Cs Northridge Loses Football Coach

From the day he began interviewing for the job through his first season at Cal State Northridge in 1997, Jim Fenwick repeatedly said he wanted to see the Matadors football program become a Division I-AA power.

It still might happen, but not with the San Fernando Valley native.

On Monday, Fenwick surprisingly resigned as the head coach at CSUN to take the offensive coordinator position at the University of New Mexico. His departure will cause Northridge to hire its fourth head coach in the last five years.

Fenwick joins the staff of Rocky Long, the former UCLA defensive coordinator, who was hired to take over the Lobos on Dec. 20.

“I have been faced with a better opportunity,” said Fenwick, 45. “Opportunity sometimes knocks at the least opportune time. I wasn’t looking around when the opportunity came a month ago. This will help me grow professionally, and I don’t have to deal with a lot of the things I had to deal with at Northridge anymore.

“For the team and the coaches, I don’t think anyone would believe it, but I feel sick. I feel sick that our profession causes us to be cold. We can’t have the closure we need after building relationships. That is the hardest part.”

Last season, Fenwick, who was also CSUN’s offensive coordinator, guided the Matadors to a 6-6 record, 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference. The offense averaged 30.8 points per game and a Division I-AA-best 358.1 yards passing per game. New Mexico’s passing offense was 10th in the Western Athletic Conference and 68th in I-A.

“Jim Fenwick brings a lot of experience to the Lobos football program,” Long said. “He developed numerous high-powered offenses over a long period of time. He is a big addition to our staff.”

Fenwick made $72,000 at CSUN this season and will receive an $8,000 raise plus bonuses at New Mexico.