Fenwick Resigns as Coach at Northridge for New Job

Nearly one year after he said hello as the new football coach at Cal State Northridge, Jim Fenwick is saying goodbye.

Fenwick said Monday he is leaving Northridge to become offensive coordinator at New Mexico.

“This opportunity came up,” Fenwick said from Dallas, where he is attending the NCAA Football Coaches’ Assn. convention. “You never know when another opportunity like this would have come up. I had to deal with what’s best for my family.”

Under Fenwick, the Matadors had a 6-6 record last season and finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Big Sky Conference at 4-4.

Fenwick, 45, toured New Mexico’s facilities in Albuquerque on Sunday and accepted the job offer from Rocky Long, the former UCLA defensive coordinator who became the Lobo coach on Dec. 20.

Fenwick said the instability of Northridge’s athletic program played a major role in his decision.

The football program was not in jeopardy, but Fenwick said the fund-raising demands to make the Matadors competitive with other Big Sky schools were more than he wanted to undertake.