By no means had the world, the United States or the state of New Mexico returned to normalcy by Nov. 24, 2001, 74 days after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
The headline on the Albuquerque’s Journal’s lead story that morning read: “The struggle to heal; seared memories.” The top news story dealt with the war in Afghanistan.
Within the cocoon of sports, though, it was business as usual. Archrivals New Mexico and New Mexico State would face each other in football that afternoon at University Stadium in a game originally scheduled for Sept. 15 — four days after the attacks.