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Timeline to Steve Alford
Feb. 23: The day after Ritchie McKay is fired, UNM AD Paul Krebs contacts UNM's search firm to ask them to find out if Iowa's Steve Alford is a possible candidate for the job.
Feb. 24-26: Search firm contacts Alford's agent, agent contacts Alford, Alford is interested. Preliminary talks between the two agencies begin.
March 7-9: Krebs calls Alford from Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas to verify Alford's interest is sincere. "It's about a 25 second conversation," said Krebs. Krebs tells Alford he will talk to him in detail after conference tournaments have ended.
March 12-16: UNM search firm continues to talk to Alford's agent and agents of other possible candidates. "Our search firm is cultivating the waters to figure out who's in, who's out," said Krebs. Alford's interest in UNM grows.
Monday: Krebs calls Iowa AD and asks permission to talk to Alford. Permission granted.
Tuesday: Krebs and Alford meet around 11 a.m. in a private residence in Tulsa, Okla., to discuss the job. The meeting lasts about four hours. "We met to come to some conclusions," said Krebs. "The conclusion was, either you are going to walk away today or you're going to get a job."
Tuesday evening: Krebs contacts Alford's agent to hammer out the details.
Thursday: Alford signs a letter of agreement to accept job and faxes it to Krebs' office.
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The front porch at the University of New Mexico just got spruced up to the tune of $975,000 - the yearly package that makes Lobos basketball coach Steve Alford the state's highest-paid employee.
Ouch!
Or maybe not.
It all depends on how you look at this deal to steal Alford from the fussy and frustrated flock of Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
You could look at it as money thrown down the drain or simply too much money to pay a basketball coach, period. Colorado State landed one for about $400,000.
You also could look at it as money to prime the pump.
There really is no argument that the price tag on Alford is about what the marketplace demands. Tubby Smith just got about $1.8 million to freeze his can off in Minnesota.
The price tag isn't the issue. It's whether throwing that much money at Alford is worth it.
The answer is yes - if Alford wins, if Alford's Lobos pack The Pit. And if you believe a successful athletics program is the welcome mat - the national "face" - of a university.
Quick - What is Duke University known for? Name the head of Duke's English department. Name their head basketball coach. Name Texas Tech's head basketball coach.
"The athletic program is the front porch of the university for the public eye," said UNM President-to-be David Schmidly. "What you want is a beautiful porch."
The thing about the athletics porch is that if it's pretty enough, it can help a school make money. The success of athletics brings more fans to the games, to the parking lots, to the concession stands, to the souvenir stands, to the booster clubs.
Winning makes money.
Paul Krebs, UNM's director of athletics, said Lobos basketball had been making about $3.7 million over the past 10 seasons but made about $3 million last season under Ritchie McKay.
That's a drop of $700,000. That's about 75 percent of Alford's salary. And what happens if Alford really kicks up excitement in The Pit? Attendance soars. The Lobo Club grows. UNM sells more Lobo Dogs.
Then he pays for himself.
Pride in your school can also get alumni to reach into their pockets for other things, too.
"The year I was at Oklahoma State and we went to The Final Four; we got the largest academic donation in the history of the university," said Schmidly. "It was eight figures (more than $10 million).
"There are more than 30 coaches in Division I basketball making more than $1 million. We aren't out of line. I'm not apologetic about the salary. When you decide you are going to have a top national program, you are entering a unique marketplace."
That's a huge thing, too. UNM is making a commitment to excellence. Krebs is trying to save The Pit.
Money well spent.
