It was 2 a.m. Sunday morning, and just hours earlier the New Mexico football team had arrived back in Albuquerque after losing its season opener at Texas A&M. Graduate assistant Aaron Moorehead was finishing up some work editing film from the game when he got a phone call from head coach Mike Locksley.

“Locks called him and said ‘I need this and this and this,’ so he stayed until four,” Moorehead’s father, Emery, said. “Then he was back at 8 a.m. to double check that everything was right.”

Aaron and Emery Moorehead have the distinction of being the only father-son duo to both play in, and win, Super Bowls; Emery won with the Chicago Bears in 1986 and Aaron with the Indianapolis Colts in 2007. Aaron’s playing days ended in 2008, and he’s been working toward a coaching career since. He got one step closer on Sept. 21, when Lobos wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald was placed on paid leave and Aaron, who played wide receiver, assumed much of his responsibilities.

“As a coach he brings so much to the table as far as game experience,” fellow graduate assistant Kevin Mitchell said. “He’s able to relate to the players, and that’s crucial.”

Mitchell said Moorehead generally has players’ respect before he issues a hint of coaching advice. Before he spent five seasons in the NFL, Moorehead had to walk on at the University of Illinois and went undrafted upon graduating in 2003. He signed a free agent contract with the Colts and left only after two back surgeries forced him into retirement.

“Most of what Aaron’s been able to accomplish as a player has been through hard work, being fundamentally sound and disciplined,” Locksley said. “Those are great stories as a mentor and coach he can transfer to the guys.”

Emery said his only regret from his Super Bowl season is that he never picked up the mementos that passed through the locker room. The team would sign 400 to 500 footballs every week, he said, but he never thought to grab one for himself.

When it came time for Aaron’s trip, Emery said he advised his son to grab a microphone rather than a trinket or two.

“I did tell him to have fun, because there was a lot of exposure,” Emery said. “If you want to date a movie star, you let it be known right then.”

These days Aaron’s schedule is far less glamorous. He spent 2008 coaching wide receivers at his high school in the Chicago suburbs before joining Locksley’s staff at New Mexico, where he was assigned to assist Gerald by doing some one-on-one work with the receivers and coaching the offensive scout team.

Gerald’s future with the Lobos remains unknown after Locksley allegedly struck Gerald during a coaches’ meeting on Sept. 20. Gerald was placed on paid leave until he decides whether to return, and this week the school announced it would pursue an internal investigation into the incident, meaning Locksley’s future is also in question.

It has made Aaron the de facto wide receivers coach.

“He’s telling me he’s got to do the job he was originally hired for and a little extra, too,” Emery said.

New Mexico coach Mike Locksley has had a difficult first month on the job, going 0-4 and being investigated for an altercation with one of his assistants. (AP)

From what he’s seen, though, Mitchell said Aaron already has the respect of the Lobos players. They know he went much farther in the NFL than a typical college walk-on can hope for, finishing with 31 receptions for 330 yards.

“He already gets respect because he’s proven himself on and off the field, and that’s where they want to go, too,” Mitchell said. “They want to reach that level of success too.”