Walker to be named New Mexico State football coach

Dec 31, 2008 - 1:20 AM LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (Ticker) -- New Mexico State will name UCLA defensive coordinator Dewayne Walker its new head football coach, athletic director Dr. McKinley Boston announced Tuesday.

Walker will be introduced Wednesday, becoming the latest African-American to get a shot to run a program in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The 48-year-old Walker is the fourth black coach to take over a program in the last three weeks. He joins Miami-Ohio's Mike Haywood, New Mexico's Mike Locksley and Eastern Michigan's Ron English.

There are now seven black head coaches in the FBS as the four newcomers join Buffalo's Turner Gill, Miami's Randy Shannon and Houston's Kevin Sumlin.

Walker will become the 33rd coach in Aggies' history, replacing Hal Mumme. It is Walker's first opportunity at the head coaching level in the FBS, but he did serve as the Bruins' interim head coach during the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl.

Before joining UCLA's staff in 2006, Walker had been the defensive backs coach for the NFL's Washington Redskins, New York Giants and New England Patriots.