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The Athletics Director of Jayhawks' first gridiron opponent is a KU MBA grad

Friday, August 28, 2009

"KU literally transformed my life," said Northern Colorado Athletics Director Jay Hinrichs, a School of Business MBA graduate.

"It's not just a clichŽ with me. Without it, I couldn't have done any of the jobs I've done, not with the Royals, the Kansas Athletics or here at Northern Colorado," Hinrichs said.

Hinrichs, whose University of Northern Colorado Bears face the Jayhawks on the gridiron Saturday evening, earned his undergraduate degree and his MBA at KU.

"It all rolls back to Kansas," he said. "It put me in a position to succeed." Hinrichs was named the Director of Athletics at the University of Northern Colorado in 2004. Since then he has directed the NCAA reclassification and certification process to Division I and theinclusion of Northern Colorado in membership in the Big Sky Conference. He hashelped lead a successful university-wide student-fee referendum that increased funding for athletic and recreation facilities renovation and expansion by $16 million, as well as helping the university receive $14.5 million for renovations.

Hinrichs was formerly the Associate Athletic Director for Facilities Planning at the University of Kansas. He also directed KU's Williams Educational Fund, the athletic department's 4,600-member donor organization and annual giving fund. Before working at KU, Hinrichs served for 18 years in a variety of senior management positions for the Kansas City Royals Baseball Club including Director of Stadium Operations, Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Ballpark Operations and Development.

"I would be absolutely nowhere if they [his professors, advisors, mentors]hadn't grabbed me by the ears. I didn't want to be a regular student; I wanted to DO something. The School has always meant a lot to me and I had a lot of people who gave me great advice."

Facilities renovation and rebuilding have been a big part of every position in his career path. The NCAADivision Ireclassification and recertification at Northern Colorado was a recent big accomplishment. Hinrichs said there were two words that best describe what was most helpful for him to learn in the School of Business: strategic planning. The knowledge he gained in human resources courses was another key area. "Hire the greatest staff you can hire," he said. "That includes another KU grad, Tad Boyle, our men's basketball coach."

Hinrichs said he also learned the importance of putting together a financial plan, as he now directs 19 sports programs and 11 business functions.

The athletics program includes 422 student athletes. Hinrichs and his wife, who met in Kansas City and now live in Greeley, CO, have an 11 year old son, Jared. "I tell people I have one son and 420 kids in college," Hinrichs said.

His advice to today'sBusiness students: commit early to finish, because life changes quickly, and finish strong."And that," he added, "is what we hope to do Saturday against the Jayhawks," when the Northern Colorado Bears meet the Jayhawks in the opening game of the 2009 football season. "We may not win on Saturday, but we will finish strong in the fourth quarter."