UNM Athletic Director Paul Krebs has a striking facial resemblance to the German Tiger Tank Driver in the classic movie “Kelly’s Hero’s” starring Clint Eastwood, Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas.
In the movie, three ranking army soldiers, along with their men, went rogue and robbed a bank behind German enemy lines where the Germans had stored tons of gold.
A classic scene is when the three soldiers approached the German Tiger Tank protecting the bank and convinced the tank commander to turn his tank’s cannon turret on the city bank and blast a hole in the vault and help them steal the gold inside in exchange for a share of the gold.
The Tiger Tank Commander knew that the war was lost, so he blasted the vault and walked away with his share of the gold.
UNM Athletic Director Paul Krebs probably knows many of UNM’s athletics programs are lost and are coming to an end.
Krebs now blasts a hole in a contract he was responsible for negotiating and takes money from the university bank vault to buy out yet another contract for $1 million.
It has been confirmed that the University of New Mexico will pay fired basketball coach Craig Neil $1 million to buy out the remaining 3 years of Niel’s contract.
The buyout will be paid in 24 monthly installments. (See April 6, 2017 Albuquerque Journal article “UNM has game plan for Neal buyout; Athletic department plans job cuts, potential naming rights deal to help balance budget”)
Krebs is paid $319,262 as UNM Athletic’s Vice President and has been on the job for 11 years.
During his tenure, Krebs has fired and bought out the contracts of football coaches Rocky Long, Mike Locksley and basketball coach Richie McKay, and the programs are still loosing money.
Krebs also could not convince basketball coach Steve Alford to stay and Alford went on to coach UCLA.
Virtually all the UNM athletics programs are operating in the “red”.
The UNM athletic department finished 2016 with a $1.5 million loss and it was the seventh (7th) deficit in the past nine (9) years.
When the UNM Athletic department runs a deficit, the university must cover it and is supposed to be paid back by the athletic department.
Last year’s Athletic Department’s $1.5 million dollar deficit was covered by the University and it remains to be repaid.
It is projected that the Athletic Department will have $444, 607 deficit while UNM is struggling with reduced revenues, reduced funding and budget cuts.
No doubt Paul Krebs will expect to be paid in full his $319,000 + salary despite UNM’s financial problems.
When will our UNM Board of Regents wise up and find someone who can attract, find and keep good coaches?
Just as important, when will the UNM Board of Regents hold Paul Krebs responsible and find someone else who can turn all our athletics programs around?
Sooner or later, if not already, the UNM bank vault will be empty of its gold, but Paul Krebs no doubt will walk away with his share.