuendo here) Long for what he accomplished AT A RIVAL CONFERENCE SCHOOL no less, four years removed from a disastrous final year and leaving us on probation.

In terms of what he did at UNM is like being the tallest midget.  What Davie did this year IMO is way above anything RL accomplished here, and i know Rocky did some really good things-but was still a sub .500 football coach.  Problem is and no fault of his own,  Long was only good relative to the crappy history of UNM football.  I enjoyed his time here but he peaked and it got stale with the OC flavor of the month issue.  He left calling out the 'damn fans' which i thought was in poor taste right or wrong.

I think UNM can do better and should ascribe to do better and not make legends of below .500 coaches.  He never won a MWC title here, and he gravy trained his title at SDSU in down MWC year no less.  Hell we almost beat Boise st...not exactly a powerhouse like they've been.

Wow....... Someone with absolutely zero sense of the history of UNM football.  Dennis Franchione is also a sub par coach according to your logic.  Show me someone who has done a better job here over a sustained period of time.  You certainly will not find anyone by looking into the history of the program and I would wager that you won't see anyone do better for the foreseeable future either (hope I'm wrong with Davie).

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--- lobojonz wrote:

who gives a sh*t....really.

We rip on Iowa fans for not letting go of Alford yet people around here are willing to (insert sexual innuendo here) Long for what he accomplished AT A RIVAL CONFERENCE SCHOOL no less, four years removed from a disastrous final year and leaving us on probation.

In terms of what he did at UNM is like being the tallest midget.  What Davie did this year IMO is way above anything RL accomplished here, and i know Rocky did some really good things-but was still a sub .500 football coach.  Problem is and no fault of his own,  Long was only good relative to the crappy history of UNM football.  I enjoyed his time here but he peaked and it got stale with the OC flavor of the month issue.  He left calling out the 'damn fans' which i thought was in poor taste right or wrong.

I think UNM can do better and should ascribe to do better and not make legends of below .500 coaches.  He never won a MWC title here, and he gravy trained his title at SDSU in down MWC year no less.  Hell we almost beat Boise st...not exactly a powerhouse like they've been.

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Nice logic... Rocky was sub .500 what is our record now?????

I'm not going to indulge those that have to dump on someone when they earn something good. It's typical of some folks that because of their own self-recognized inferiority, they have to put someone down in order to feel somewhat better about themselves.  Instead, I'm simply going to say "congratulations!" to the Rock for a well deserved honor & good luck to him in the bowl game.  However, if we ever get a chance to play SDSU again, I'm sure the Rock will appreciate that I hope the Lobos pound them.

Rocky is not only the greatest Lobo football coach ever.....but he is also one of the greatest Lobos PERIOD. Those who decry him are some of those "damn fans." Pure ****** and the reason why our program is in this mess. He should have retired here. Tell me about the progress we have made ten years from now. I have no doubt that Davie will resurect our program, but he will have by then run into same the potholes and roadblocks that Rocky fell into. Those problems aren't (weren't) about the coach, they are about the fan support and about the money available to the program. WOW. Albuquerque sure supported the new coach this year! I am AMAZED by the way you all turned out! Guess you couldn't be bothered.

Rocky did more with less. Provide Davie more instead of less, and we'll see what happens.

I look at it like this... Of all the REAL success UNM has had it is this

skiing- National Championship
Men's Soccer- National Runner Up
Football- New Mexico Bowl Victory
Women's basketball Sweet 16

After that you have Bob King going to the NIT finals back in the early 60's

Now we have Fishbien still here... Is Klause still here?
Rocky is gone fans biotched... Flanagan gone... Fans started biotching...

Rocky Long is the man! Dude gave his all to UNM football and so many fans just spit on it...

And you are right BBW I see the same with Davie... Dude did well this year, but where were the fans?

Davie did more than I ever suspected. I said at best, 3 wins and he bettered that. What was better though, was how we competeted and how many more games we were in to the bitter end. I am so very much impressed. However, I am still greatly unimpressed by how this fanbase supports Lobo football and by how they are so quick to dismiss Lobo legends like Rocky Long. That puts the writing on the (future) wall for me. He was a part of our greatest successes (both as a player and a coach) and that needs to be a building block instead of a fence to tear down.

Rocky would have lived and died here if he could. He loved this program so much. Yes, we have moved on, but I still love my grand parents (who have moved on as well).

And it continues...

Bandit0 wrote: I look at it like this... Of all the REAL success UNM has had it is this

skiing- National Championship
Men's Soccer- National Runner Up
Football- New Mexico Bowl Victory
Women's basketball Sweet 16

After that you have Bob King going to the NIT finals back in the early 60's

Now we have Fishbien still here... Is Klause still here?
Rocky is gone fans biotched... Flanagan gone... Fans started biotching...

Rocky Long is the man! Dude gave his all to UNM football and so many fans just spit on it...

And you are right BBW I see the same with Davie... Dude did well this year, but where were the fans?

ok

An NM Bowl win over 6-6 Nevada at home stadium is more impressive than winning 25+ games on multiple seasons, winning multiple MWC regular season tittles, winning a MWC tournament, and multiple post-season victories(some at home and some at neutral sites), and top 20 rankings.

Stick to blackjack dealing leeroy.  Sports isn't your expertise bro

All I want to know is when we erect a statue of Rocky in front of Rocky Long Stadium next to Rocky Long Avenue on Rocky Long Day should it have Rocky wearing a ball cap or not?

I think he should be wearing a ball cap because I hardly recognize him when he isn't, sort of like when Dwight Yoakam isn't wearing his cowboy hat he reminds me of that scary guy from the movie Switchblade where he played that mean redneck who gave Billy Bod Thorton's character a hard time until he got whacked in the head with that lawn mower blade.