Player Bio: Buzz Preston - University of New Mexico Official Athletic Site

Buzz Preston

	Position: Running Backs
	Birthdate: 11/09/1956
	Experience: First Year

Alma Mater:
Hawaii '82

Buzz Preston begins his first season at UNM in charge of the running backs. He spent the 2006 season as the running backs coach at Stanford and served in the same capacity at Notre Dame from 2002-04.

Preston recruits north-central New Mexico and Southern California, including San Diego and Los Angeles. He is also UNM's liaison with professional football.

Preston has 27 seasons of collegiate coaching experience, including two stints at Stanford (1999-2001, 2006). During his first three-year run with the Cardinal, Preston was part of two bowl teams that were also two of the best squads in Stanford history. He helped coach the Cardinal to the 1999 Pac-10 title on its way to the 2000 Rose Bowl. In 2001, Stanford put together a 9-3 record and was ranked among the Top 10 teams in the nation during the year before playing in the Seattle Bowl.

Following his three seasons at Stanford under former head coach Tyrone Willingham, Preston went with Willingham to Notre Dame for three more seasons (2002-04) to coach the running backs, helping lead the Irish to two bowl games with appearances at the Gator Bowl in 2002 and the Insight Bowl following the 2003 regular season.

Under Preston's tutelage, Julius Jones rushed for 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Notre Dame in 2003. Jones also had 1,568 all-purpose yards and a school-record three 200-yard rushing games in '03 en route to honorable mention All-America honors. Jones went on to be selected in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

Before coming to Stanford for the first time, Preston was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator/QB coach at UNLV in 1998.

Prior to that, he coached running backs at Washington State from 1994-97. During his four-year term at Washington State, Preston was part of a coaching staff that guided the Cougars to the Pacific-10 Conference championship in 1997 and its first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years. The Cougar offense broke the Pac-10 record for most total yards in a single season. One of Preston's pupils, Mike Black, gained 1,157 yards rushing and was named to the All-Pac-10 team. The Cougars finished 10-2 overall and were ranked ninth in the nation.

Preston also coached at his alma mater, Hawai'i, from 1987-93. He had several roles during his tenure with the Rainbows, including coaching the offensive special teams, receivers and defensive backs, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coordinator. Preston's seven-year stay at Hawai'i was highlighted by the first two bowl games in school history and the first Western Athletic Conference title ever for the program. In 1989, Hawai'i participated in its first bowl game, losing to Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl. The Rainbows won the WAC championship in 1992 and went on to defeat Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.

Preston's first full-time coaching job came at Southern Illinois from 1984-86 when he tutored receivers and the defensive backfield. During his three seasons in Carbondale, SIU's defense improved dramatically - from eighth to second in the conference - while nine of his pupils received all-conference recognition. He was a graduate assistant at Hawai'i in 1980 and 1981, a part-time coach at UH in 1982, and a graduate assistant at Washington in 1983.

During his career, Preston has also been a guest coach for the Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles.

A native of Los Angeles, Preston received a bachelor's degree in Speech from Hawai'i in 1982. He was a two-year letterwinner (1978-79) with the Rainbow football team.

Preston, 50, is a 1975 graduate of Banning High School in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Audrey, have three children: Amber (19), Evan (16) and Quinn (8).