Danny Gonzales’ change from ASU DC to New Mexico HC ‘a whirlwind’

Former Arizona State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales was announced as the head football coach of the University of New Mexico and introduced Tuesday night at the New Mexico-Grand Canyon basketball game.

The decision was made hours after Gonzales held a press conference stressing the importance of winning as the defensive coordinator for the Sun Devils, a sentiment he continued to stress to the Burns & Gambo show on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.

“The ability to win is what drives me and we have that here (at New Mexico),” he said.

“There was some stuff that I really felt needed to happen in order for me to really take that job and I wasn’t sure that was gonna be the case. So I had put it in my mind, ‘I’m here. (at ASU)'”

After that happened, things started to change.

“It kind of turned my world upside down,” he said. “It transpired in a quick amount of time.

“They flew a private jet out there to pick us up in Scottsdale to be at the basketball game here last night. I mean, it was a whirlwind in a five-hour period.”

For helping him get to this point in his journey, Gonzales showed plenty of gratitude toward ASU head coach Herm Edwards and the Sun Devil community.

“I will miss ASU. I am super excited for coach Edwards and what they are doing,” Gonzales said.

“When I said I wasn’t going to leave Arizona State for another Power 5 coordinator job, I was dead serious.

“I loved being the defensive coordinator at Arizona State.”

He stressed that he was happy to be able to make a return home to New Mexico where he played and coached from 1994-2008.

“To be close to my family – we lost my mother five weeks ago – and to have my dad at all of this stuff today was awesome,” he said.

New Mexico finished 2-10 last season but beat rival New Mexico State in a 55-52 barn-burner in their third game of the season. The Lobos fired head coach Bob Davie on Nov. 25.

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