After 'serious medical incident' New Mexico coach Bob Davie will not travel to Notre Dame
After experiencing a “what appeared to be a serious medical incident” during the season opener, New Mexico head coach Bob Davie will not travel to Notre Dame for his team’s next game.
Davie, 64, reportedly experienced chest pains during the Lobos’ Week 1 win over Sam Houston State and was transported to the hospital following the game. Davie is expected to make a full recovery, but said Thursday that he has made the decision not to make the trip to South Bend for the Lobos’ game against the Fighting Irish on Sept. 14. UNM does not play this weekend.
Davie was the head coach at Notre Dame from 1997-2001. It would have been his first time coaching in South Bend since he was fired by the school in December 2001. Without Davie on the sideline, offensive line coach Saga Tuitele will serve as the team’s acting head coach.
“After receiving advice from my doctors and wife, I wanted to make this decision now so our team and coaching staff could go into the weekend with clarity and consistency,” Davie said. “My doctors have said that with no setbacks I can expect a full recovery with no limitations. I have great confidence in our staff and this gives us our best chance for success and limits the distractions.”
Davie will ‘be involved’ with the team next week
Davie said he will “be around and involved” with the team as it prepares for the game. Additionally, New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nunez said that Davie briefly visited with the team and coaching staff earlier Thursday.
“I know they appreciated being able to see him and visit with him,” Nunez said. “As Coach Davie continues to recover, we ask that you continue to respect his privacy until he is able to return to the sidelines.”
New Mexico has not publicly revealed what happened with Davie during last weekend’s game. According to the Albuquerque Journal, Davie was spotted “clutching his torso while on the sidelines” and “experienced chest pains after leaving the field.”
In a Sept. 1 statement, Davie thanked New Mexico’s trainers and first responders for their “swift and professional efforts during a critical time.”
Davie is in his eighth season at New Mexico, his first coaching job since his time at Notre Dame came to an end. Before his five-year stint as the Irish’s head coach, he served as the program’s defensive coordinator for three seasons under Lou Holtz. He also had stints as an assistant at Arizona, Pittsburgh, Tulane and Texas A&M.
Davie has a 34-54 record at New Mexico and notably led the program to nine wins and a division title in 2016.
More from Yahoo Sports:
