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Three years ago, Mike Locksley was hired to turn around New Mexico’s increasingly depressing football program. Long-time head coach Rocky Long had managed a record somewhere near .500 from 1998 to 2008, but he was fired after a four-win 2008 season despite going 9-4 the year before.

Three years later, Locksley has been one of the, if not the most, disastrous hires in the history of college football. Gerry Faust has nothing on Mike Locksley.

You would think going 2-26 in two and a half years, assaulting a member of his staff, and sexually harrassing a secretary for the athletic department would be enough to get a guy fired. New Mexico also lost to FCS Sam Houston State in overtime on Saturday.

There’s also statistical evidence too: Locksley was the offensive coordinator at Illinois when the Illini made their improbable run to the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Juice Williams, receiver Arrelious Benn, and running back Rashard Mendenhall were something of a juggernaut in Locksley’s system. Locksley’s Lobos team ranks 104th in scoring offense (17.8 ppg) and 119th in scoring defense (giving up 43.3 ppg). Even more damning is their average of 112 rushing yards per game, good enough for 94th in the nation.

It turns out there’s a reason Locksley was so great at Illinois: he had talent running the offense and he didn’t get caught letting a recruit drive his car with a BAC of .16. Locksley was mercifully fired from New Mexico Sunday.

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