Fans' happy howling: Bye-bye Locksley

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) - The ups and downs of the past two years have not been easy on the Lobo Nation, and now fans are howling with reactions to the recent firing of head football coach Mike Locksley.

Attendance at Saturday's homecoming football game was a mere 16,000, including season ticket holders. That's the lowest levels since 1992. Cheery and silver fans have been calling for Coach Locksley's head since early last season, and now they have what they want. "It's going to be a new era finally," said fan Diego Montoya.

According to numbers from a University press release, Mike Locksley had the worst win-loss record at UNM in the past 100 years. He racked in only two wins during his two and a half seasons with the team.

The celebration is also apparent online. The Lobos' Facebook page had more than 500 likes on the topic of the coaches dismissal within 30 minutes of it being posted.

The question now is how much it will cost the university to buy out Locksley's contract. An exact number has yet to be released, but it will be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Lobos' defensive coordinator George Barlow has been named interim coach.