Lobo golf coach Millican leaves for Missouri
In 22 seasons, he took UNM to the NCAA tournament 7 times
Glen Millican, the University of New Mexico men’s golf coach for the past 22 years, was named the head coach at Missouri on Friday.
“I have spent my whole life at the University of New Mexico and only a special opportunity would cause me to leave a place that is so near and dear to my heart,” Millican said in a statement released by UNM. “... I will always be a Lobo and will be wishing the program success in the future.”
Millican replaces former Missouri co-head coach Mark Hankins. Hankins was set to replace longtime head coach Mark Leroux on July 1, until the former was tabbed for the head job at USC on July 9.
“We sought to hire someone of high character with a proven record of success and coaching at the highest level to lead our Men’s Golf program,” Missouri director of athletics Desireé Reed-Francois said in a release. “Coach Millican is a veteran leader, a relentless recruiter, has exceptional player-development skills and knows what success looks like.”
In 22 years as the head coach at UNM, Millican elevated New Mexico into one of the Mountain West’s premier programs, with five Players of the Year, eight conference titles and 13 All-Americans under his watch.
Millican guided the Lobos to 17 NCAA Regional appearances, making the NCAA Championship field seven times with two top-five finishes in 2002 and 2013.
After UNM was named Academic National Champion in 2019, he was named league Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career.
Before becoming UNM’s head coach, Millican was a three-year letter winner for the Lobos and was named a 1997 Academic All-American. After graduating in 1998, he served as an assistant coach under former head coach J.T. Higgins before being elevated to the head job in 2001.
Millican did not respond to an interview request from the Journal on Friday.
“Glen was one of those guys that just always went above and beyond,” UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez told the Journal. “(He) was a great team player; always wanted other teams to have as much success as he was having. It really was a great atmosphere when he was around.
“It’s a hard one to lose, just like (former UNM cross country/track and field head coach) Joe Franklin was. Those are the guys that have helped me build the culture here with great coaches, great people, doing it the right way, recruiting the right way (and) winning at a high level.”
Nuñez said Missouri reached out to him early last week about their intentions to contact Millican. Over the next few days, Millican and Nuñez had several conversations before Missouri offered Millican Thursday afternoon.
Later in the day, Millican reached back out to Nuñez and told him he would be accepting Missouri’s offer.
“He said this was the right thing for him and his family,” Nuñez said. “And ... somebody believe there’s something that’s better for their family, I’m going to support them 100%.”
Nunez said the search for a new coach is “unfortunately” more time sensitive than normal, with the fall semester starting on Aug. 21. He added it’s unlikely he’ll elevate second-year assistant and former UNM golfer Sean Carlon but would like to retain him with the new head coach.
Similar to ongoing efforts to find a new cross country and track and field coach — Franklin left earlier this summer to take over at Louisville — Nuñez said it will be a national search resolved “sooner rather than later” with several prospective candidates identified on Thursday night.
“I want someone that has a great vision,” he said, “and honestly understands who we are here and how we can continue to compete at the highest level.”