Nov. 26—Jason Eck is preparing his Lobos for one of the biggest regular season games in program history.
He's a busy man trying to figure out a way to both scheme up some way to beat first place San Diego State on Friday, and also how to get his latest target number of 30,000 fans into University Stadium for the 1:30 p.m., Black Friday game that could actually lead to the UNM football team winning a Mountain West championship.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementI'm going to write the last part of that sentence a second time: "... could actually lead to the UNM football team winning a Mountain West championship."
Clearly, the most popular man in Albuquerque has got other things on his mind right now. So, naturally, I took the opportunity earlier this week to cut through the nonsense and hit him with nothing but the important questions.
"This is New Mexico, and in New Mexico one thing that a lot of New Mexicans do on Thanksgiving is pour red chile over everything, especially the mashed potatoes.
"Are you," I asked him, "open to trying red chile over your mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving?"
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd the man who, along with his family, has embraced the local culture and embraced the community at every turn, gave a quick answer.
"I'm open to that," he said, before emphasizing it a second time. "I'm open to that. And you know what? I like (the idea) because I'm not a big fan of cranberry sauce, so I'm very optimistic to try another red thing besides the cranberry sauce. Because last year, before I lived in New Mexico, if I saw red stuff poured over potatoes, I'd say that's really screwed up. Someone poured the cranberry sauce over the potatoes. What kind of sick bastard are they?"
The verdict: Another test passed by Eck.
In return, UNM is hopeful New Mexicans return the favor by showing up Friday at University Stadium to meet the demands of the first-year football coach's latest challenge: Getting 30,000 fans in a stadium that hasn't had that many fans inside it for a November game since an announced crowd of 30,901 showed up to watch the Lobos host 10th ranked Utah on Nov. 1, 2008.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe fact that UNM football has already welcomed an announced 120,935 fans through five games this season — an average home attendance of 24,187 one year after averaging 16,001 (a 51.6% year over year increase in average home attendance that leads the nation's FBS programs this season) — is something UNM is already thankful for.
But just in case they need something more, here's a double dose of sportswriter cliché things to fill a column around Thanksgiving:
1. A list (who doesn't love lists?) AND 2. Using the holiday as an easy way to mention some cool things or people I might not otherwise find ways to get into the paper.
So, here are six people who, just in the past couple weeks, I've really thought made UNM Athletics a better place. These people exist for every athletics department (even that fine university down the road in Las Cruces that I attended).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor purposes of this column, though, here are five people I've interacted with in the past couple weeks behind the scenes that I think UNM Athletics should be thankful for this year (in no particular order):
Louis Trujillo, red sombrero guy
What, in the real world, might be described as a problem, in sports is a combination of passion and devotion.
Louis logged 8,627 miles this season to watch every UNM Lobo football game in person. From the season opener in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the Rose Bowl to Boise, Idaho, the man who also starts each home game tailgate at 5:05 a.m. in the 505 (regardless of kickoff time) deserves a pat on the back for supporting a program that had very few people on its bandwagon as long as this devoted, red sombrero-wearing fan.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement----Liz Romero, the Pit mom
There are people who love Lobo basketball players no matter what. Throw down a few dunks, hit a few 3s, just don the jersey and they love you.
Then there's the love they get from UNM's Assistant Equipment Manager, Liz Trujillo, who admits she's not really even that much of a basketball fan. She just loves the young men and women who come through the program and have been a part of her life.
Liz, a seamstress by trade who is behind sewing on the nameplates for all football and basketball jerseys at UNM, among plenty of other duties, made for Jaelen House last year a quilt with a piece of his jersey sewn into it for the former Lobo point guard's young daughter.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhen I asked her why she loved Jaelen so much, she said he once held a door open for her and was just always nice.
That's it. Nothing more needed. For Liz, be kind, be loved. That's all it takes.
Liz will be hanging up the thread and needle after this basketball season, retiring after more than three decades of being the Pit mom.
----Sara Sinani, a stranger with a starting gun
Habtom Samuel overcame plenty of adversity and cruised to an individual national championship this past week in Columbia, Missouri, at the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, helping lead his team to a program-best second place finish.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe was the first Lobo men's national champion and led the team to its best-ever men's finish (second place).
And after the race, Sara, the head starter of the race, walked up to him and gave him a wildly unique gift that not even every NCAA National Champion can claim: A bullet shell casing.
Come again?
Yes, the casing that flew from the starter's gun — 28 minutes, 33.9 seconds before Samuel made UNM history by crossing the finish line as the program's first men's national champion — was handed to the champion (as was the case with the women's champion) after the run.
----Scott Nelson, soccer dad
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWho knows how many soccer practices, games and tournaments he drove his daughter to growing up? Scott was there.
So it was no surprise last week (Nov. 18) when his now adult daughter, Karley Nelson, who had been an assistant for the UNM women's soccer team the past 11 years, gave her first press conference as the program's new head coach, Scott was there.
Well, no surprise to anyone but Karley.
As she started the presser, dad walked in the back of the room — a surprise 571-mile trip from Utah to be there for his daughter on her big day.
----Jan LeBeau, Lobo outfitter
The owner of Mr. Tux in Albuquerque, which has recently closed its doors, had outfitted Lobo athletes with donated tuxedos for banquets, picture days and other special events for 40 years.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStill a Lobo supporter, Jan remains a season ticket holder and remains a part of UNM Athletics.
----Valerie Flores, UNM's Flag Bearer
The Texas teacher who has her elementary school classroom decked out in Lobo gear is embracing the opportunity to mold young minds by making sure her students all know the chant, "Everyone's a Lobo. Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Valerie is better known in Lobo circles as the one who shows up to sporting events everywhere waving UNM Lobo and state of New Mexico flags, most visibly at 20 (and counting) ESPN Game Day live campus shows through the years, including three this season (Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio, for Texas vs. Ohio State; Sept. 6 in Norman, Oklahoma, for Michigan at Oklahoma; and Nov. 8 in Lubbock, Texas, for BYU at Texas Tech).
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAtop a 15 or so foot pole, she waves the flags so they can be seen in the background of the show that is being broadcast atop an elevated stage with sportscasters previewing each week's slate of college football games.
And what do her young students think of their beloved teacher? Well, some now call her "the pole lady."
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