Bliss resigns post after airing of documentary

Disgraced former University of New Mexico coach Dave Bliss is out of coaching yet again.

On Monday, Southwestern Christian University confirmed that Bliss — subject of a Showtime documentary that first aired on Friday and will be repeated this month — handed in his resignation.

The documentary, “Disgraced,” was about the murder of former Lobo basketball player Patrick Dennehy and Bliss while both were part of the Baylor basketball program. Bliss was the Bears’ coach, and attempted to cover up Dennehy’s murder. Teammate Carlton Dotson was convicted of the shooting death of Dennehy, but the documentary posed many questions that remain to this day.

Bliss was banned by the NCAA for 10 years for his part in a massive NCAA cover-up at Baylor basketball. Bliss and others with the program were found to have made illegal players payments, and rampant drug use was also discovered on the team.

Bliss left UNM in 1999 after 11 seasons to take the Baylor job. Dennehy, who played under ex-coach Lobo coach Fran Fraschilla, was ousted from the Lobos in 2002 by then coach Ritchie McKay.

Dennehy transferred to Baylor, but was killed before even playing a game. School officials said Dennehy was on scholarship, but the Journal broke news in 2003 that he was a walk-on — thus had to pay his own tuition.

Bliss and others at Baylor paid for that scholarship, and made numerous other illegal payments to players — all NCAA violations. The scandal was relived in the documentary.

In 2003, Bliss tried to portray Dennehy as a drug dealer, saying that was how Dennehy paid for his tuition Baylor. Bliss made the same allegations again in the documentary.

Also in the documentary, were quotes from Southwestern Christian officials touted the hiring of Bliss, 71, who had been there two years. On Monday, resident Reggies Wenyika released the following statement after the resignation.

“I accepted Coach Bliss’ resignation earlier today and our prayers and wishes are with him as he transitions,” Wenyika said.

Bliss was head coach at Oklahoma and SMU prior to joining UNM in 1988. In the documentary, there were allegations of how he also cheated at SMU.

Bliss has been fired or resigned from a number of coaching jobs from high schools to small colleges to the NBA Developmental League since his ouster at Baylor.