Willis Barnes

Willis Barnes spent almost half his life serving UNM athletics as both assistant and head football coach as well as a mentor to Lobo boxing, wrestling and track. Only the legendary Roy Johnson surpassed Willis’ 34 years of service to the University.

Barnes led UNM to a 34-24 victory over Denver in the 1946 Sun Bowl. A year later, the Lobos actually played in two bowl games, falling to the Lei Alums in the Pineapple Bowl in Honolulu and tying Montana State in the Harbor Bowl in San Diego.

Barnes served as assistant to Ted Shipkey when UNM’s 1938 club played the Sun Bowl in El Paso, the school’s first postseason appearance. Later, it was Barnes’ defense, labeled “the accordion spread,” that gave the Lobos one of college football’s biggest upsets in 1952 – a 7-0 shocker over highly touted Wyoming.

Barnes first came to the UNM staff in 1938 after serving as the head football coach in Belen and as a member of the Albuquerque Police Department. He remained with the Lobos for the next 33 years as it traversed from the Border Conference to the Skyline Conference to the Western Athletic Conference.

Barnes passed away in 1976.