UNM 125: Three men’s sports cut for 1999
James Barron | July 18Printed April 1, 1999 In what was called a “painful, but very necessary, decision,” by UNM Athletic Director Rudy Davalos, the UNM Athletics Department announced it would cut the funding of three sports for the 1999-2000 fiscal year. Those cuts mean the elimination of men’s swimming, men’s gymnastics and men’s wrestling teams from the athletic program. Davalos said in a news release the cuts were necessary because the department did not have enough resources to support 24 athletic programs. “Maintaining programs that are regionally and nationally competitive was a condition of membership in the Mountain West Conference, and we will allocate all of our resources to ensure that our remaining sports can achieve excellence,” he said in the release. The department said the elimination of the three sports is expected to reduce department expenditures by approximately $175,000 for its 1999-2000 budget, and its savings will eventually grow to more than $300,000 annually.
