Mired with scholarship reductions for poor academics before he arrived, Alford's teams have made dramatic improvement in the class room ... two of the program's top-four semester GPAs have come in the past three semesters: 2.87 in the spring of 2008 and 2.91 in the spring of 2009 ... five of the six seniors that played for Alford have graduated, including all three in May of 2009, Tony Danridge, Daniel Faris and Chad Toppert
And to top off his 2008-09 season, Alford was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame on March 25, 2009. Alford was one of 14 members in the Class of 2009, along with NBA coaches Gregg Popovich and Scott Skiles. Alford is just the eighth honoree to be selected in his first year of eligibility joining other notable Indiana products Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird.
Arguably the biggest accomplishment for Alford in his two seasons at UNM has been his ability to teach, blend and mold undersized and possibly less talented groups into cohesive units that have became the epitome of "team" basketball. He has changed the mindset and work ethic of the program and the Lobos have responded by playing the game "the right way."
That concept was never more evident than in the play of former Lobo and current Boston Celtic J.R. Giddens. Before Alford came to town, Giddens was seen as an enigmatic talent with a ton of potential, but a difficult teammate and a tough player to coach.
Alford laid down the law to Giddens immediately, keeping him home from a 2007 spring trip to the Bahamas so he could concentrate on his floundering academic situation. Giddens got the message and became the consummate teammate, a transformation so dramatic that it left fans and pundits shaking their heads in amazement. Alford took a wayward - but extremely gifted - young man and tutored him into maturity on and off the floor.
Largely responsible for the Lobos' improved play, Giddens was the 2008 Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, District VIII Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American.
The 6-foot-5 Giddens became the first guard to lead the MWC in rebounding. He and Utah's Andrew Bogut (a 7-footer) are the only two players in the 10-year history of the league to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding in MWC games.
Despite ranking eighth in the league in minutes played at 32.2, Giddens was the only player in the MWC who ranked in the top-10 in the MWC in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, steals and blocks. He is the only Lobo to ever reach 500 points, 250 rebounds, 100 assists, 40 steals and 30 blocks in a season.
Giddens' diligence was rewarded on June 26, 2008, when the 2007 World Champion Boston Celtics selected him in the first round of the NBA Draft. Giddens is the first Alford-coached player chosen in the first round.
Still a youthful 44, Alford has patrolled the sidelines for 18 seasons at four institutions. Alford, who has never been an assistant coach during his career, has a 354-204 (64%) career record as a head coach, 46-21 at New Mexico. His teams have qualified for postseason play 13 times, including eight of the past nine seasons, produced 15 winning seasons and reached 20 wins on 10 occasions.
The remarkable turnaround by Alford and his staff did not go unnoticed by the UNM administration. UNM Vice-President for Athletics Paul Krebs announced on March 31, 2008, that a contract extension for Alford had been agreed to in principal. The three-year extension will keep Alford with the Lobos through the 2015-16 season.
Alford came to UNM after spending the previous eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Iowa.
In eight seasons at Iowa, Alford compiled a 152-106 record with a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons, and six postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes won two Big Ten Conference tournament titles (2001 and '06).
Prior to Iowa, Alford posted a 78-29 record in four seasons (1992-95) at NCAA Division III Manchester (Ind.) College and a four-year (1996-99) record of 78-48 at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). The Bears defeated Wisconsin and Tennessee to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 1999 NCAA Tournament before losing to top-ranked Duke in the regional semifinals. In 1997 Alford led the Bears to a 24-9 record (second in the Missouri Valley Conference) and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
Alford joined the collegiate coaching ranks at Manchester (Ind.) College in 1992, taking over a team that had lost its first eight games. After winning four of 20 games that season, Alford led Manchester to a 20-8 mark in his first full year of 1992-93.
Alford began his coaching career after a four-year playing stint in the NBA, spending most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks and a portion of one season with Golden State. He was the 26th selection in the 1987 NBA Draft. Alford played for former Iowa basketball standout Don Nelson in the NBA.
A native of New Castle, Ind., Alford was a prep standout for his father, Sam Alford, at New Castle Chrysler High School. He earned Indiana's Mr. Basketball Award in 1983 after averaging 37.7 points per game as a senior.
During his collegiate career at Indiana, Alford started all but five of 125 games, helping the Hoosiers post a four-year mark of 92-35. Alford served as head coach Bob Knight's team captain in 1987 when Indiana posted a 30-4 overall record and won the national championship.
Alford concluded his college career as Indiana's all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points and he became the first player to win the Indiana MVP award four times. He is also Indiana's career leader in steals and 3-point field goal percentage. Alford was a consensus first team all-America selection and the Big Ten MVP as a senior.
Alford earned first team all-Big Ten honors in each of his final three seasons and also earned all-America honors as a junior. He was named to the NIT all-tourney team as a sophomore when the Hoosiers finished second to UCLA. His career free throw percentage of .897 (535-596) ranks fourth best in NCAA history and he led the nation in free throw percentage as a freshman.
In 1997, Alford was inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2001 he was one of 15 players selected to Indiana's all-Century team. He was one of five players named to ESPN's Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team in 2004. The Sporting News recently published Legends of College Basketball, a publication that recalled the careers of the 100 greatest Division I college basketball players. Alford was No. 35 on the list.
Following his freshman season at Indiana, Alford was selected to play for the United States basketball team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He shot 64.4% percent from the field, averaged 10.3 points per game and was second on the team in assists as the U.S. collegians won the gold medal.
The 1984 team marked the last U.S. amateur squad to win the gold medal and Alford's teammates included Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin and Waymon Tisdale.
Alford was born Nov. 23, 1964, in Franklin, Ind. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from Indiana University. Alford is married to the former Tanya Frost, whom he has known since the two were schoolmates in grade school in New Castle. The Alfords have three children: Kory, Bryce and Kayla.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT STEVE ALFORD
"There's no doubt in my mind that it will be a great marriage, New Mexico and Steve Alford. I've known Steve for a long time through my association with Indiana University and coaching and playing against his teams. Knowing him well and loving the University of New Mexico, it will work. Steve's hire brings immediate credibility to the University of New Mexico."
Norm Ellenberger, Head Coach
University of New Mexico (1973-79)
"Steve Alford is one of the finest people I know. He will do things right at New Mexico and will energize their program. He is a great national recruiter and will bring an exciting style of basketball to the Lobos. Congratulations to him and his family."
Rick Barnes, Head Coach
University of Texas
"New Mexico is getting a great coach and a tremendous man. He is salt of the earth, a class act and represents everything that is good about collegiate athletics. This is a gold-medal hire."
Tubby Smith, Head Coach
University of Minnesota
"New Mexico made a great hire in Steve Alford. He will bring instant credibility to the Lobo basketball program. His track record of success as both a player and coach speaks for itself. I have great respect for coach Alford as a person and when the team, university and the fans meet him, they will too. He is one of the stars in the collegiate coaching ranks."
Steve Lavin, ABC/ESPN College Basketball Analyst
"I look forward to Steve Alford joining the University of New Mexico and the Mountain West Conference for a number of reasons. He has a proven and valuable track record in the NCAA men's basketball tournament both as a player and as a coach. In addition, he has been above reproach in successfully guiding other high-quality basketball programs and does it with honorable student-athletes."
Craig Thompson, Commissioner
Mountain West Conference
"The University of New Mexico just created its first upset before ever playing a game. What a great hire for the Lobos-this guy can really coach. The university, the state, the team and the fans just got someone special. Steve Alford is the best human being I've ever been around."
John Calipari, Head Coach
University of Memphis
Steve Alford's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record
| Machester College |
Overall |
Conf. / Finish |
Posteseason |
| 1991-92 |
4-16 |
3-11 / 8th |
-- |
| 1992-93 |
20-8 |
7-5 / T3rd |
NCAA Division III (0-1) |
| 1993-94 |
23-4 |
10-2 / 1st |
NCAA Division III (0-1) |
| 1994-95 |
31-1 |
12-0 / 1st |
NCAA Division III (5-1 / National Runner-up) |
| Totals |
78-29 |
32-18 |
-- |
| Southwest Missouri |
Overall |
Conf. / Finish |
Posteseason |
| 1995-96 |
16-12 |
11-7 / 4th |
-- |
| 1996-97 |
24-9 |
12-6 / T2nd |
NIT (0-1) |
| 1997-98 |
16-16 |
11-7 / T3rd |
-- |
| 1998-99 |
22-11 |
11-7 / T2nd |
NCAA (2-1 / Sweet Sixteen) |
| Totals |
78-48 |
45-27 |
-- |
| Iowa |
Overall |
Conf. / Finish |
Posteseason |
| 1999-2000 |
14-16 |
6-10 / T7th |
-- |
| 2000-01 |
23-12 |
7-9 / T6th |
Big 10 Tournament Champs / NCAA (1-1) |
| 2001-02 |
19-16 |
5-11 / T8th |
NIT (0-1) |
| 2002-03 |
17-14 |
7-9 / T8th |
NIT (2-1) |
| 2003-04 |
16-13 |
9-7 / 4th |
NIT (0-1) |
| 2004-05 |
21-12 |
7-9 / 7th |
NCAA (0-1) |
| 2005-06 |
25-9 |
11-5 / T2nd |
Big 10 Tournament Champs / NCAA (0-1) |
| 2006-07 |
17-14 |
9-7 / 4th |
-- |
| Totals |
152-106 |
61-67 |
-- |
| New Mexico |
Overall |
Conf. / Finish |
Posteseason |
| 2007-08 |
24-9 |
11-5 / 3rd |
NIT |
| 2008-09 |
22-12 |
12-4 / T1st |
NIT |
| Totals |
46-21 |
23-9 |
-- |
| 18-year totals |
354-204 |
160-121 |
7 NCAA appearances / 6 NIT |
Steve Alford Quick Facts
Personal
Born: November 23, 1964 in Franklin, Ind.
Age: 44
Wife: The former Tanya Frost
Children: Kory, Bryce, Kayla
Playing Experience
1984-87 - Indiana University
o 1987 NCAA national champions
o two-time All-American
o Finished career as IU's all-time leading scorer
o 1987 Big Ten MVP
1984 USA Olympic Basketball Team (gold medal)
1987-88 Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
1988-89 Dallas/Golden State (NBA)
1989-90 Dallas (NBA)
Coaching Experience
Career Record: 354-204 (.634) - 18 seasons
