New Mexico coach Bob Davie said he expects a full recovery and expressed gratitude to caregivers for their “swift and professional efforts” after “a serious medical incident” moments after Saturday night’s 39-31 victory over Sam Houston State in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“I anticipate a full recovery thanks to the excellent care received,” Davie said in a statement released through New Mexico on Sunday. “My wife Joanne is with me and we hugely appreciate everyone who has reached out with well wishes.”
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Davie could be seen several times during the game with his hands on his midsection and chest. At one point, the newspaper reported, Davie, 64, kneeled down during the action. A school athletic official told the Journal that Davie was experiencing chest pains.
The coach’s postgame media availability was canceled.
Davie’s wife, Joanne Davie, was seen in the ambulance’s front seat as it left for nearby University of New Mexico Hospital.
Athletic director Eddie Nunez said the university would release more information as it became available.
Davie is just starting his eighth season at New Mexico. He coached at Notre Dame from 1997 through 2001, and he worked for 10 years after that as a college football analyst for ESPN before returning to the sideline at New Mexico in 2012. He led the Lobos to a 9-4 record in 2016, but that has been followed by back-to-back 3-9 seasons.
New Mexico got out to a 16-0 lead in the second quarter of Saturday’s season opener, scoring on four consecutive possessions. But the Bearkats took a 23-22 lead in the third, only to see the Lobos go ahead for good midway through the quarter.
Down eight, Sam Houston reached the Lobos’ 24 in the closing minute but got no closer.
New Mexico suspended Davie for 30 days without pay in February 2018, following multiple investigations into whether he and his coaching staff interfered with criminal investigations or misconduct cases involving players. The school was unable to conclude that Davie or his staff had obstructed criminal investigation, based on the findings of an investigative firm hired by the university.
New Mexico next plays at No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 14.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.