Posted by: Timmy | March 21, 2007 07:14 PM

This was the worst decision they could have made. This guy is so arrogant. The Lobos are screwed. He's never going to make it, and he'll be the one thing Krebs is remembered for when Lobo sports crap the bed for the next five years.

Posted by: Fire Steve Alford | March 21, 2007 07:32 PM

Can we fire the coach before he has ever worked here?
How could the Pierre Pierce law-breaking not be a red flag? The guy actually went to prison, and that was all on Alford.
Why would Krebs do this? He hasn't even worked here for a year, and he just made the worst decision of his life. He is going to rue this for the rest of his tenure, and hopefully, he owns up to that when UNM is fighting with TCU to see who gets relegated to women's college basketball.

Posted by: LOBO699 | March 21, 2007 08:10 PM

HEY LOBO HATERS THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL, WAKE UP FROM THIS DREAM WORLD THAT YOUR LIVING IN WHERE COACH K AND PAT RILEY SHOULD COACH THE LOBOS. HERE IN THE REAL WORLD KREBS HAS MADE A GREAT DECISION IN STEVE ALFORD HE IS A YOUNG COACH WHO KNOWS THE GAME AND SHOULD GET THE LOBOS BACK TO GREATNESS. IF YOU GUYS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE GAME ITS A GOOD MOVE HE IS ONE OF THE BIG NAMES THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR. SURE RITCHIE WAS A NOBODY WHEN HE WAS HIRED BUT ANY BASKETBALL FAN SHOULD KNOW WHO STEVE ALFORD IS. FOR ONCE GIVE THE GUY A CHANCE TO BE THE FIRST TO CAST THE STONE!!!!

Posted by: Kevin | March 21, 2007 08:27 PM

It is unfortunate that the so-called "fans" in this town are ready to fire the new coach before he is actually hired. While I can think of other people who I might have prefered to be the next coach, this is a good hire. It is certainly a better hire than Coach McKay was. If Steve is the guy, we need to support him. If he succeeds, the Lobos succeed. Case closed. Go Lobos!

Posted by: IHAWK FAN | March 21, 2007 08:47 PM

Iowa got rid of a class act when they forced out Tom Davis so Steve Alford could take Iowa to the "next level". Iowa won its first game against defending national champion UCONN in its first game with Coach Alford. It has been a gradual, but steady decline into mediocrity since then. There have been a few high points, but not enough. Iowa Hawkeye fans are very faithful and love to support their teams, but have finally reached a point of apathy that will not go away until a regime change. I think Coach Alford would have been let go at almost any other Big 10 school a year or two ago, but Iowa seems to have a difficult time firing coaches. Hopefully a new setting will be good for the Lobos and good for Iowa. It is clear though that the Alford Era of Iowa basketball needs to come to an end. Good luck Lobos and GO HAWKS!

Posted by: Rudy | March 21, 2007 11:12 PM

Honestly, the man deserves a fair roll of the die before we call for his heads. I understand the ire, especially after seeing Web sites like firestevealford.com, but it's not too much to ask that we agree to give the guy a chance to succeed. Maybe if he comes into the community, and we accept him with open arms, he won't be starting in the gutter and having to work his way out -- seems like the immediate vilification of McKay might have played at least a small part in his downfall. Let's see what Alf can do, and maybe his run will turn out as well as ALF's did on TV. That show was banging.

Posted by: Joe | March 22, 2007 08:49 AM

Alfort would not have been my choice. But, it wasm't my decision to make. I do believe if he has learned from past mistakes, like how he handled the Pierce issue for example, he could be a good, if not great coach. So now it looks like he will be our next coach. Everyone knows you don't win unless you are a TEAM. So Lobo fans, are you part of the TEAM or not? Let's throw our support behind Alford and show him how great being a coach in the LOBONATION can be!! GO LOBOS!! Oh....have you read some of the comments from Iowa fans on the Andy Katz article on ESPN.com? They think Alford is taking a step down. I got news for them....New Mexico is a step up and we are going to help Alford become a success, which is something Iowa couldn't do. I never gave Iowa much thought before, but now I can say I just don't like em.

Posted by: Long Lost Lobo | March 22, 2007 10:22 AM

Well, here we go again: UNM loves to Gamble and gamble big - up to one mill. I really wish Alford / UNM all the luck in the world. UNM gambled on Franchilla, Mc Kay and now Alford - is 3 a lucky charm? I would have chosen a proven winner with a tremendous upside like Gregg Marshall from Winthrop, but I am not Krebs or a gambler: if Alford produces it will be great, if not then the Lobos will get thrased and be even worse off, and where are we now - oh yeah we lost the "pigtail" game - I guess it can't get any worse than that or can it (Pigtail minus a million). If the Lobos fail again the Aggies are going to love this and from what I have read the Hawkeyes are already very happy - this is one of those things that make you go hmmmmm? In any case - Go Lobos (up not down)!
:0\

Posted by: HawkFan | March 22, 2007 12:43 PM

Thank you very much Lobos! If Neal stays with the Lobos then at least you are getting one good coach out of the deal. Neal can coach and recruit. Alford was only good when his dad was by his side doing the real coaching. Just be sure to pay Neal a ton so he doesn't leave for a head coaching job soon.

Posted by: Another Hawk | March 22, 2007 03:05 PM

Good Luck with this guy. But as a warning to all contractors or potential builders of his next palace, Steve likes lots of freebies afterall he is Steve Alford. Also he likes free concessions when he goes to his kids Pee Wee games. Cause afterall he is Steve Alford. And now he is yours. I would like to thin that he will come into your town with a different attitude, surely he learned something at Iowa. But then again............ I wish your Lobos all of the success we never saw here at Iowa under his leadership!

Posted by: Teresa young | March 22, 2007 06:09 PM

The problem with Steve Alford at Iowa was that he never had his eye on the ball. He was always looking past Iowa to Indiana. He never thought of himself as quite good enough for Iowa and treated the people here accordingly. When he allowed Pierce to stay on the team after he assaulted a female Hawkeye athlete, attendance dropped and he lost the respect of his loyal Hawkeye fan base. But that isn't the only reason. All you need do is look at his record. He just is just a mediocre coach and a so so recruiter. So good luck to you. I hope he does well for your sake. But I'm afraid the good people of New Mexico deserve better.

Posted by: Hawk Fan | March 23, 2007 05:21 AM

I congratulate that Lobos on their new hire. Alford has always had to look, know how, and ability to be a good coach. However, his stay in Iowa has been nothing more than lukewarm at best. He has some big victories under his belt, and some unbelievably disappionting losses. I realize that some of that is player related, but a coach must motivate players to bring it in all games. Alford never created any stability or a consistant winning trend. I believe he will have limited success out west, and he will continue to underachieve which will not fly in Loco Land. I honestly believe if he goes in with the right attitude and locates some decent recruits, he may have a chance to resurrect his tattered reputation as a lame duck coach....

Posted by: BlackandGold | March 23, 2007 08:56 AM

Whew! You guys just saved us $1.5+ million! Alford ran before he was fired; AD Gary Barta drew a line in the sand and Alford understood that he had either 1 more year to make the NCAA at Iowa or get the program into the top three in the Big 10 regular season or perhaps he could hoodwink someone into another 3 or 4 years.
AnotherHawk pretty well hits it on the head; he's been spoon fed ever since his Indiana days. Once you meet him, you'll know what we've all endured the past 8 years personality wise. Your real coach is Neal; his addition to the Iowa bench kept Alford from being fired three years ago.
Lobos...go out to desmoinesregister.com for some interesting reading.
Good luck...hopefully you'll do better with him than we did!

Posted by: Charlie Hogue | March 23, 2007 11:56 AM

A statement regarding new UNM basketball coach Steve Alford from a native Iowan.

When Mr. Alford first came to coach men’s basketball at the University of Iowa eight years ago, many held hope that he would accelerate the basketball program to a new level. Over the course of the next eight years we watched as Iowa basketball deteriorated into a second class program. Attendance fell off for the games in an arena where tickets were once in high demand. A program that had made nearly annual trips to the NCAA tournament now played the NIT or like this year, no post season tournament at all. Even when the team did make the NCAA tournament, which was only three times in the last eight years, they only won one game.

We had plenty of player defections over those eight years. We also had several players who became academically ineligible. We even had a scandal involving a player who was criminally prosecuted for his aberrant behavior. Then there was the coach himself. There was an arrogance that accompanied Mr. Alford. A pugnacious combativeness that alienated him from the good-natured people of Iowa. Obviously these are not the symptoms of a healthy program.

Folks awaiting Iowa basketball’s re-emergence as a perennial top twenty program suffered through years of disappointing mediocrity. Seasons of mediocrity rewarded with pay increases and contract extensions. Indeed, Mr. Alford took the University of Iowa’s basketball program to a new level. He dug us into a big hole that we now have to try to climb back out of again. We’re much worse off now than before his arrival. The good people of New Mexico might be excited about the future with your new coach, and we certainly wish you well, but you should know that ninety percent of the people of Iowa are very glad to see this guy go.

Posted by: Matt | March 23, 2007 04:42 PM

Welcome to New Mexico, Coach Alford!!! Don't let the Iowa haters get you down, you're a New Mexican now! Just win, and everything else will take care of itself.

Posted by: Bob Arbige | March 23, 2007 11:12 PM

Iowa's loss is New Mexico's gain! Steve Alford is a class act and he will be missed by those of us who appreciated his character and coaching abilities. Unfortunately the University of Iowa hires Athletic Directors who have little or no compassion for others as evidenced by their treatment of Steve and his predecessor Tom Davis. Steve had to overcome the stigma of being the man who replaced the fired Tom Davis. Steve Alford will be missed by the real Iowa basketball fans.

Posted by: Aunt Nancy | March 24, 2007 06:55 AM

I neither liked nor disliked Steve Alford - I suppose he was a decent coach, but he was no Tom Davis or, for that matter, he was no Lute Olson (for those of you old enough to remember the Olson days!). So goodbye Steve, enjoy your tenure at New Mexico, and don't let the door whack you on the fanny on your way out.

Posted by: M Elliott | March 24, 2007 11:34 PM

I was native born in Iowa, went to Indiana University when Steve Alford was playing there. He was on Bobby Knight’s 1987 NCAA championship team, and the last non pro basketball team to win the Olympics, which was coached by Bob Knight also. It should be noted the Bob Knight played against four Mountain West teams this last season. Texas Tech split even, winning against New Mexico and TCU losing to UNLV and Air Force. Steve was an extremely intelligent player, top free throw shooter, but I was surprise he was in the NBA because of his height. He took Southwest Missouri State to the NCAA Tournament.

Great players have a self drive, you can try to pass it on to your players, but is best you recognize it in them before you recruit them. This next year is not of Steve Alford’s recruits and a lot of New Mexico fans are expecting great things from him the first year. I feel there should be an improvement. The president of UNM came from Texas Tech which would be a school with a greater proportion of technical students and realize it takes time to bridge towards something. Those who are not technically orientated or more orientated towards liberal arts may what to get rid of a coach which uses quality techniques, in much the manner a liberal arts school such as Indiana University got rid of theirs.

I am a alumni of two Mountain West Conference schools Utah and Wyoming and worked as a part time faculty for New Mexico. Though I have taken a number of graduate level classes at Indiana University in Bloomington, with New Mexico having Steve Alford coaching for them; if New Mexico ever plays Indiana I am definitely without question for the LOBOS.

Posted by: cyclonefan | March 25, 2007 07:18 AM

As an Iowa State fan, I am sorry to see Alford go. I love to see the Hawks complaining and moaning (they are very good at doing this). However, with Alford they had every right. The whole Pierce fiasco was not just an embarasment to the Hawkeyes, it was an embarasment to the state as a whole. I have always liked the Lobos, and i hope you have not just fallen in love with the big name Alford. He came into a program that had very good players, used them for a lot of his wins, and has pretty much left the cupboard bare (which I also appreciate). I wish you all the luck and hope he works out well for you.

Posted by: Desert Dave | March 25, 2007 08:18 AM

To all of you Iowa fans who are trying to YELL! at us out here in NM - all about Steve Alford's "bad" character, well,

I have only the one question for you.

IF he is so awful BAD as you claim,

Why wouldn't he just "mail it in" next year and allow himself to be fired,

And walk away with 1.5 million Iowa dollars?

No doubt in my mind he'd still be hired IMMEDIATELY by any number of Major Universities, such as UNM.

Why ever not? Just - take the money and run? Instead of leaving it there in YOUR Athletic Department?

Very puzzling.

As is your apparent vituperative and churlish commentaries.

I was in the Army back in the 1960's with two guys from Iowa, and they were the kind that always - "had my back."

What ever happened to you guys out there since then, I gotta wonder?

Posted by: paul | March 25, 2007 09:36 AM

Steve Alford has about as much “class" as an unemployed teacher. He’s a mediocre coach with an undeserved salary and losing conference record headed a for a third tier school that can’t afford to replace windows or repave the streets on its campus. One would think after the historic failures of this archetype at UNM a deeper, more relevant search would have been undertaken to find a more suitable, compatible candidate to build the UNM program, not a hair spray poster boy with an attitude and a false sense of worth. This was obviously a slick backroom deal by Krebs (he was chasing Alford the day after Mckay was fired) and a self serving move on Alford's part, plain and simple. In comparison to the BCS, UNM is a big step down -- his tortured relationship with the Iowa fans, alumni and boosters along with an arrogant immature attitude left him no other prospects after being denied at Indiana, save a firing by Iowa. Steve Alford is reviled by Iowa fans for good reason; he was given a one year extension and an ultimatum- perform or leave; he left before he was fired. The lobos have made another dumb move. But, it’s to be expected. It’s amazing how New Mexicans find mediocrity so palatable even more so judging by the media attention...exciting.

Posted by: Brian Birch | March 26, 2007 08:58 PM

I am proud of Iowa and Steve Alford. I do not live in Iowa, but was born there and attended the U of I in the 1950"s. I was proud of Steve and his integrity, while he was at Iowa. Win or lose, I could always know that Iowa would give me a good showing on the court and a full game effort. As a fan, I am interested in what the team teaches the youth as to how to play the game with high standards of conduct. Rarely was I dissapointed. For fifty years, Iowa has held my loyalty, because their coaches taught more than winning at all costs. If a sports fan is self-centered, they will reap mostly thorns. Nothing hurts our fellow man more, than a fan not knowing how to lose and how to win, and show respect to the loser. If Steve only wins 50% I will respect him if he conducts himself and the team in an honorable fashion. Steve will probably win more than he loses. He will givethe fans his best and bring out the best in his players. He is a coach that this Iowa fan will miss. I will be rooting for the Lobos during Steves time in NM, out of respect for Steve Alford. When I read the above critics, I am not impressed with their cutting words, they say a lot about the writer. I hope they do not represent the Lobo fan majority.

Posted by: Richard | March 30, 2007 01:08 AM

As a long time Lobo fan I was not jumping for joy when Alford's announcement was made as the new coach at UNM. UNM at one time had top twenty teams and went as high as third in the ratings. But with Lobogate etc., they seem to fall apart. I do not know what Alford will bring to UNM but hope that he has learned some lessons while at Iowa and leaps the Lobos to national prominence again. There's is no better facility to coach and watch NCAA basketball then at the "Pit" which Sports Illustrated listed as one of the top facilities to watch basketball. I for one will support him. Insofar as comments made about UNM as a third-rate facility, I say who's ever heard of IOWA other then caught up in some tornados once in a while? Go Lobos!

Posted by: Lanny Hart | April 1, 2007 11:28 PM

As an Iowa fan I'm disappointed in many of the above comments from both sides regarding the quality of Coach Alford and the quality of the states of Iowa and New Mexico. I wish Coach Alford all the best and hope he does a great job for the Lobos. I at the same time am happy for the change and think it's just best for both the Iowa program and Coach Alford.

I do believe he has learned alot over his years at Iowa and will put those lessons to work for New Mexico. Remember, Coach Alford was only 34 when hired at Iowa. I've noticed a big improvement over the years in how he coaches and handles his players. Unfortunately many things came to pass and it just wasn't going to work out here.

There's no need for Iowa fans to come over here and start bashing Coach Alford and predict gloom and doom for the Lobos. Both the University of Iowa and the University of New Mexico are wonderful universities with great fan bases. Hopefully we'll both find success with our basketball programs in the very near future. Go Hawks!!! Good luck Lobos.

Posted by: miersie | April 3, 2007 01:56 PM

Hey Lobo fans, this Iowa fan has mixed feelings about your new coach. No, Alford didn't work out the way we Iowa fans wanted, and no I'm not sorry to see him leave. But...I think he has some superior coaching abilities and will find sucess at some point in his career. His rough edges are his perceived arrogance and his recruiting. If he can come down to earth with his attitude and hire an assistant that can recruite, you could have what you are looking for. Unfortunately at Iowa, his bridges were burned and it was time for everyone to move on. Good luck with the program, (unless you're playing the Hawks).

Posted by: Duke | April 4, 2007 08:27 AM

While Steve Alford has been criticized by many in Iowa, they need to realize that this stuff goes in cycles. Very seldom is a college coaches tenure longer than 7-8 years with one school. This can be related to success and moving up, or mediocrity/failure and termination.
Bob Knight wasn't very successful in his final years at Indiana, but he is an outstanding coach.
I've met Steve Alford on several occasions and arrogance isn't one of his traits.
The Lobos have scored big in the coaching ranks and the only thing they may regret in the future is Steve moving on because of his success.
Last but not least I really feel for the Iowa fans. The obviously don't know a lot about basketball to let this guy get away, but perhaps there was more to this picture than meets the eye.
After all, have you ever been to Iowa? Boring with a capital "B".

Posted by: Maize | April 4, 2007 09:16 AM

www.firestevealford.com has been recently listed on ebay and is now available to the highest bidder.