Rio Grande Rivalry
SportFootball
First meetingJanuary 1, 1894
New Mexico 18, New Mexico A&M 6
Latest meetingSeptember 16, 2023
New Mexico State 27, New Mexico 17
Next meetingSeptember 28, 2024 in Las Cruces
StadiumsUniversity Stadium
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
Aggie Memorial Stadium
Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.
TrophyNone (1894–1992 and 2001–present)
Maloof Trophy (1993–2000)
Statistics
Meetings total113
All-time seriesNew Mexico leads 73–35–5 (.668)[1]
Largest victoryNew Mexico A&M, 110–3 (1917)
Longest win streakNew Mexico, 18 (1938–1958)
Current win streakNew Mexico State, 2 (2022–present)
Locations of New Mexico and New Mexico State

The New Mexico–New Mexico State football rivalry,[2] known as the Battle of I-25 and the Rio Grande Rivalry in all sports, is an annual football game between the University of New Mexico and New Mexico State University. It is called the Battle of I-25 because the two universities are located along Interstate 25 connecting Albuquerque and Las Cruces. In the entire history of the rivalry, the game has never been contested anywhere beside those two cities.

Series history

The rivalry between New Mexico's only two NCAA Division I institutions dates back to January 1, 1894 – eighteen years before New Mexico achieved statehood – when the schools met in a football contest in Albuquerque. While it is clear that New Mexico won that first game, school records seem to disagree on the score. According to New Mexico media guides the final score was 25–5 but according to New Mexico State media guides the score was 18–6. By the time New Mexico entered the union in 1912 UNM and New Mexico A&M (as NMSU was known prior to 1959) had already met on the gridiron six times. Until 1937, the series was competitive with the Aggies holding a 15–12–4 lead over the Lobos. Starting in 1938 the Lobos began to dominate the series, starting with a streak of 18 straight wins over the Aggies from 1938 to 1958 (including a three year stretch during World War II when the game was not played). From 1959 to 1968, however, the Aggies won seven of ten meetings, mostly during the tenure of College Football Hall of Fame head coach Warren B. Woodson. Although the Aggies defeated the Lobos in their first meeting after Woodson's departure in 1968, the Lobos resumed their dominance in the series the following year, winning 16 of the next 18 meetings (including a tie in 1971). Beginning in 1993, the two universities played for the Maloof Trophy, but it was short-lived; the trophy was retired in 2000.

The Lobos all-time advantage is 73–35–5, however the rivalry remains spirited, with the series even at seven wins each over the past 14 games dating back to the 100th meeting between the schools in 2009. Most recently the Aggies defeated the Lobos 27–17 on September 16, 2023.[3]

In August 2020, New Mexico State postponed football and fall sports due to COVID-19 with consideration for a spring football season.[4] The Mountain West Conference initially postponed fall sports for New Mexico and other member schools as well, but New Mexico and other member schools began a conference-only schedule beginning in late October.[5][6] The 2020 season was the first since 1945 without the rivalry game.

Game results

New Mexico victoriesNew Mexico State victoriesTie games
  • Non-conference games (95: 1894–1930 and 1951–present)
  • Not played in 17 seasons (1895–1904, 1907, 1910, 1918, 1943–1945 and 2020)

Coaching records

Since first game on January 1, 1894

New Mexico

Head Coach Team Games Seasons Wins Losses Ties Pct.
No coachNew Mexico11892–18931001.000
W. A. ZimmerNew Mexico01894000
No team (1895–1898)
No coachNew Mexico01899000
No team (1900)
Joe NapierNew Mexico01901000
No team (1902)
Walter McEwanNew Mexico01903–1904000
Martin F. AngellNew Mexico21905–1907020.000
Hermon H. ConwellNew Mexico119081001.000
Sam P. McBirneyNew Mexico119091001.000
Carl HamiltonNew Mexico01910000
Ralph HutchinsonNew Mexico61911–1916231.417
Frank E. WoodNew Mexico11917010.000
No team (1918)
John F. McGoughNew Mexico119191001.000
Roy W. JohnsonNew Mexico111920–1930452.455
Chuck RileyNew Mexico31931–1933111.500
Gwinn HenryNew Mexico31934–1936120.333
Ted ShipkeyNew Mexico51937–1941410.800
Willis BarnesNew Mexico21942–19462001.000
Berl HuffmanNew Mexico31947–19493001.000
Dudley DeGrootNew Mexico31950–19523001.000
Bob TitchenalNew Mexico31953–19553001.000
Dick ClausenNew Mexico21956–19572001.000
Marv LevyNew Mexico21958–1959110.500
Bill WeeksNew Mexico81960–1967350.375
Rudy FeldmanNew Mexico61968–1973411.750
Bill MondtNew Mexico61974–1979510.833
Joe MorrisonNew Mexico31980–19823001.000
Joe Lee DunnNew Mexico41983–19864001.000
Mike SheppardNew Mexico51987–1991410.800
Dennis FranchioneNew Mexico61992–1997510.833
Rocky LongNew Mexico111998–200883 .727
Mike LocksleyNew Mexico22009–201102 .000
George BarlowNew Mexico1201101 .000
Bob DavieNew Mexico82012–201962 .750
Danny GonzalesNew Mexico32020–present12 .333

New Mexico State

Head Coach Team Games Seasons Wins Losses Ties Pct.
W. M. ClutteNew Mexico A&M11893010.000
Alfred HoltNew Mexico A&M01894000
No coachNew Mexico A&M01895–1896000
Charles M. BarberNew Mexico A&M01897–1898000
John O. Miller (a)New Mexico A&M01899000
William A. SutherlandNew Mexico A&M01900000
John O. Miller (b)New Mexico A&M21901–19072001.000
William G. HummellNew Mexico A&M11908010.000
J. H. SquiresNew Mexico A&M11909010.000
Art BadenochNew Mexico A&M31910–19133001.000
Clarence W. RussellNew Mexico A&M31914–1916021.167
John G. GriffithNew Mexico A&M119171001.000
No team (1918)
Anthony SavageNew Mexico A&M11919010.000
Dutch BergmanNew Mexico A&M31920–1922210.667
R. R. BrownNew Mexico A&M31923–1925210.667
Arthur BurkholderNew Mexico A&M11926001.500
Ted CoffmanNew Mexico A&M21927–1928020.000
Jerry HinesNew Mexico A&M111929–1939542.545
Julius H. JohnstonNew Mexico A&M31940–1942030.000
Maurice MoulderNew Mexico A&M01943000
No team (1944–1945)
Raymond A. CurfmanNew Mexico A&M21946–1947020.000
Vaughn CorleyNew Mexico A&M31948–1950030.000
Joseph T. ColemanNew Mexico A&M21951–1952020.000
James PattonNew Mexico A&M21953–1954020.000
Tony CavalloNew Mexico A&M31955–1957030.000
Warren B. WoodsonNew Mexico A&M / State101958–1967640.600
Jim WoodNew Mexico State51968–1972131.300
Jim BradleyNew Mexico State51973–1977140.200
Gil KruegerNew Mexico State51978–1982050.000
Fred ZechmanNew Mexico State31983–1985030.000
Mike KnollNew Mexico State41986–1989130.250
Jim HessNew Mexico State81990–1996170.125
Tony SamuelNew Mexico State81997–200435 .375
Hal MummeNew Mexico State42005–200804 .000
DeWayne WalkerNew Mexico State42009–201231 .750
Doug MartinNew Mexico State82013–202126 .250
Jerry KillNew Mexico State22022–present20 1.000
  • John O. Miller's overall record in series was 2–0–0 (1.000)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Winsipedia - New Mexico Lobos vs. New Mexico State Aggies football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. "New Mexico State looks for second straight rivalry win over New Mexico". Las Cruces Sun News. September 8, 2017. The New Mexico State football team hasn't beaten rival New Mexico in consecutive years since DeWayne Walker beat the Lobos three straight times from 2009-2011.
  3. Reider, Sean (September 16, 2023). "Aggies corral Lobos for second straight win in Rio Grande Rivalry". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  4. Groves, Jason (August 13, 2020). "New Mexico State will not play football in fall due to COVID-19 concerns". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  5. "Lobo Football 2020 Football Schedule Released". University of New Mexico. October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  6. "Mountain West Postpones 2020 Fall Sports". University of New Mexico. August 10, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
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