Player Bio: Jeff Conway

Jeff Conway

	Last College: NW Missouri State '81
	Position: Special Teams Coordinator/Receivers
	Experience: 6th Year

Jeff Conway enters his sixth season with the Lobos, serving as the coordinator of special teams and recruiting. He also oversees the receivers. Conway�s recruiting area encompasses southeastern New Mexico, central Texas, Houston and the Mississippi junior colleges.

Conway is coaching Lobo wideouts for the second time in his tenure at UNM. He tutored the receivers in his first year of 1998, handled tight ends in 1999 and 2000, then running backs in 2001. He moved back to receivers after 2002 spring workouts.

Senior-to-be Dwight Counter begins the season tied for ninth all-time at UNM with 91 receptions. He is 11th with 1,325 career yards. Joe Manning finished his Lobo career a year ago with 75 catches for 1,017 yards.

Behind seniors Jarrod Baxter, Holmon Wiggins and Javier Hanson, UNM�s rushing game churned out more than 190 yards a game in 2001, the best average since 1997. Baxter finished his career in seventh place at UNM with 2,090 yards and was a fifth-round pick of the Houston Texans.

New Mexico�s special teams plays has been exemplary of late: True freshman walk-on punter Tyler Gaus was named a third team freshman All-American in 2002 when he averaged 40.5 yards a kick. UNM was second in the MWC in punt returns, averaging 11.2 yards. In the past three years, UNM has returned three punts for scores and has blocked 11 punts, including a school-record five rejections in 2000. Four of those blocks have been returned for scores.

Kicker Vladimir Borombozin was a first team all-conference selection in 2001 after converting 17 of 18 field goals, including a school-record 16 straight. Borombozin is the most accurate kicker in school history at 82%. The Lobos led the MWC in kickoff coverage in 2001, allowing just 18.6 yards a return. The kickoff return team finished 16th nationally, averaging nearly 24 yards.

Holmon Wiggins set school season records for punt returns (46) and punt return yardage (392) in 2000, and finished second in both categories for his career at UNM.

UNM�s special teams were responsible for a lot of points in 1998, as they scored on a kickoff return, a blocked punt, a fumble recovery in the end zone off a muffed punt and a safety. Meanwhile, receivers Germany Thompson and Martinez Williams formed a formidable one-two punch for UNM, catching a combined 92 balls for 1,361 yards. Williams was named second team all-WAC, while both players ranked among the league�s top-10 in receiving.

Conway came to UNM from Blinn (Texas) College, where he was a first-year head coach in 1997. Conway led the Buccaneers to an 8-3 record, a No. 14 national ranking in the NJCAA Top-20 final poll and a berth in the Southwest Conference championship game.

Prior to becoming head coach at Blinn, Conway was the Buccaneers� offensive coordinator for four years, as they won back-to-back national championships in 1995 and 1996. Overall, Blinn posted a 47-8-1 record, including 26 straight wins, during Conway�s five years at the junior college. Former Lobo safety and 1997 grad Marcus Stanton, who played on UNM�s Insight.com Bowl team, was a member of Blinn�s 1995 national championship team as was former Kansas State quarterback Michael Bishop. Prior to Blinn, Conway was offensive coordinator at Missouri Western in 1991 and �92. MWSC broke more than 40 individual and team offensive records during Conway�s two years on the sidelines.

Conway served at Purdue, where he worked under head coach Fred Akers in 1989, then went on to become offensive coordinator at Houston's Northshore High School in 1990.

Before Purdue, Conway was at Lamar University for four years, 1986-89, where he was the quarterbacks and receivers coach. The Cardinals broke eight team and 17 individual records during his stint there, including standards for total offense, passing yardage and team scoring.

His first coaching job was an assistant at Northwest Missouri State in 1984, and he soon moved to Sam Houston State while pursuing his master's degree. He was wide receivers coach for Sam Houston State in 1985-86, as the Bearkats went 8-3 both years.

Conway graduated from Northwest Missouri State in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in Finance. He played for the Bearcats for four years (1978-81) as a free safety, and was named all-conference as a senior in 1981.

Conway is a native of Ames, Iowa. He and his wife, Jolene, have three daughters: Callie, 6, Patsy, 3, and Bobbi, 1.