Dunbar Retires as Offensive Coordinator

LAS CRUCES, N.M. ? New Mexico State head football coach DeWayne Walker announced Friday morning that offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Dunbar has retired after over 25 years in coaching.

?Obviously we are disappointed that coach Dunbar has retired,? Walker said. ?We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. I will begin an immediate search for a new offensive coordinator.?

In his first and only season as the Aggies? play caller, Dunbar guided the NM State offense to average 296.5 yards per game. The Aggies scored 17 total touchdowns on the season, as quarterback Matt Christian led the Aggies with 1,372 yards passing, completing 48 percent of his passes. Dunbar also guided freshman Andrew Manley, who threw for 604 yards and a touchdown, completing 52 percent of his passes. NM State would throw the ball 107 more times in 2010 than in 2009, while tossing nine fewer interceptions in 2010.

Prior to NM State, Dunbar was at the University of Minnesota as the Golden Gophers? assistant head coach/offensive coordinator from 2007-08.

Dunbar directed the Minnesota offense, which set a school record for pass completions (262)?and had the second-most passing yards (2,949) in school history in 2007. The Gopher pass offense improved from fifth to third in the Big Ten during Dunbar?s first season. He guided Minnesota freshman quarterback?Adam Weber to third-team Freshman All-America and Freshman All-Big Ten honors, as the Gopher signal-caller set new school records for season pass completions (258), attempts (449), yards (2,895) and touchdown passes (24). Weber ranked second in the nation among freshman quarterbacks in passing yards per game (241.2)?and passing touchdowns.

Prior to Minnesota, Dunbar was the offensive coordinator at Cal. During Dunbar?s stint at Cal, the Golden Bears ranked 12th in the nation in total offense in 2006 and were ranked among the top 35 in the country in both passing offense (17th) and rushing offense (33rd). The Bears? offense averaged 32.8 points per game in 2006, which was 11th in the nation.

As offensive coordinator at Northwestern, Dunbar helped the Wildcats to a ranking of fourth in the country in total offense (500.3 ypg) in 2005, becoming only the second team ever in the Big Ten to generate at least 500 yards per game. He tutored Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez, who set 30 Northwestern offensive records and finished second in Big Ten history to Drew Brees in career passing yards (10,580), total offense (11,576) and completions (913). Under Dunbar, Basanez set Northwestern season records for passing yards (3,622), total offense (4,027), completions (314) and touchdown passes (21.) Dunbar?s offense set Sun Bowl records for total yards (584) and first downs (33) in 2005 against UCLA.

Prior to Northwestern, Dunbar was the head football coach at Northern Iowa from 1997-00. During his time with the Panthers, the football team posted a record of 29-15.

While at the University of Toledo from 1992-96, the Rockets set 21 offensive school records and went 11-0-1 with a Las Vegas Bowl victory in 1995 with Dunbar as offensive coordinator. The Rockets posted a 36-18-2 record during his five seasons.

As the head coach at Central Washington from 1987-91, Dunbar was named Columbia Football Association Coach of the Year and the Kodak Region I Coach of the Year three times. His Central Washington teams earned two No. 1 national rankings and in 1991, extended a regular-season win streak to 40 games, finishing 9-0. The Wildcats were also ranked among the NAIA Top 20 each year during his five-year stay.

Dunbar owns a career record of 83-24-1 as a collegiate head coach.