The State College of Mines and Metallurgy fielded its first football team in 1914, under the direction of head coach
Tommy Dwyer, who led the team until 1917.[2] Head coach
Harry Van Surdam took over the reins of the Miners in 1920, the same year the school changed its name to the College of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas.[3] Former
Texas head coach
E. J. Stewart led the Miners football program from 1927 to 1928, compiling a 5–6–3 record during those two seasons.[4]Mack Saxon served as the head football coach of the Miners from 1929 to 1941, compiling a record of 66–43–9, making him the winningest head coach in program history.[5] He led the Miners to three 7–1 seasons.[5] Saxon led the Miners, an NCAA Division I-A independent for its entire 21-year history to that point, into the
Border Conference in 1935.[6] Saxon's 1936 team lost 34–6 to
Hardin–Simmons in the
1937 Sun Bowl, the only bowl game to which his teams were invited.[7]Jack Curtice had a successful run as the Miners head coach from 1946 to 1949, compiling a record of 24–13–3, which included back to back 8-2-1 campaigns during his final two years.[8] It was in 1949 that the College of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas changed its name to Texas Western College.[3][9] Curtice left the Miners to accept the position of head coach for
Utah after the 1949 season.[10]
In June 1950,
Mike Brumbelow was hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Texas Western.[11] He had been operating sporting goods stores at
Midland and
Odessa, Texas (in partnership with
Tex Carleton) at the time of his hiring at UTEP.[12] Brumbelow served as head football coach at UTEP from 1950 to 1956.[13][14][15] He had a successful tenure as coach, guiding his teams to a 46–24–3 record.[16] The team won eight or more games three times, in 1953, 1954 and 1956.[13] He led UTEP to appearances in the
1954 Sun Bowl,
1955 Sun Bowl, and
1957 Sun Bowl, two of which UTEP won.[17] Brumbelow retired as UTEP's football coach in July 1957 and as athletic director in 1959.[18][19] He retired as the school's second winningest head football coach and held that distinction until he was surpassed by
Mike Price in 2012.[20] Brumbelow was inducted into El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 1964,[18] and the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.[17]Ben Collins was promoted from assistant coach to head coach following Brumbelow's retirement.[21] Under his tutelage, the Miners compiled a record of 18–29–1.[22] He also succeeded Brumbelow as athletics director.[21] Collins resigned after multiple losing seasons at the helm of Miners football.[23]Bum Phillips came to Texas Western from
Amarillo High School and led the Miners for one season, a 4–5 campaign in 1962.[24] He left the Miners to return to the high school ranks with
Port Neches–Groves High School in 1963.[25] Texas Western again returned to the high school ranks to find a head football coach in 1963, this time nabbing
Warren Harper from
Sherman High School.[26] However, after two seasons and a 3–15–2 overall record,[27] the Miners athletics administration relieved Harper of his head coaching duties.[26]
Bobby Dobbs era (1965–1973)
Former Tulsa head coach
Bobby Dobbs came to Texas Western from the CFL's
Calgary Stampeders.[28] In addition the head coaching stints in the CFL and Tulsa, Dobbs played
fullback for an
Army program under
Earl Blaik that won consecutive national championships in 1944 and 1945.[29]
In his first season as the Miners head coach, Dobbs turned a 0–8–2 team into an 8–3 that defeated powerhouse North Texas 61–15 in the season opener and beat TCU 13–12 in the
1965 Sun Bowl.[30][31] In the season's second game, the Miners defeated New Mexico by a score of 35–14.[32] Dobb's team then defeated New Mexico State by a score of 21-6[33] and Colorado State by a score of 35–10.[33] The Miners then lost their next three to
Wyoming,[33] Arizona State[33] and Arizona.[33] They broke their three-game skid by defeating Utah by a close 20–19.[34] They followed that with a 57–33 win over I-AA opponent Xavier.[35] The Miners finished off the 1965 season with a 38–21 win over I-AA West Texas A&M[35] and the 13-12
Sun Bowl win over TCU.[36]
In April 1966, Dobbs turned down an offer from his alma mater to succeed
Paul Dietzel as Army head coach due to his wife, Joanne's illness that required her to stay in the warm climate in El Paso.[37][29] The Miners went 6–4 in 1966.[38] They began the season with a 30–26 loss to Arizona State on September 17.[39] After losing to North Texas the following week by a score of 12–9,[40] Dobb's team responded with four straight victories; 51–3 over New Mexico,[41] 9–3 over West Texas A&M,[42] 68–21 over I-AA opponent Texas–Arlington[43] and a 35–0 shutout over San Jose State.[44] Texas Western then lost consecutive games to BYU[45] and Wyoming.[46] Dobbs led his team to two wins to close the season; a 28–14 win over archrival New Mexico State[47] and a 27–20 victory over Utah.[48]
In 1967, Texas Western College changed its name to the University of Texas at El Paso.[3]
Dobbs' football team led the nation in passing and scoring that season, losing its two games by a total of three points.[49] They finished the season with a 7–2–1 record.[50] UTEP kicked off the season with a 50-14 thrashing of I-AA foe
UC Santa Barbara.[51] After a narrow 33–32 loss to
Arizona State,[52] the Miners tied
Arizona at 9-9.[53] Dobbs' Miners then won their next four, defeating
BYU 47–17,[54] scoring a school-record 75 points in a 75–12 rout of
New Mexico (during which UTEP quarterback
Brooks Dawson threw for six touchdown passes on his first six pass attempts of the game),[55][56] a 46–24 win over
New Mexico State[57] and a 17–0 shutout of
Colorado State.[58] After losing to No. 6
Wyoming by a score of 21–19,[59] the Miners closed the regular season with a 28–8 win over
Utah.[60] UTEP accepted a berth in the
1967 Sun Bowl on its home turf, defeating
Ole Miss by a score of 14–7.[61]
Many of Dobbs' players went to the pro ranks including
Fred Carr,
Billy Stevens,
Ron Jones, and
Leon Harden to the
Green Bay Packers to play for
Vince Lombardi.[107][108][109][110][111] At one point, Dobbs ranked second to only
Bear Bryant among college coaches in number of players going in the
National Football League. In 1972, Bobby Dobbs said that if his 1–5 team didn't beat
New Mexico, he would resign.[112] The team lost and Dobbs resigned.[112] Dobbs compiled a 41–35–2 record at UTEP in seven full seasons and a partial eighth.[113]Tommy Hudspeth was promoted form offensive coordinator to head coach for the 1973 following Dobbs' resignation.[112] In his first season, the Miners freefell to 0–11,[114] which led to Hudspeth's firing after just one full season as Miners head coach.[115]
Gil Bartosh era (1974–1976)
The Miners struggles continued under head coach
Gil Bartosh, who came to El Paso from his post as running backs coach at
Texas A&M under
Emory Bellard. The Miners compiled a record of 6–28 before Bartosh was fired by a frustrated athletics administration desperate for sustained success.[116][117]
Bill Yung came to UTEP after a mediocre stint as
West Texas State's head coach.[217] He also served as offensive coordinator at
Baylor from 1974 to 1976 under
Grant Teaff.[218] Yung brought with him extensive recruiting ties in west
Texas, an up-tempo and pass-oriented
Air raid offense with offensive coordinator
Hal Mumme and a renewed spirit of optimism that things would get turned around,[219][220] but unfortunately they didn't. Yung's record was 7–39 in four seasons.[221] Yung was fired after a 1–10 campaign in 1985.
Yung's last season in 1985 produced a 1–10 record.[249] UTEP lost to
Air Force,[250] No. 3
SMU,[172]Colorado State,[251]New Mexico State,[252]Utah[252] and
Kent State.[253] Then, the Miners pulled one of the greatest upsets in college football history.[254] No. 7
BYU came to El Paso to face the Miners and were overwhelming 35-point favorites to win the game.[255] To illustrate the disparity between the two college football programs, the Miners entered the contest with just 14 wins over the previous 11 seasons while the Cougars had won 13 games the previous season alone and 30 of their previous 31.[255] Five years after suffering one of the most lopsided defeats in NCAA history in an 83-7 crushing to BYU, the UTEP Miners defeated the Cougars by a score of 23–16. [255][254] The Miners used an unusual strategy on defense, rushing only two and dropping nine defensive players into coverage and, as a result, held BYU quarterback
Robbie Bosco to career low passing numbers.[255] UTEP fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts after the win, considered to be the biggest in school history.[255] The celebration would be short lived, as the Miners lost their remaining four games of the 1985 season; dropping contests to
New Mexico,[252]Hawaii,[252]San Diego State[256] and
Wyoming.[252] UTEP athletics director
Bill Cords decided to dismiss Yung as head coach after the completion of the 1985 season.[257]
Bob Stull era (1986–1988)
UMass head coach
Bob Stull was chosen as Yung's replacement in 1986.[258][259] Stull turned around a struggling Minutemen football program in two years and also served as an assistant coach under
Don James at
Kent State and
Washington for a dozen years, including as offensive coordinator for the Huskies from 1979 to 1983.[258][259]
In 1988, the Miners had the best season in their program's history, compiling a 10–3 record (the most wins in a single season ever in UTEP history).[285] The season began with wins over I-AA foes
Mankato State[131] and
Weber State.[241] UTEP then lost a heartbreaker to
BYU by a score of 31–27.[124] Stull's Miners then reeled off six straight wins, defeating
Tulsa by a score of 27–24,[286]Utah by a score of 38–28,[287]Hawaii by a score of 42–25,[288]Colorado State by a score of 34–14,[289]New Mexico in a shutout of 37-0[290] and
New Mexico State by a score of 42–9.[291] Texas-El Paso suffered a 51-6 beating at the hands of No. 10
Wyoming in their tenth game of the season.[292] UTEP finished the regular season with wins over
San Diego State[293] and
Air Force.[294] The Miners were invited to the
Independence Bowl in
Shreveport, Louisiana to face
Southern Miss, a game the Miners lost to the
Brett Favre-quarterbacked Golden Eagles by a score of 38–18.[295] The Independence Bowl was the Miners' first bowl appearance in 21 years.[296] 1988 was the best statistical season in Miners football history.[296] Stull accepted the head football coach position at
Missouri after the 1988 season.[297] He left El Paso with a 21–15 record.[298] Stull was the first Miners head coach to leave with a winning record since Bobby Dobbs in 1972.[299] Stull returned to the
University of Texas at El Paso to serve as athletics director in 1998.[300]
David Lee era (1989–1993)
Following Stull's departure, UTEP initially pursued
Idaho head coach
Keith Gilbertson, but after consideration, Gilbertson opted not to take the UTEP job and remain with the Vandals.[301]David Lee left his post as offensive coordinator at
Arkansas to take his first head coaching position.[302] Lee was a respected offensive mind who had served as an assistant coach under the likes of
Steve Sloan at
Vanderbilt and
Ole Miss and
Ken Hatfield at
Arkansas.[303] Lee, however, was unable to continue the momentum generated by his predecessor, Bob Stull, compiling an 11–41–1 record in four full seasons and a partial fifth.[304]
The drop-off was evident almost immediately, as Lee led the Miners to a 2–10 mark in his first season.[305] UTEP began the season losing to
Tulsa by a score of 23-14[306] and I-AA foe
Lamar by a score of 21–19.[307] Texas El-Paso earned their first win of the season in their third game of the season in a 29–27 victory over
New Mexico State.[308] The Miners then lost their next three to
Air Force,[309] No. 8
Arkansas[310] and
Utah.[311] Lee's squad then defeated
New Mexico by a score of 26–7 to earn what would be their last win of the season.[312] UTEP closed the 1989 season by losing five straight; to No. 21
BYU by a score of 49–24,[313] to
San Diego State by a score of 34–31,[314] to
Hawaii by a score of 26–7,[315] a shutout to
Colorado State by a score of 52-0[316] and in the season finale to
Wyoming by a score of 41–10.[317] The Miners went 3–8 in 1990.[318] Lee's team began the season by losing 30–10 to
BYU.[319] After defeating
New Mexico State by a score of 27–24,[320] the Miners were shut out by No. 7
Tennessee to the tune of 56–0.[321] After losing to
Colorado State by a score of 38–20,[322] Texas El-Paso defeated I-AA foe
Sam Houston State by a score of 17–10.[323] Lee's squad lost to
New Mexico by a score of 48–28 on October 6.[324] After beating
Hawaii by a score of 12-10 the next week,[325] UTEP finished the season with four straight losses; dropping games to
Utah,[326] No. 18
Wyoming,[327]Air Force[327] and
San Diego State.[328]
UTEP slightly improved to a 4–7–1 record in 1991.[329] The Miners began the season by defeating
New Mexico by a score of 35–19.[144] After losing to
Baylor by a score of 27–7,[330] the Miners either won or tied their next three; defeating
New Mexico State by a score of 22–21,[331] defeating I-AA opponent
Northwestern State by a score of 14-0[332] and tied
Wyoming at 28 apiece.[333] Lee's team then embarked on a four-game losing streak; dropping games to
Colorado State,[322]BYU on a blocked field goal with under a minute remaining,[334]San Diego State[335] and
Air Force.[336] After defeating
Hawaii by a score of 41–24,[337] UTEP finished with losses to
Utah[338] and
Louisiana Tech.[339] In 1992, Lee led the Miners to a 1–10 record.[340] UTEP began the season with six straight losses; falling to
BYU in the opener by a score of 38–28,[341]UNLV by a score of 19–17,[342]New Mexico State by a score of 30–24,[343]Air Force by a score of 28–22,[341]Colorado State by a score of 42-24 (after Lee suspended six players Miners for missing curfew the night before the game)[344] and
San Diego State by a score of 49–27.[345] UTEP defeated
Utah by a score of 20–13 to earn what would be its only win of the season on October 24.[346] Lee's squad then lost its last four to close the season; falling to
Hawaii,[347]Tulsa,[348]New Mexico[349] and
Fresno State.[350] UTEP finished 1–11 in 1993.[351] The Miners kicked off the season by losing to No. 13
Arizona by a score of 24–6.[352] The next week, Texas-El Paso won what would be its only game of the season, defeating
UNLV by a score of 41–24.[353] The Miners then lost to
New Mexico State,[354]Hawaii in a shutout 52–0,[355] No. 16
North Carolina by a score of 45–39,[356]Wyoming by a score of 33-26[355] and
Utah by a score of 45–29.[357] After the Utah game, athletics director John Thompson fired David Lee as head coach and named defensive coordinator
Charlie Bailey interim head coach.[358] The results didn't improve, however, as UTEP finished the season under Bailey with five more losses; falling to
Air Force by a score of 31–10,[355]Fresno State by a score of 30–10,[355]Colorado State in a shutout 52–0,[359]New Mexico by a score of 35-29[360] and
BYU by a score of 47–16.[361]
Charlie Bailey era (1994–1999)
Despite going 0–5 as UTEP's interim head coach, John Thompson removed the interim tag and named
Charlie Bailey the permanent head coach of Miners football in early 1994.[362] Bailey had a background as an aggressive defensive play-caller and had compiled a 12–20–1 record as head coach at
Memphis from 1986 to 1988 before NCAA infractions that occurred under his watch came to light, resulting in his dismissal.[363] Bailey failed to find success with UTEP, failing to compile one winning record in six seasons with an overall mark of 19–53–2.[364]
Bailey led the Miners to a 4–7 record in 1997.[399] UTEP began the season in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a showdown against No. 10
LSU, a contest the Miners lost to the Tigers by a score of 55–3.[400] The team followed the LSU loss with losses to
New Mexico[401] and
Utah.[346] They picked up their first win of the season on September 27 with a 24–16 victory over
New Mexico State, snapping their ten-game losing streak.[402] Bailey's team would alternate between wins and losses for the remainder of the season; losing to
Clemson by a score of 39–7,[403] beating
Tulsa by a score of 33–18,[404] falling to
San Jose State by a score of 10–7,[405] upsetting
BYU by a score of 14-3 for their first win over the Cougars since the notorious 1985 shocker,[406] losing to
SMU by a score of 28–14,[407] upsetting
TCU by a score of 24-17[408] and suffering a defeat at the hands of
Rice by a score of 31–13.[409] In 1998, UTEP went 3–8.[410] They began the season 0–4 with losses to
Texas Tech,[411] No. 24
Oregon,[412]New Mexico State[354] and
Colorado State.[413] The Miners defeated
New Mexico[414] and
San Jose State[415] to improve to 2–4 at the halfway point of the season. Bailey's squad suffered a 32–6 defeat to
Fresno State on October 24.[416] After defeating
Hawaii by a score of 30–13,[417] they closed the season with losses to
Utah,[418]BYU[419] and
San Diego State.[420]
Texas El-Paso finished 5–7 in 1999, their best record during the Bailey era.[421] The Miners defeated
New Mexico by a score of 13–10 in the season opener.[422] They would then suffer consecutive losses at the hands of
Oregon[423][424] and No. 16
Kansas State.[425] Bailey led his team to a 54–23 win over
New Mexico State on September 25.[426] The Miners lost the next week in a 33-3 blowout to
Hawaii.[427] On October 9, the Miners defeated
SMU by a score of 42–28.[428][429] They then lost to
Arizona by a score of 34-21[430][431] and
Fresno State in a nail biter in overtime by a score of 24–23.[432] The Miners defeated
San Jose State by a score of 42–26 on October 30.[433] UTEP lost to
Tulsa 43-19[434] and edged
Rice 30–29 over the next two weeks.[435] UTEP finished the season with a 52-24 blowout loss to
TCU as Horned Frogs running back
LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for an NCAA-record 406 yards and six touchdowns against the Miner defense.[436][437] After the completion of the 1999 season, Charlie Bailey announced his
resignation as UTEP head coach, citing
exhaustion and a desire to spend more time with his family.[438]
Gary Nord era (2000–2003)
Athletics director
Bob Stull decided to promote
Gary Nord from offensive coordinator to head coach after Bailey's resignation.[439] A native of
Louisville, Kentucky, Nord played
tight end for the Cardinals from 1975 to 1978 and served as offensive coordinator for the Cardinals from 1989 to 1994 under coach
Howard Schnellenberger,[440] helping the Cardinals upset No. 25
Alabama in the
1991 Fiesta Bowl by a score of 34–7.[441] Nord followed Schnellenberger to
Oklahoma, where he served as offensive coordinator for the 1995 season.[440] After spending the 1996 season as the wide receivers coach at
Pittsburgh under
Johnny Majors, Nord joined Charlie Bailey's UTEP staff as offensive coordinator in 1997.[440]
The Nord era got off to a surprisingly strong start. Despite low preseason expectations, the Miners went 8–4 in 2000.[442] UTEP began the season in
Norman, Oklahoma against No. 19
Oklahoma, losing to the Sooners by a score of 55–14.[443] Nord's squad posted its first win of the season the following week, defeating
SMU by a score of 37–20.[444] After losing to
Texas A&M in the season's third game,[445] UTEP won their next seven; defeating
Hawaii,[446]New Mexico State,[447]Tulsa,[448]San Jose State,[350]Fresno State,[449]Nevada[450] and
Rice.[451] The Miners' longest winning streak since 1988 was snapped on November 18 with a 47-14 shellacking to
TCU.[452] UTEP made its first appearance in a bowl game since 1988 on December 28, losing to
Boise State by a score of 38–23 in the
2000 Humanitarian Bowl.[453]
UTEP regressed to 2–9 in 2001.[454] They kicked off the season with a 26–6 loss to
New Mexico.[455] Nord's team handled I-AA opponent
Texas Southern by a score of 52–6 in the second game of the season.[456] After losing to
Boise State in a rematch of the previous season's bowl game,[457] Texas El-Paso defeated
Tulsa by a score of 26-10 for what would be the Miners' last win of the season.[458] The Miners then traveled to
Birmingham, Alabama for a showdown against
Alabama, a game they lost by a score of 56–7.[459] That was followed by another blowout loss, a 66-7 debacle at the hands of
Hawaii on October 13.[460] Next came losses to
San Jose State[461] and
SMU.[462] On November 10, the Miners lost to
Louisiana Tech by a score of 53–30.[463] They closed the season with losses to
Rice[464] and
Nevada.[465]
Nord's Miners finished 2–10 in 2002.[466] They defeated I-AA foe
Sacramento State by a score of 42–12 in the opening game of the season.[467] In the season's second game, the Miners lost to
Kentucky by a score of 77–17.[468] That was followed by a 68–0 shutout at the hands of No. 2
Oklahoma.[469] UTEP then lost to
Hawaii by a score of 31–6.[470] San Jose State defeated UTEP by a score of 58–24 on September 28.[471] After losing to archrival
New Mexico State by a score of 49–14,[472] UTEP broke through with a 38–35 win over
Rice.[473]Tulsa shut out Texas El-Paso by a score of 20–0 on October 26[474] and
Boise State won big by a score of 58-3 the next week.[475] The last three losses of the season were a bit closer; 23–17 to
Nevada,[476] 42–35 to
SMU[477] and 38–24 to
Louisiana Tech.[478]
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On December 21, 2003, UTEP announced the hiring of former
Washington State head coach
Mike Price as its new head football coach.[496] The move was bold and controversial; after Price had left WSU, where he had led the Cougars to unprecedented football success in his 14 years as head coach,[497] he was fired as Alabama's head coach before coaching a single game. He had confessed to visiting a
strip club while on vacation in
Pensacola, Florida for a
golf tournament, being intoxicated for much of the evening, and having about $1,000 charged to his hotel room by an unknown woman staying in the room.[498] This development came on the heels of an earlier reprimand for visiting campus-area bars and drinking into the early hours in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[499] Price came to UTEP with a reputation as a great quarterbacks coach, having coached
Drew Bledsoe and
Ryan Leaf at Washington State.[500] At his UTEP introductory press conference, Price said, "I feel reborn. I think this is the right situation for me. My dad told me a long time ago if you go somewhere where you're wanted and needed, your chances for success are a lot better. I want to be here. It's a match made in heaven."[501][502] Price's starting salary at UTEP in 2004 was $225,000 plus incentives.[503]
In his first season in 2004, Price led the Miners to a surprising 8–4 record.[505][506] The Price era began with a lopsided 41–9 loss to
Arizona State,[507] but the team rebounded as Price recorded his first win as UTEP's head coach in a 32–0 shutout over
Weber State the following week.[508] After losing to No. 23
Boise State by a score of 47–31,[509] the Miners embarked upon a seven-game winning streak, their second such streak in the last five years. It started on October 2, with a 45–0 shutout victory over
New Mexico State.[510] The next week, Price's squad defeated
Fresno State by a score of 24–21.[511] A 51–20 victory over
Hawaii came on October 16, with sophomore quarterback
Jordan Palmer throwing for a career-high 317 yards and five touchdowns.[512] Next came a 44-27 road win over
Louisiana Tech,[513] a 38-20 road win over
San Jose State,[514] a 35–28 win over
Rice[515] and a 57-27 blowout victory over
SMU.[516]Tulsa snapped UTEP's winning streak with a 37–35 win over the Miners in the regular season finale on November 27.[517] The Miners were offered and accepted a berth in the
2004 Houston Bowl, where the Miners lost to
Colorado by a score of 33–28.[518] The season was an astounding turnaround for the Miners, who had won only two games in each of their previous three seasons. At one time during the 2004 season, UTEP earned its first-ever ranking in the
AP Poll, rising as high as 23rd.[519] Price was a finalist for two national coaching honors, the
Eddie Robinson Award and the
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2004 season.[520]
UTEP again finished 8–4 in 2005, their first season in Conference USA.[521] The Miners began the season with a 34–17 win over
New Mexico State, who were in their first game under head coach
Hal Mumme, the former UTEP offensive coordinator from 1982 to 1985.[522] UTEP followed that with wins over
Houston[523] and
New Mexico.[524] On October 1, The Miners lost to
Memphis by a score of 27–20.[525] The Miners then won their next five over
Tulane,[526]Marshall,[527]Rice,[528]Tulsa[333] and I-AA opponent
Texas Southern.[529] UTEP, ranked No. 24 nationally, lost to
UAB by a score of 35–23 on November 19.[530] They closed the regular season with a 40–27 loss to
SMU.[531] UTEP lost to
Toledo by a score of 45–13 in the
2005 GMAC Bowl on December 21.[532] Quarterback
Jordan Palmer threw for a career-high 29 touchdowns with 19 interceptions while completing 59.4% of his passes for 3,503 yards during the 2005 season.[533] On November 17, 2005, UTEP extended Price's contract by one year.[534]
In 2006, UTEP went 5–7.[535] The team began the season with a 34–27 victory over
San Diego State in the season opener.[536] UTEP dropped their next two to No. 24
Texas Tech in overtime[537] and
New Mexico.[211] The Miners then won their next three over
New Mexico State,[538]SMU[539] and
Tulane.[540] Price and his team next suffered three straight losses to
Houston,[541]Tulsa[542] and
Rice.[543] The Miners defeated
UAB on November 10 by a score of 36–17.[544] They finished the season with losses to
Marshall[545] and
Memphis.[546]Jordan Palmer finished his senior season with 26 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions and he completed 65.7% of his passes.[533] During his time at UTEP, Palmer set school records in completions (851), attempts (1,427), passing yards (11,084), touchdown passes (88) and 300-yard passing games (16).[547] He was selected in the sixth round with the 205th overall pick in the
2007 NFL Draft by the
Washington Redskins.[548]
The team compiled a 4–8 record in 2007.[549] Redshirt freshman
Trevor Vittatoe took over the starting quarterback position from recent graduate
Jordan Palmer.[550] UTEP began the season by defeating
New Mexico in a defensive struggle by a score of 10–6.[551] Price's team lost their next two to
Texas Tech[552] and
New Mexico State.[553] Texas El-Paso won their next three; defeating I-AA opponent
Texas Southern by a score of 52–12,[554]SMU by a score of 48–45 in overtime[555] and
Tulsa in a thriller by a nailbiting score of 48–47.[556] UTEP stumbled over the course of the second half of the season; losing their last six to
East Carolina by a score of 45–42 in overtime,[557]Houston by a score of 34–31,[558]Rice by a score of 56-48 after blowing a 48–28 lead,[559]Tulane by a score of 34–19,[560]Southern Miss by a score of 56-30[561] and
UCF by a score of 36–20.[562]
Price led the Miners to a 5–7 record in 2008.[563] They stumbled out of the gate, losing their first three to
Buffalo,[564] No. 10
Texas[565] and
New Mexico State.[566] Price's team responded by winning their next three; defeating
UCF in a blowout,[567] and both
Southern Miss (in double overtime)[568] and
Tulane by closer scores.[569] UTEP lost to
Tulsa by a score of 77–35 on October 18, the most points allowed by the Miners in a game since giving up the same number to
Kentucky in 2002.[570] On November 1, UTEP lost to
Rice by a score of 49–44.[571] UTEP played out-of-conference on November 8, defeating
Louisiana–Lafayette by a score of 37–24.[572] After defeating
SMU by a score of 36–10,[573] the Miners closed the year with losses to
Houston[574] and
East Carolina.[575]
UTEP went 4–8 in 2009.[576] They lost by a score of 23–17 to
Buffalo in the season opener.[577] The Miners lost to No. 24
Kansas by a score of 34–7 in their second game.[578] After defeating
New Mexico State,[579] Price's team lost to No. 2
Texas by a score of 64–7.[580] On October 3, Price's Miners upset No. 12
Houston by a score of 58-41 behind running back
Donald Buckram's 262 rushing yards.[581] UTEP fell to
Memphis by a score of 35-20 the following week.[582] After defeating
Tulsa,[583] Texas-El Paso lost its next four to
UAB,[584]Tulane,[585]SMU[586] and
Rice.[587] UTEP finished the season with a 52–21 victory over
Marshall behind
Trevor Vittatoe's 517 passing yards and five touchdowns.[588] Running back
Donald Buckram led
Conference USA in rushing during the 2009 season, with 1,594 yards and 18 touchdowns.[589]
In 2010, the Miners finished 6–7.[590] In the season's first game, the Miners defeated I-AA foe
Arkansas–Pine Bluff by a score of 31–10.[591] After losing to
Houston,[592] the Miners defeated
New Mexico State,[593]Memphis,[594]New Mexico[595] and
Rice.[596] The team lost their next three to
UAB,[597]Tulane[598] and
Marshall.[599] After defeating
SMU by a score of 28–14,[600] the Miners lost their last three to No. 14
Arkansas,[601]Tulsa[602] and in the
2010 New Mexico Bowl to
BYU by a score of 52–24.[603] With the New Mexico Bowl appearance, Price became the second Miner head coach to take UTEP to three bowl games, after
Mike Brumbelow, who led the Miners to the
Sun Bowl in 1954, 1955 and 1957.[604]Trevor Vittatoe, a senior in 2010, broke
Jordan Palmer's school records for career passing yards (12,439) and touchdown passes (97) during his time at UTEP.[605] Vittatoe also set school records in total offense (12,291 yards) and touchdowns responsible for (98).[605] Running back
Donald Buckram also graduated after the 2010 season and left as the UTEP leader for rushing yards in a single season.[606]
In 2012, UTEP finished 3–9.[620] They began the season with a 24–7 loss to No. 4
Oklahoma.[621] After losing by a score of 28–10 to
Ole Miss the following week,[622] Price's Miners earned their first win of the season with a 41–28 victory over rival
New Mexico State on September 15.[623] Texas El-Paso then lost to
Wisconsin by a score of 37–26,[624]East Carolina by a score of 28–18,[625]SMU in a shutout 17-0[626] and
Tulsa by a score of 33–11.[627] UTEP snapped its four-game losing streak with a 24–20 win over
Tulane on October 20.[628] Losses to
Houston[629] and
UCF[630] followed before UTEP beat a winless
Southern Miss team in a thriller by a score of 34–33.[631] The Miners finished the season with a 33–24 loss to
Rice in the final game of the season.[632] On November 19, 2012, Price announced that he would be
retiring, effective at the end of the season.[633] Price left UTEP with a 48–61 record in nine years,[634] making him the second winningest head coach in UTEP football history behind only
Mack Saxon.[635] His time coaching the Miners was not over, though, as he later returned as interim head coach in 2017.[636]
Sean Kugler era (2013–2017)
Despite having no experience either as a head coach or as a coordinator,
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach
Sean Kugler was hired to replace Price in December 2012.[637] Kugler played offensive lineman for the Miners from 1984 to 1988 and was on the Miners' ten-win team his senior season under
Bob Stull.[638] He served as an assistant coach for UTEP from 1993 to 2000 under
David Lee,
Charlie Bailey and
Gary Nord before serving assistant coach stints for the
NFL's
Detroit Lions,
Boise State under
Chris Petersen and the NFL's
Buffalo Bills before joining the NFL's Steelers staff under
Mike Tomlin.[639]
In 2014, the Miners improved to a 7–6 record.[653] They kicked off the season with a 31–24 win over
New Mexico.[654] Kugler's team lost in its second game of the season by a score of 30–26 to
Texas Tech.[655] Kugler's team improved to 2–1 after a 42–24 victory over
New Mexico State on September 13.[656] The Miners then lost to No. 25
Kansas State by a score of 58-28 the next week.[657] Another blowout loss came the following week, as the Miners lost to
Louisiana Tech by a lopsided 55–3.[658] UTEP responded to the defeats with three straight wins, defeating
Old Dominion 42–35,[659] shutting out
UTSA 34-0[660] and beating
Southern Miss by a score of 35–14.[661] The Miners dropped their fourth game of the season on November 8 with a 35–27 loss to
Western Kentucky.[662] Texas El-Paso defeated
North Texas by a score of 35-17 the following week.[663] UTEP closed the regular season with a 31–13 loss to
Rice[664] and a 24–21 victory over
Middle Tennessee.[665] The Miners received a berth in the
2014 New Mexico Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 2010.[666] They lost the contest to
Utah State by a score of 21–6.[667]
In 2015, Kugler's Miners finished 5–7.[668] The season began with a 48–13 loss to No. 18
Arkansas on September 5.[669] Kugler's team lost their second game of the season to
Texas Tech by a score of 69–20.[670] The Miners recorded their first two wins of the season over the next two weeks, defeating
New Mexico State by a score of 50–47 in overtime[671] and
FCS opponent
Incarnate Word by a score of 27–17.[672] Kugler's Miners then lost their next two to
UTSA by a score of 25-6[673] and
FIU by a score of 52–12.[674] After defeating
Florida Atlantic 27–17,[675] the Miners lost to
Southern Miss 34–13 on
Halloween[676] and defeated
Rice 24–21 on November 6.[677] Losses to
Old Dominion[678] and
Louisiana Tech followed[679] before UTEP defeated
North Texas by a score of 20–17 in the season's final game.[680]
The Miners stumbled to a winless 0–12 record in 2017.[694] They started the season on September 2 with a 56–7 loss to No. 7
Oklahoma.[695] In the season's second game, Kugler's team lost to
Rice by a margin of 31–14.[696] On September 15, the Miners lost a 63-16 blowout to
Arizona.[697] After a 41–14 defeat at the hands of rival
New Mexico State,[698] the Miners dropped a 35-21 contest to
Army.[699] On October 1, 2017, one day after the loss to Army, it was announced that Kugler had resigned as the head coach, effective immediately.[700] Outgoing athletics director
Bob Stull turned to
Mike Price to serve as the team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[701] On October 7, the Miners lost a heartbreaking 15–14 game to
Western Kentucky.[702] That was followed by a 24–0 shutout at the hands of
Southern Miss.[703] On October 28, Texas El-Paso lost to rival
UTSA by a score of 31–14.[704] After a 30–3 loss to
Middle Tennessee,[705] the Miners fell to
North Texas by a margin of 45–10.[706] In the season's final two games, the Miners lost to
Louisiana Tech by a margin of 42-21[707] and
UAB by a score of 28–7.[708]
Dana Dimel era (2018–present)
On December 6, 2017,
Kansas State offensive coordinator
Dana Dimel was named UTEP's 26th head football coach.[709] A longtime assistant coach at Kansas State under head coach
Bill Snyder, Dimel had previous experience turning around struggling college football programs as head coach, greatly improving both
Wyoming from 1997 to 1999 and
Houston from 2000 to 2002.[710] UTEP signed Dimel to a five-year contract worth a base salary of $750,000 annually.[711]
UTEP has won two conference championships, one outright and one shared.
In 1956 the UTEP Miners finished the year with a 9–2 overall record and a 5–0 in conference to win the Border Conference and its first conference champions title. The season included wins over Arizona, Arizona State, and Texas Tech. The Miners were defeated by North Texas that year. Forty Four years later in 2000, the Miners shared the Western Athletic Conference Champions title with
TCU. UTEP finished 8–4 overall record and a 7–1 in conference. The season included wins over Fresno State, Rice, and SMU. The Miners were defeated by TCU, its only loss in conference play.
The Battle of I-10 Rivalry is named for the New Mexico State-UTEP rivalry.[713] The 107–year–old series has had many exciting finishes in its storied history. UTEP holds the series lead at 58–38–2,[194] largely due to dominance in the series from the 1920s to the 1960s. The rivalry is either played in El Paso or
Las Cruces, New Mexico.
^"Arizona State v. UTEP". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. October 25, 1970. p. 54. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^"East Tennessee State v. UTEP". Kingsport Times-News. Kingsport, Tennessee. September 20, 1975. p. 7. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived from
the original(PDF) on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2011.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Lobos entertain UTEP". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. October 19, 1979. p. 153. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^"Utes crush UTEP 35–0". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. November 11, 1979. p. 25. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)
^"Archived copy"(PDF).
Archived(PDF) from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link)