The history of UTEP Miners football covers 111 seasons since the team first represented the then-State College of Mines and Metallurgy in 1914.
Overview
Early history (1914–1964) 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. 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. 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. 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. He led the Miners to three 7–1 seasons. 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. 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. 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. It was in 1949 that the College of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Texas changed its name to Texas Western College. Curtice left the Miners to accept the position of head coach for Utah after the 1949 season.
In June 1950, Mike Brumbelow was hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Texas Western. 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. Brumbelow served as head football coach at UTEP from 1950 to 1956. He had a successful tenure as coach, guiding his teams to a 46–24–3 record. The team won eight or more games three times, in 1953, 1954 and 1956. He led UTEP to appearances in the 1954 Sun Bowl, 1955 Sun Bowl, and 1957 Sun Bowl, two of which UTEP won. Brumbelow retired as UTEP's football coach in July 1957 and as athletic director in 1959. He retired as the school's second winningest head football coach and held that distinction until he was surpassed by Mike Price in 2012. Brumbelow was inducted into El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame in 1964, and the UTEP Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Ben Collins was promoted from assistant coach to head coach following Brumbelow's retirement. Under his tutelage, the Miners compiled a record of 18–29–1. He also succeeded Brumbelow as athletics director. Collins resigned after multiple losing seasons at the helm of Miners football. Bum Phillips came to Texas Western from Amarillo High School and led the Miners for one season, a 4–5 campaign in 1962. He left the Miners to return to the high school ranks with Port Neches–Groves High School in 1963. 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. However, after two seasons and a 3–15–2 overall record, the Miners athletics administration relieved Harper of his head coaching duties.
Bobby Dobbs era (1965–1973) Former Tulsa head coach Bobby Dobbs came to Texas Western from the CFL's Calgary Stampeders. 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.
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. In the season's second game, the Miners defeated New Mexico by a score of 35–14. Dobb's team then defeated New Mexico State by a score of 21–6 and Colorado State by a score of 35–10. The Miners then lost their next three to Wyoming, Arizona State and Arizona. They broke their three-game skid by defeating Utah by a close 20–19. They followed that with a 57–33 win over I-AA opponent Xavier. The Miners finished off the 1965 season with a 38–21 win over I-AA West Texas A&M and the 13–12 Sun Bowl win over TCU.
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. The Miners went 6–4 in 1966. They began the season with a 30–26 loss to Arizona State on September 17. After losing to North Texas the following week by a score of 12–9, Dobb's team responded with four straight victories; 51–3 over New Mexico, 9–3 over West Texas A&M, 68–21 over I-AA opponent Texas–Arlington and a 35–0 shutout over San Jose State. Texas Western then lost consecutive games to BYU and Wyoming. Dobbs led his team to two wins to close the season; a 28–14 win over archrival New Mexico State and a 27–20 victory over Utah.
In 1967, Texas Western College changed its name to the University of Texas at El Paso. Dobbs' football team led the nation in passing and scoring that season, losing its two games by a total of three points. They finished the season with a 7–2–1 record. UTEP kicked off the season with a 50–14 thrashing of I-AA foe UC Santa Barbara. After a narrow 33–32 loss to Arizona State, the Miners tied Arizona at 9–9. Dobbs' Miners then won their next four, defeating BYU 47–17, 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), a 46–24 win over New Mexico State and a 17–0 shutout of Colorado State. After losing to No. 6 Wyoming by a score of 21–19, the Miners closed the regular season with a 28–8 win over Utah. UTEP accepted a berth in the 1967 Sun Bowl on its home turf, defeating Ole Miss by a score of 14–7.
Dobbs led the Miners into the Western Athletic Conference in 1968, ending its seven-year run as an independent. The Miners compiled a 4–5–1 record that year. UTEP tied I-AA UC Santa Barbara by a score of 14–14 in the season opener. After defeating New Mexico by a score of 44–15 on September 21, UTEP lost three straight to No. 19 Arizona State, Arizona in a shutout, and I-AA opponent Long Beach State. The Miners won their next two over New Mexico State 30–14 and BYU 31–25. After losses to North Texas and No. 20 Wyoming, Texas El-Paso defeated Colorado State in the season's final game by a score of 23–19.
Texas El-Paso finished 4–6 in 1969. The Miners began the season by defeating I-AA foe Pacific and New Mexico. UTEP then lost its next four to Utah, No. 18 Wyoming, Arizona and BYU. After defeating Colorado State by a nail-biting 17–16, the Miners lost to New Mexico State and Arizona State before defeating Xavier by a score of 17–10 in the season finale. They improved to 6–4 in 1970. Dobb's squad lost their first two out of the gate to Pacific and Utah. The Miners rebounded to record wins over BYU (17–0), New Mexico State (21–14) and Colorado State (41–37). After losing to No. 12 Arizona State and New Mexico, Dobbs led his team to three wins in the season's final three games; defeating Wyoming by a score of 42–7, Arizona by a score of 33–17 and mid-major Trinity by a score of 37–16.
The Miners finished 5–6 in 1971. They began the season with a 38–9 win over Texas–Arlington and a 21–3 win over Pacific. UTEP then lost three in a row; 14–6 to Arizona 24–7 to No. 13 Arizona State and 32–10 to Utah. UTEP then defeated New Mexico State by a score of 14–7 and Wyoming by a score of 12–7. BYU shut out UTEP 16–0 on October 30. That was followed by losses of 49–13 to New Mexico and 24–7 to Colorado State. Texas-El Paso completed the 1971 season with a 38–32 win over I-AA Long Beach State on November 27.
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. 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. The team lost and Dobbs resigned. Dobbs compiled a 41–35–2 record at UTEP in seven full seasons and a partial eighth. Tommy Hudspeth was promoted form offensive coordinator to head coach for the 1973 following Dobbs' resignation. In his first season, the Miners freefell to 0–11, which led to Hudspeth's firing after just one full season as Miners head coach.
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.
In 1974, the Miners finished 4–7. After losing to Pacific to open the season, UTEP defeated Utah in their second game to earn its first win of the season. Bartosh's squad then lost their next four to San Diego State, No. 12 Arizona, New Mexico State and BYU. UTEP then won its next three over Texas–Arlington, No. 14 Arizona State and Wyoming. The Miners lost their last two games of the season to Colorado State and New Mexico. UTEP finished 1–10 in 1975. After losing to San Diego State and New Mexico State to start the season, the Miners gained their only win of the season in their third game over East Tennessee State by a score of 6–3. UTEP lost to Pacific, No. 17 Arizona, Wyoming, No. 11 Arizona State, New Mexico, Colorado State Hawaii and BYU to close the season. In 1976, Bartosh led the Miners to a 1–11 record. The Miners defeated Texas–Arlington to start the season but lost its last 11 games of the season to New Mexico State, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado State, San Diego State, BYU, Wyoming, Hawaii and No. 14 Oklahoma State.
Bill Michael era (1977–1981)