July 8, 2009
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2009 Lobo football ticket information | 2009 UNM football schedule
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
If you want an ex-Lobo in the radio booth qualified to talk about Lobo coach Mike Locksley’s new-fangled, no-huddle, multiple offense, why not pick a former UNM quarterback who has been there, done that?
That’s exactly what the University of New Mexico has done for the 2009 Lobo football season in giving Kole McKamey the opportunity to step up to the microphone and perform like he once did coming out of the UNM huddle.
“There has been such a defensive mindset around here toward Lobo football and now we have an exciting, quick-scoring, finesse offense and I get to be one of the first to help explain to Lobo fans how it works,” said McKamey, who played for the Lobo from 2002-2006 and ran three different offensive schemes in his final three seasons.
“I wanted to get back to my passion (football) and since I love to talk about football, this is the perfect way. I’m excited about this. I guarantee I’ll call it like I see it, but I’ll be fair. I’m not up there to bash my Lobos.”
McKamey will step into the booth as the color commentator for Scott Galetti, who enters his second season as the voice of the Lobos. The 12 UNM football games will be carried over the Lobo Radio Network spearheaded by 50,000-watt KKOB-AM 770.
“The timing of putting a former Lobo quarterback in the radio booth might be coincidental, but it’s also perfect,” said coach Locksley. “We are putting in a new offense which likely will be highly discussed by Lobo fans and the media. We have a Lobo in the booth who has been through the wars on the field.
“I have met with Kole and I’m impressed with his knowledge of the game and I expect his comments will be insight to Lobo fans and fair to our team.”
Probably the toughest thing for an ex-Lobo in the booth is to fairly analyze and comment on things that aren’t going well. This will be a demanding season for a first-year UNM head coach putting in a new offense. And the Lobos’ 2009 season is not one of cup cakes and guaranteed wins.
Locksley’s Lobos are looking at the usual tough Mountain West schedule plus non-conference games against Texas A&M, Tulsa, New Mexico State and Texas Tech.
“I know that part of my job is to comment on things that go bad, too,” said McKamey, who threw for 3,359 yards as a Lobo. “But you can be critical in a positive way by explaining exactly why something went wrong.
“There will be mistakes make and I’ll talk about the mistakes because the good, the bad and the ugly are all parts of the game. But I want the fans to hopefully learn something from what I have to say.
“I don’t want to be in the booth coming across as a teacher, but I want to be able to look at what happens and do a good job of explaining it.”
McKamey came to New Mexico from Artesia High. He finished his Lobo career ranked in career Top 10 marks in passing yards (9th), completions (8th), completion percentage (4th) and TD passes (8th). His 62.3 completion percentage in 2005 is a UNM single-season record. In 2006, CollegeFootballNews.com listed him as the nation’s No. 4 dual threat at quarterback.
“It’s great when your color man is a former student-athlete,” said Paul Krebs, a UNM Vice President in charge of athletics. “I know that Kole has stayed close to the program and has attended games.
“I think as a former quarterback he will have great perspective and the ability to give fans an inside peek into a new and exciting offense.”
McKamey’s career at UNM was cut short in the second game of the 2006 season when he suffered a knee injury at New Mexico State. McKamey was awarded a medical redshirt, but re-injured the knee during rehabilitation.
“I had every intention of coming back, but seven months into the rehab process I tore the ACL again,” said McKamey. “It was one of those things where you needed to call it a day and start your golf career.”
McKamey, 25, works for Mountain West Medical, a company owned by Johnson & Johnson that sells orthopedic implants and instrumentation for sports medicine surgeries.
“I’m excited about this opportunity,” said McKamey. “I’m taking this job seriously, but I also know I’m going to have a lot of fun. I want to be part of the program again and I think I’ll feel that way once I start going to practices and being out there with the team again.”
The Lobos open the 2009 season on the road Sept 5 at Texas A&M and open Sept 12 in University Stadium against Tulsa.