“I was born in Ohio and grew up in Ohio (Sylvania), but we really liked New Mexico,” said Zechman, who lives in Springboro and works at AXA Advisors, an insurance and estate planning company in Centerville. “If we hadn’t had kids and were so far from family, we might have stayed.
“But I do have several friends from New Mexico, and 10 couples are coming in for the game.”
Zechman — who turned 64 on Friday — was quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at OSU from 1979-82 (he had been quarterback Art Schlichter’s coach at Miami Trace High School, and at one time was defensive coordinator at Lebanon). He was named New Mexico State’s head coach in 1983.
He was never able to schedule Ohio State, but Zechman said he had to schedule one or two games a year just for the money.
“You had to schedule them to make budget,” Zechman said. “(At the time) we had to get a half million from, say an Ohio State, and a half million from somebody else (in guarantees). One year, against Iowa State, we even ended up winning. We also played Arkansas.
“It’s a great opportunity. You can sneak up on some people. Realistically, the players know they’re in for a kicking. One year, we lost three starters and didn’t have a chance. The big schools are so deep, and when I was at New Mexico State we weren’t fully funded in scholarships.”
The big schools also have a larger recruiting base. Zechman said all of New Mexico had about a million people when he was there, about the same as the city of Columbus.
In Las Cruces, Zechman led the Aggies to records of 5-6, 2-9 and 1-10 before a new athletic director fired him. He said he understood, even though the Aggies had losing records in 10 of the 11 seasons before he arrived, and in all but three seasons since he left. The school’s last winning season was 2002, when the Aggies went 7-5.
“I had been in coaching 20 years and wanted to make a move,” said Zechman when asked why he left coaching for insurance. “We stayed around New Mexico six more years, and I’m in the same business here.”
So, who is he going to root for today?
“I really don’t care who wins the game,” said Zechman, who wears a 1979 OSU Big Ten championship ring. “But I think you know who’s favored.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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