Lobo fans make themselves heard on the Las Vegas Strip

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Joseph and Dorothy Baca were in their element Wednesday, surrounded by fired-up UNM basketball fans on the Las Vegas Strip.

Joseph, a retired district judge and New Mexico supreme court justice, and his wife of 56 years have been diehard Lobos fans for as long as they can remember. They’ve been attending Mountain West tournaments since they started in 2000 and took in Western Athletic Conference tournaments in Las Vegas before that.

Joseph and Dorothy are back in Las Vegas for this year’s MW tournament and will be cheering on UNM at Thursday’s men’s quarterfinal against San Jose State at the Thomas & Mack Center. On Wednesday they were among hundreds of cherry red-wearing, woof-woof-woof-chanting fans enjoying themselves at a rally outside New York-New York Hotel and Casino.

It was not the Bacas’ first Lobo rodeo.

“We’ve been to a lot of these parties,” Joseph said. “They’re always well-attended and always a lot of fun. Some years there’s not a whole lot for Lobo fans to cheer about, but this year’s been great. Everyone’s really excited about this tournament.”

Fans were lined up down the block to get into Wednesday’s event, which featured a deejay, UNM’s pep band and spirit teams and free hot dogs and chips. University president Garnett Stokes and recently hired athletic director Fernando Lovo addressed the crowd. Men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino made an appearance and greeted fans but did not take the stage.

“This is incredible,” Lovo said. “What an amazing show of Lobo pride. I’ve only been at UNM for three months, but I’ve never seen anything like this. I guess they call (the Thomas & Mack Center) Pit West for a reason.”

Judy Thompson, who is attending her 14th Mountain West tournament, agreed.

“Un-freakin’-believable,” she said. “This is the biggest crowd I’ve seen for something like this. I bet we have the most fans here of any Mountain West school — except possibly UNLV. This is awesome.”

Jerry and Lisa Gurule are spending the week in Las Vegas, attending both the MW men’s and women’s tournaments. Both are New Mexico State graduates, and both still root for the Aggies when they’re not playing the Lobos. They attended both schools’ conference tournaments when both were held in Las Vegas, but the Gurules are 100% UNM fans this week.

“I grew up in the Bosque Farms, Peralta area,” Jerry said, “and I was a big Lobo fan before I went to State — all the way back to the late ‘70s. NMSU had some good rallies out here, too, and fans can be fickle. But seeing this crowd, I have to admit I’m impressed.”

Lisa smiled when asked about her split UNM-NMSU loyalties.

“I still love the Aggies, but I’m a Lobo convert,” she said. “I just sit quietly when they play each other and root for them both the rest of the time.”

Lobo fans of all ages and turned out for Wednesday’s gathering, but few could match the Bacas when it comes to loyal long-term support.

“We both went to Lobo games together back in Carlisle Gym,” Dorothy said, referring to the program’s longtime home until the late 1950s. “We’ve been cheering them on for a long time and we always look forward to it.”

Joseph, Dorothy and their three daughters all have degrees from the University of New Mexico.

“We’re a total Lobo family,” Joseph said. “I’ve been traveling to games since UNM went to the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) finals in New York in 1964. Unfortunately the Lobos lost, but I’ve been hooked ever since. We had so much fun when UNM won this tournament last year. I really hope they can do it again.”