In 1996, Ritchie McKay started his coaching career by nearly upsetting the University of Mississippi, led by then-coach Rob Evans. The Rebels would defeat McKay' s Portland State University team 56-54 on a controversial, last-second shot by Chris Olney, which the Vikings argued was released after the buzzer sounded.
On Thursday night, McKay scored his revenge.
In another controversial decision involving the two coaches, the 36-year-old Oregon State University coach beat out Evans, now at Arizona State University, for the UNM men's basketball head coaching position.
McKay was offered the job after Evans said he turned down the position. But UNM Athletics Director Rudy Davalos contends he never offered the job to him.
Nevertheless, McKay became the 18th head coach in UNM history, succeeding Fran Fraschilla, who resigned after three seasons and no NCAA Tournament appearances.
McKay was announced as the new coach late Thursday night after reports that Arizona State University head coach Rob Evans was offered the job.
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The headlines from television stations and newspapers Friday morning may have left confused looks on the faces of many Lobo fans, but a telephone press conference later in the day left no doubt that McKay was the choice.
"It is certainly an exciting time for my family and I to be privileged enough to have the opportunity that we've been afforded to coach at UNM," McKay said. "The process was a little grueling in terms of having to have left a program and a school that we've only been there for two years."
McKay was given a five-year contract worth up to $500,000. His base salary will be $175,000. Radio and television contracts, plus other incentives, make the contract $500,000 per year.
UNM will buy out McKay's contact with Oregon State for $225,000. The University also has to pay former coach Fran Fraschilla about $500,000 after buying out his contract, which had two years left.
Davalos also said the contract has a heavy buyout clause if McKay leaves before the contract is up. McKay has coached for six years, but has never stayed more than two at any one place. He coached at Portland State University from 1996-1998, Mountain West Conference rival Colorado State University from 1998-2000 and at Oregon State since 2000.
UNM athletics director Rudy Davalos said he and associate athletics director Bill McGillis, who were in Atlanta for the Final Four, talked with McKay for three hours in Corvallis, Ore., on March 23 and were very impressed. He said they had several conversations with McKay throughout the week. Davalos said the decision was made late Thursday night because he was at a function and McKay arrived late into Atlanta.
McKay said he and his wife, Julie, wanted to bring closure to the process by Thursday night.
Perhaps, it was that need for closure that spurred on the events that transpired Thursday. Davalos said interviewed one other candidate that day in Atlanta - Evans.
Several television stations in Phoenix and Albuquerque reported that Davalos offered Evans the job. They reported that Evans wanted 24 hours to consider the offer, which was for $700,000 per year for seven years.
McGillis said UNM did talk with Evans but that reports about offering him the job were "completely false."
However, ASU athletics director Gene Smith said McGillis called Thursday to inform him that Evans had been offered the job. Evans said in a statement that while he was intrigued by the job, Arizona State "remains my focus."
UNM President Bill Gordon said he knew Davalos would be talking to coaches other than McKay, but the reports he heard did not reflect what had been discussed.
"I thought Rudy had hit the lottery," Gordon said. "That was not what we discussed. I can't place an interpretation on it or how the story got out, or how it changed. I was convinced there was a lot of erroneous information out there."
Gordon said he was pleased to have McKay on board. He said McKay was one of the best coaches to come into The Pit when he was head coach at Colorado State and that he was highly regarded by CSU's and OSU's administrations.
"(Oregon State president) Paul Risser was extremely pleased when he was hired into their program," Gordon said. "I have heard nothing but the best from people he worked with and for. He is someone I certainly had high regard for."
