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With blessing of the Pueblo of Zia, Lobo basketball teams to don state flag-themed jerseys
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New Mexicans can’t seem to attend major sporting events without bringing their state flag.
Those are the rules.
Well, there aren’t any actual rules dictating that. But if you look around NFL games each Sunday, at World Series parades in Texas this past fall or at any major UFC and boxing pay-per-view events for the past few decades, there seems to be at least one, often more, of the gorgeous bright yellow flags with the Zia symbol staring back at us all.
Displaying New Mexico pride with the state flag seems to have caught on as some sort of unspoken sports tradition.
The UNM Lobos men’s and women’s basketball teams on Saturday, in celebration of New Mexico becoming a state on Jan. 6, 1912, will be tapping into the same sense of state pride, wearing special state flag-themed jerseys.
And, though there’s no trademark law that makes it a requirement to use the highly-popular Zia symbol — arguably the most popular state-themed tattoo of New Mexicans for years — the University of New Mexico did reach out to the Pueblo of Zia seeking permission. It will be the second time for the men’s team to don the yellow jerseys.
“The Pueblo of Zia, Tribal Historic Preservation Office, has reviewed your request for the use of our most sacred Zia Sun Symbol, for the university’s use on Zia themed uniforms in celebration of New Mexico’s statehood on January 6th,” wrote Pueblo of Zia Governor Valentino Pino to UNM in a letter dated Dec. 19 and reviewed by the Journal.
The agreement also includes a small donation from UNM to the Pueblo and one of the special uniforms to “be donated to the Pueblo of Zia, so we may proudly showcase the uniform in our Tribal Administration office.”
The governor also thanked UNM for the formal request of permission from the pueblo.
The women’s game against the visiting Boise State Broncos begins at 2 p.m.
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The men’s game against the Wyoming Cowboys will tip at 8 p.m. and is being broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Pit will be cleared between games.
ON SALE: The jerseys, or replicas of them, are not being sold by UNM. Yellow, long sleeved “Land of Enchantment” shooting t-shirts the teams will be wearing are on sale, in person only, at the Lobo Den store.
THE LAST TIME: Also with permission from the Pueblo of Zia, the Lobos men’s team wore yellow state flag-themed jerseys on Jan. 5, 2019, (a day before the statehood celebration).
In that game, the 14-0, No. 6-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack came to the Pit and was blown out, 85-58, by a Lobos team that ended that season with a losing record at 14-18.
Former Lobo Anthony Mathis poured in 27 points and Vance Jackson had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and three steals.
That game may have caught the eye of then-Nevada coach Eric Musselman, who took Jackson as a transfer for the 2020-21 season at Arkansas, where Musselman now coaches.
BIRTHDAY BLUES: OK, so maybe the state’s birthday celebration hasn’t always been the best day for the Lobos to play basketball.
UNM is 9-13 all-time on Jan. 6, including just 2-5 in the Mountain West era.
They did play Wyoming, and won, 84-73, on Jan. 6, 1962, in Laramie.
BEFORE STATEHOOD: Yes, there was Lobo basketball before New Mexico was a state.
In fact, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team went 19-11 overall before statehood and actually did play once on the state’s Jan. 6 birthday, even before it was a birthday (the Lobos beat New Mexico Highlands 21-19 on Jan. 6, 1911).
COOPER, TOO: It may have nothing to do with the state flag, but there is plenty of UNM Lobo pride in Michael Cooper.
The former program great and NBA star who is a candidate for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will be signing autographs on the concourse starting at 7:30 p.m. ahead of Saturday’s men’s game as part of a promotion with All In Autographs.
