Davie costs $4.5 million

Football’s new head coach Bob Davie said he’s excited about his future at UNM despite the Lobos’ losing season.

“I can honestly stand here and tell you right here at this moment I am more excited and comfortable then I have ever been,” he said.
“I think this can be a great job.”

A committee selected Davie to position after a nationwide search led by Vice President of Athletics Paul Krebs. Krebs said the selection process was intensive and time-consuming because the University wanted a new football coach before the current season was over.

“We talked about someone with coaching experience and ties to this region and someone that is an outstanding leader,” Krebs said. “I think as we go through today you will see that coach Davie fills all of those.”

Davie signed a six-year contract and will be paid $700,000 for his first season. Davie will then be paid $760,000 per year for the remaining five years. The contract also includes a number of incentives to be named later.

President David Schmidly said he knew Davie from his time as a faculty member at Texas A&M, and he said Davie was the right person for the job.

“I was absolutely elated when I got the phone call from Paul and he said we want to bring coach Davie here,” Schmidly said. “We are absolutely convinced he is the man for the job. I am really looking forward to the future of Lobo football and a great choice has been made.”

Davie’s only previous head coaching job was at Notre Dame from 1997-2001, where his overall record was 35-25.

He has been an analyst for ESPN for the past 10 years but he said he used his time away from coaching to learn the best techniques.

“The biggest advantage I have being out ten years is I have gone around this country every week, and I have experienced from the inside what makes all of these programs successful and what makes other problems have no chance to be successful,” he said.

Davie said he has learned from what the best coaches around the country do to make their programs successful, and he plans in place to do the same at UNM.

“I know my plan will work if we give it time,” he said. “I look at being out the last ten years as my biggest advantage I have because I have a whole different perspective on what college football is, and my role as a head football coach.”