Albuquerque Journal

UNM To Honor Rocky Long With Meritorious Service Award
By Greg Archuleta, Journal Staff Writer

University of New Mexico football coach Rocky Long will receive the UNM Board of Regents Meritorious Service Award during a regents meeting today.
   
The award honors individuals who have done outstanding work at the university for a number of years.
   
"It's the highest award that can be bestowed upon an employee or former employee of the University of New Mexico," regents president Jamie Koch says. "To have somebody like him who's dedicated, really, his athletic career to the university is outstanding.
   
"But he does a great job, he's got a great, competitive team and we couldn't do any better. He needs to be recognized. I hope he stays until he decides to retire."
   
Entering his 20th year with the Lobo football program as a player, assistant coach and now head coach, Long said he is flattered by the award.
   
"I am very honored and humbled to think that they would feel I'm deserving of such an award," he said.
   
Long is the school's all-time leader with 61 wins and guided the team to its first bowl victory in 46 years last December in the New Mexico Bowl.
   
Koch noted that 14 of the football program's top 16 grade-point averages have come under Long's watch and that UNM has produced 73 academic all-conference performers since 2001.
   
The Board of Regents first gave out the award in 1987. Kock estimated that 96 percent of the recipients have not been involved with athletics.
   
Women's basketball coach Don Flanagan became the first coach to earn the honor in 2005. Men's soccer coach Jeremy Fishbein and former ski coach George Brooks also have earned the award.