Colson was forced to resign after the season ended, a move that remains somewhat controversial. Former UNM AD John Bridgers believed Colson had never received the full support of the Lobo community. Colson said the popularity and continued presence of Ellenberger during his early years were unnerving and that he sometimes felt in competition with the former coach. Bridgers had been replaced as AD the year before by John Koenig, who did not believe Colson could take the Lobos to the next level. Colson's teams had gone 107–62 (.633) in his last five seasons, but his failure to win the conference or to make the NCAA tournament were common criticisms. Colson had also clashed with Koenig in a contract dispute and had gone over his head to resolve the issue. Colson's supporters pointed to the strong recruiting class he had coming in, arguing that his best teams were ahead of him, as well as to the integrity and academic success forged by Colson. Complicating matters, Koenig himself was fired three months later and eventually faced indictment on criminal charges for his activities as AD. In the end, fans wanted more than Colson had managed to achieve, and despite the respect he had earned for rebuilding the program, the disappointment of failing to reach the NCAA tournament fueled support for a change.