Paul Krebs is in his third year as the University of New Mexico's 12th director of athletics. He was named to the position on March 13, 2006, and began serving UNM on June 1, 2006. Krebs' official title is Vice-President for Athletics as he has been a part of President David Schmidly's Executive Cabinet since the spring of 2007.

In just two short years, Krebs has installed a diverse strategic plan - with short and long-range goals - that once carried out will position the University of New Mexico to be a major player in the challenging and competitive world of intercollegiate athletics.

Given the necessary resources, Krebs feels New Mexico programs should compete for conference championships and national recognition in every sport and rank in the top-50 in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors Cup on an annual basis. UNM is off to a good start under his leadership:

Academics / Student Welfare
• UNM's Student Development staff has nearly doubled in size, including the addition of a learning specialist and a clinical psychologist
• In the spring of 2009, all academic services for UNM student-athletes will move into the Student Success Center conveniently located close to athletic department offices and facilities
• During the 2006-07 academic year, 16 of 21 athletic programs improved their Academic Progress Rate (APR), and 7 had a perfect 1000 rating
• Lobo student-athletes continue to average better than a 3.0 combined grade-point-average

Facilities
• The key component is simply titled the Master Plan, a project that has architects and Lobo staffers working tirelessly to design and eventually overhaul the facilities on UNM's South Campus...the end result will be an interactive Lobo "neighborhood" that benefits student-athletes, coaches and fans...it's an ambitious project with a price tag approaching $100 million
• Currently on the front burner are extensive renovations to The Pit and University Stadium...those dramatic changes should be completed by the end of 2010 and will make both venues much more attractive, functional and fan-friendly
• Completed in the past 12 months were a $7 million indoor practice facility located south of University Stadium, plus major enhancements at the Lobo softball field and the soccer/track and field complex

Personnel
• Krebs certainly appears to have a knack for hiring head coaches..he gave Urban Meyer his first head coaching job (at Bowling Green in 2001), and appears to be on the same successful hiring track at New Mexico
• Former Indiana All-American Steve Alford was named the head men's basketball coach in March of 2007...Alford went 24-9 in his rookie season - 9 wins better than the previous year - with attendance increasing by more than 1,500 a game
• Krebs has also hired new coaches for baseball (Ray Birmingham), cross country/track and field (Joe Franklin), women's golf (Jill Trujillo), skiing (Fredrik Landstedt), softball (Ty Singleton) and volleyball (Jeff Nelson)

Competition / Performance (2006-08)
• The Lobos have won six conference championships
• UNM has been represented at NCAA postseason competition 17 times
• 21 All-Americans
• Back-to-back bowl games for Lobo football

Fund-Raising / Revenue Generation
• Signed an 8-year deal with Learfield Sports, significantly increasing the school's marketing revenue from corporate sponsorships and broadcast rights
• Signed a 6-year contract with Nike as the sole provider/outfitter for UNM athletics teams, nearly quadrupling the previous agreement
• The Lobo Club - UNM's fundraising arm for athletics scholarships - set records in 2007-08 for total members and revenue generated
• Outsourced concessions

Krebs is no stranger to New Mexico. Prior to his appointment at UNM, Krebs and his family vacationed in the state numerous times. His wife, Marjori, has family in Hobbs and Cloudcroft, N.M., and in West Texas. Krebs' father-in-law, Joe Maddox, was a cattle rancher at what is now the Valles Caldera National Preserve in the Jemez Mountains north of Albuquerque.

The personable Krebs, 52, has 27 years of experience in collegiate athletics administration, including seven years (2000-07) as director of athletics at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

The 2004-05 season was one of the best ever at Bowling Green. The football team played on national television five times, captured MAC West and Motor City Bowl titles and finished with a final national ranking of No. 23 in both of the major polls. The Falcons football program endured six straight losing seasons before Meyer, who is now the head man at Florida, went 17-6 in his two years at BGSU.

Bolstered by Meyer's success, the Falcons enjoyed their most successful five-year period in program history, compiling a 43-17 record from 2001-05. The BGSU women's basketball team finished 28-3 in 2005-06, the most wins in MAC history.

From a facilities and fundraising standpoint, Krebs acquired a $3.5 million gift at BGSU, the single highest donation ever given to the athletics department. That enabled the school to begin construction on an $8.7 million student-athlete center.

Prior to Bowling Green, Krebs spent 14 years at The Ohio State University. He started in 1985 as the Ticket Director. Krebs was named Assistant Athletics Director in 1987, Assistant Athletics Director for Administration in 1991 and Senior Associate Athletics Director in 1993.

In his six years as Senior Associate Athletics Director, Krebs managed the daily operation of the OSU athletics department. He was the point person in the planning and design of Ohio State's Jerome Schottenstein Center (basketball/hockey), Jesse Owens Stadium (track/soccer) and Bill Davis Stadium (baseball). Krebs coordinated the renovation of storied Ohio Stadium (football) and was actively involved in fund-raising and securing corporate sponsorship for these facilities. At one point in his tenure, Krebs was overseeing $300 million in new construction on the OSU campus.

Krebs began his professional career in collegiate athletics as the Assistant Ticket Director at the University of Oklahoma in 1981. He was promoted to Ticket Director in 1983.

A native of Canfield, Ohio, Krebs earned a bachelor's degree in Business from Bowling Green in 1978 and a master's degree in Athletic Administration from Ohio State in 1981.

Nationally, Krebs is currently a member of the NCAA Football Issues Committee, the Mountain West Conference's Bowl Committee and he serves as the liaison to the MWC baseball coaches.

Krebs' wife, Marjori, is an assistant professor in the UNM College of Education. She received her Ed.D. degree in Leadership Studies from Bowling Green in December of 2006. They have two children, a daughter, Taylor who is a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma, and a son, Jake, who is a sophomore at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque.