Last week, the University of New Mexico announced that Vice President/Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez would be joining the University of Houston Big 12 conference member. His official title there will be as the vice president for intercollegiate athletics, according to UH Athletics.
Nuñez spent seven years leading Lobo athletics, and a UNM press release reflected on many of the accomplishments under his tenure. From 2017-24, the Lobos had 53 NCAA tournament appearances and 22 Mountain West titles. On the academic side, UNM had 1,517 students named to Mountain West All-Academic teams, the most of any Mountain West school over that time period, according to the press release.
One of Nuñez’s greatest accomplishments was restoring the Lobo men's basketball program to some of its former glory with the hiring of Head Coach Richard Pitino. This led the Lobos to win the Mountain West Tournament and earn an NCAA tournament bid this past season.
The Lobos also led the conference in average attendance for home games, according to the NCAA.
Pitno expressed gratitude to Nuñez for his hiring in a statement posted to X.
“Eddie believed in me during a tough time and helped rejuvenate my coaching career. I will always be grateful for him leading me to New Mexico and am rooting for his success in Houston,” Pitino wrote in the statement.
There were also some misfires during Nuñez’s time with UNM. Namely, the football program did not see a level of success on par with UNM’s other athletic teams. A global pandemic, changes in NIL and new transfer portal rules disrupted the Danny Gonzales era of Lobo football.
However, Nuñez brought in experienced coach Bronco Mendenhall out of retirement to help rebuild the program and hopefully eventually bring UNM football to their its bowl game since 2016.
Despite just being hired in December, Mendenhall said at a press conference that Nuñez’s departure will not affect his coaching going forward.
“Eddie Nuñez did an exceptional job at UNM, and new opportunities come when you do great work. Anything other than gratitude or excitement for him doesn’t seem to be aligned … I was hired to coach the football team. Regardless of who I answer to, that doesn’t change,” Mendenhall said at the press conference.
Nuñez initially made $420,000 a year, which was raised to $520,000 annually after he signed a new contract with the University this June, according to the Albuquerque Journal. This new contract was through June 2029.
Nuñez will get a significant raise working in Houston. His new five-year deal lands him $5 million total plus incentives over the course of the contract, according to MSN.
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On Wednesday, Aug. 21, UNM named David Williams as the interim vice president/director of athletics. Williams has been with UNM since 2019; he previously served as assistant vice president/deputy athletic director. Over the course of 13 years he was the director of athletics at three different Division II programs: the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Missouri Western State University and Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Williams will earn a salary of $325,000 until a permanent director is named, according to a press release.
In the press release, UNM President Garnett Stokes relayed her confidence in Williams as the search for a new athletics director begins.
“His deep understanding of collegiate athletics and his strong commitment to our student athletes’ success make him the ideal choice to guide UNM Athletics at this time,” Stokes said in the press release. "With Dave Williams leading UNM Athletics, I am convinced that our forward momentum will continue unabated as we embark on a national search for a permanent director of athletics."
The timeline for the search is still being finalized, according to the press release.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @thomasbulger10
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
