CSUN’s Burt Seeks Coaching Position at New Mexico St.

Bob Burt, football coach at Cal State Northridge, is among those being considered for the vacant job at New Mexico State.

Steve Shutt, assistant athletic director at New Mexico State, said that the school has had “some correspondence” with Burt but that no interview has been scheduled.

Burt, whose four-year record at Northridge is 27-17, confirmed that he had applied for the job but had no further comment.

New Mexico State has dropped 17 consecutive games, the longest losing streak in Division I-A football.

Mike Knoll, who was fired Nov. 19, had a 4-40 record in four seasons as coach of the Aggies. New Mexico State was 0-11 the past season, its first winless season in 35 years.

Burt, 48, has not had a losing season since coming to Northridge in 1986. CSUN has been playing football for 28 years and no other Matador coach has had more than two winning seasons in a row.

Jack Elway, who went on to coach at San Jose State and Stanford, came the closest. Elway had winning seasons in 1976 and 1977 and a 5-5 record in 1978, his final season at CSUN.

Northridge was 6-5 overall and finished in a second-place tie with Southern Utah State in the Western Football Conference.

Although CSUN needed wins in its final two games to escape with a winning record, the Division II Matadors raised eyebrows by almost upsetting Cal State Fullerton in their second game of the season.

Northridge lost, 27-20, but only after a Fullerton interception in the end zone foiled a last-minute drive.

Fullerton finished at 6-4-1 and went 5-2 in the Division I Big West Conference to end up in a second-place tie with San Jose State. The Titans defeated New Mexico State, 45-10, in a Big West game at Fullerton on Nov. 11.

Burt is familiar with the New Mexico State program, having coached against the Aggies during his six years as Fullerton’s defensive coordinator.

In addition, the Burt family has deep historical ties with New Mexico. In 1944, Burt’s grandparents, Robert and Edna Peterson, ran against each other for governor of the state. The only other person on the ballot won.

Sources in New Mexico State’s athletic department hinted that Burt, who was born in Albuquerque, N. M., might be interviewed for the position sometime next week.

Denny Stolz, formerly coach at San Diego State, is reportedly New Mexico State’s top candidate. Stolz, who was 16-19 with the Aztecs before being fired last November, was interviewed by New Mexico State officials last Wednesday. Stolz has been men’s golf coach at San Diego State for the past year.

Jim Bradley, New Mexico State’s coach from 1973-77 was interviewed Monday and Bob O’Mera, coach at Western New Mexico, met with Aggie administrators Wednesday.

Bradley, who was 23-31-1 at New Mexico State, is a Las Cruces, N. M., native who is coach at Roswell High, considered the premier high school program in New Mexico.

O’Mera is 16-14-1 in three seasons at Western New Mexico, an NAIA school.