Greetings from Albuquerque

Dick and I arrived here in Albuquerque this afternoon and after eating some barbecue, we checked into the team hotel, the Albuquerque Marriott, to settle in to get some work done. Today, it’s rainy and rain is in the forecast tomorrow morning here as well. The plan is to find a place tonight to watch the BYU basketball team’s season-opener on TV.

I like Albuquerque, though it might be for sentimental reasons. I covered my first college football game here.

Of course, Albuquerque is a special place for BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall because he was New Mexico’s defensive coordinator for five years. Two of his sons were born here. Mendenhall was instrumental in the Lobos’ rise as a program.

One year during his time at New Mexico, a couple of days before Thanksgiving, Mendenhall’s wife, Holly, received a phone call from Bronco, who asked her to bring something to his office on the New Mexico campus. Holly did and when she returned home, about an hour later, she found the door hinges were smashed. Upon entering, she saw that they had been robbed of almost everything they owned. Other than that, though, the Mendenhalls enjoyed their time in Albuquerque.

“It’s a place where I have a lot of memories and have strong feelings for,” Mendenhall said. “We’re looking forward to going back to Albuquerque and playing a football game.”

BYU offensive lineman R.J. Willing, who served his mission in Albuquerque and actually spent a few months on the UNM campus, said this of the crowd at New Mexico: “I was actually surprised how mild-tempered the Wyoming crowd was (last week). (UNM fans) tend to be a little more hostile towards us. We have a few of our favorite chants when we go over there. It’s always a great experience and a great environment to play in.”