Unexpected news from unexpected quarters—today, New Mexico head football coach Rocky Long announced his resignation.

Rocky Long made the University of New Mexico (UNM) proud when he was the starting quarterback from 1969 to 1971, leading the Lobos to a 17-12-2 record while winning academic all-conference honors three times, setting the UNM rushing record, and winning WAC offensive player of the year in 1971.

Rocky Long made the University of New Mexico proud again when he came back to his alma mater to take the head coaching position in 1998. He slowly but steadily built the Lobos into a consistent 6-7 win team that consistently qualified for bowl games and was a force to be reckoned with in the Mountain West Conference.

Coach Long was able to recruit good talent such as DonTrell Moore, Rodney Ferguson, Cody Kase, and John Sullivan while maintaining high academic standards. He also coached and developed Brian Urlacher into one of the best linebackers in the game.

Under Long's tenure, attendance at UNM football games grew, especially during the successful run since 2001.

Coach Long's resignation follows a disappointing 4-8 season, giving him a career 65-69 record as Lobos head coach. Where will Coach Long go from here? Where will Lobos football go from here? The next few months will tell a lot.

Thank you, Coach Long, for everything you've given this program over the past 11 years.