_(1).jpg) | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | New Mexico |
| Conference | MW |
| Record | 3–5 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 21, 1966 Alpine, Utah, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1984–1985 | Snow |
| 1986–1987 | Oregon State |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1989–1990 | Oregon State (GA) |
| 1991–1992 | Snow (DC/DB) |
| 1993 | Northern Arizona (DB) |
| 1994 | Northern Arizona (co-DC/DB) |
| 1995 | Oregon State (DL) |
| 1996 | Oregon State (DC/DB) |
| 1997 | Louisiana Tech (DB) |
| 1998–2001 | New Mexico (DC/DB) |
| 2002 | New Mexico (AHC/DC/DB) |
| 2003–2004 | BYU (DC/DB) |
| 2005–2015 | BYU |
| 2016–2021 | Virginia |
| 2024–present | New Mexico |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 138–86 |
| Bowls | 7–7 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 Mountain West (2006, 2007) 1 ACC Coastal (2019) | |
| Awards | |
| Mountain West Coach of the Year (2006) | |
Marc Bronco Clay Mendenhall (born February 21, 1966)[1] is an American football coach for the University of New Mexico (UNM) Lobos in Albuquerque.[2] He previously coached at the University of Virginia.[3] He stepped down after the 2021 season.[4] Mendenhall joined Virginia in 2015 after spending the previous eleven seasons as the head football coach at Brigham Young University (BYU). He has a career record of 135 victories and 81 losses and has recorded fourteen postseason bowl game appearances with seven victories.
Mendenhall is known for his unorthodox methods and "Earned Not Given" motto, even having players earn their jersey numbers each season.[5][6] In 2019, Mendenhall became the first Virginia coach to bring both the Commonwealth Cup and Jefferson-Eppes Trophy to Charlottesville at the same time, and his Cavaliers also won the South's Oldest Rivalry in the same season. He took Virginia to the program's first Orange Bowl.
More than 60 of Mendenhall's players have been signed to NFL contracts since 2005, including Ezekiel Ansah, the #5 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.[7] Mendenhall is also known for graduating his players, and his program ranked seventh for most Academic All-Americans during his tenure of over a decade.[7]
Mendenhall comes from a notable football family. His father played defensive end for BYU in the 1950s, while Bronco himself played safety for Oregon State University (OSU) where he was named team captain his senior season. His brother, Mat Mendenhall, started at defensive end for the Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVII. Mendenhall was named the head football coach at the University of New Mexico in December 2023.
- ^ "The Bronco Mendenhall file". Deseret News. May 30, 2005. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ "New Mexico hires Mendenhall to 5-year deal". December 5, 2023.
- ^ "UVA Names Mendenhall Football Coach" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. December 4, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ "Mendenhall to step down after 6 seasons at UVa". ESPN.com. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ Virginia Football Thoughts: Jersey Selection Musings, accessed November 13, 2019
- ^ Earned Not Given: Jersey Selection a Boon for Virginia football team, accessed November 13, 2019
- ^ a b 10 things to know about Bronco Mendenhall, accessed December 5, 2015