Oct. 11, 1997 — the date New Mexico football last won its sixth consecutive game. The Lobos have a chance to accomplish the feat again on Saturday, nearly 20 years later.
That streak would go on to be seven victories in a row, and actually spanned two seasons, sparked by a win in the program’s last game of the 1996 season.
A lot has changed over that period of time. Allow the Daily Lobo to take you on a trip down memory lane to put in perspective just how long it’s been since we've won six in a row....
The President of the United States:
Former president Bill Clinton was in the White House and already serving his second term, but it was several months before the Monica Lewinsky scandal would rock the nation — an accusation that prompted the president to utter the infamous phrase, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”
In Hollywood:
According to boxofficemojo.com, “Kiss the Girls,” a thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, was the No. 1 movie in the United States for the second consecutive weekend.
James Cameron’s “Titanic” had not yet been released. When it hit the big screen later that year, it spent an unprecedented 15 straight weekends as the highest grossing movie, a record that still stands today.
The average movie ticket price was $4.59 that year.
In the music landscape:
Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” was atop the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, where it remained for 14 consecutive weeks. The song was produced as a tribute to Princess Diana of Wales, who died just months earlier.
The princess, arguably one of the most iconic figures in the world at the time, suffered fatal injuries in Paris when the car she was riding in crashed, reportedly trying to elude paparazzi in August of 1997.
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Miscellaneous:
The price of a gallon of gas was approximately a mere $1.20, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Timetoast.com reported that wireless internet for computers and mobile devices, better known as Wi-Fi, was invented in October of 1997.
Social media as we know it hadn’t even begun to form. The Blackberry was still nearly two years away from being created, and the iPhone was about a decade away from existence.
Online platforms such as Myspace and Facebook hadn’t even been launched yet, and camera phones hadn’t yet hit the scene either. All three were unveiled between 2003 and 2004.
Video Games:
Gamers were getting their fix on the original PlayStation console, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo or Sega Saturn.
Some memorable game titles in October 1997 included the original ‘Grand Theft Auto,” “Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II” and “Mortal Kombat 4.”
Madden, one of the most popular video game franchises today, had not yet become the juggernaut of its genre. That year, John Madden was on the cover of Madden NFL ‘98, instead of featuring a prominent NFL player which began several years later.
Professional football:
The 1997 NFL season culminated with current UNM quarterback Austin Apodaca’s favorite team winning the Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos won the first of back-to-back championships in Super Bowl XXXII over the Green Bay Packers, 31-24.
Apodaca will have his own chance to make history Saturday against Colorado State in the Rams’ final home game of the season. The winner will have eternal bragging rights, as it will also be the final game played at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium as the Rams will open a new facility next season.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers football and men’s and women’s tennis. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
