Bronco Mendenhall, former coach at both Brigham Young University and the University of Virginia, has accepted a new job as the head football coach at the University of New Mexico.
“We got our guy,” New Mexico Football posted on social media Wednesday. “Lobo Nation, let’s welcome back to the ABQ, the new head coach Bronco Mendenhall.”
Mendenhall is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The announcement was made by New Mexico’s Vice President/Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez, according to a news release.
“We are excited to welcome Bronco Mendenhall as our new head football coach,” Nuñez said in the news release. “Throughout this process, we were looking for not just a proven winner, but a leader of men that has a clear vision for what our program can be. Coach Mendenhall has twice taken over programs that were struggling, turning them into winning, championship programs. I look forward to having Bronco and Holly here and becoming assets for our great community and leading Lobo Football.”
The 57-year-old Mendenhall resigned two years ago at Virginia after coaching 17 straight seasons with BYU and Virginia. The decision to step down at Virginia, he told the Church News, was so personal that it was hard to articulate. “It was clear to me,” he said, “change was needed.”
Before coaching at BYU and Virginia — both programs that were coming off losing seasons — Mendenhall was the Lobos’ defensive coordinator and associate head coach under Rocky Long from 1998-2002. He played defensive back at Snow College and Oregon State before becoming a coach.
As a head coach, Mendenhall has a win-loss record 135-81. He led BYU to 11 straight bowl appearances from 2005-2015 before taking the Virginia job after the 2015 season. Following a 2-10 start, Mendenhall guided the Cavaliers to three bowl appearances. He stepped away from the game following the conclusion of the 2021 football season.
“After 25 years, Holly and I are excited to be returning to Albuquerque where we have many fond memories,” Mendenhall said in a statement, per CBS Sports. “We welcome the challenge and opportunity of building a program of excellence. We are excited to get to know the players, assemble a world-class group of people, immerse ourselves in the community and truly make a difference at UNM.”
After stepping down at Virginia, Mendenhall and his family relocated to a ranch in Montana.
Every decision, from building a home or building a winning football team — to walking away from coaching altogether — Mendenhall told the Church News, is rooted in beliefs.
“There’s not a decision that I make or that we make that doesn’t start with our beliefs. And our beliefs then guide the principles, and our principles guide our choices. Our choices guide our actions, and you pull that thread, it’s back to our beliefs.”
