Former Lobo St. Aubyn, his wife give UNM athletics $350K

He was an OL, and a teammate of Lobos FB coach Gonzales in 1990s

With such a significant gift of $350,000 from former University of New Mexico offensive lineman Jared St. Aubyn and his wife Megghan, Lobo football coach Danny Gonzales saw it as a great opportunity to call out more alumni to support the football program and UNM Athletics.

“I’ve been saying it’s going to take everybody,” Gonzales said in a phone interview on Monday, when UNM announced the St. Aubyns’ gift that’s set for the completion of the New Mexico Mutual Champions Center, a training facility for all UNM sports teams. “This is a good time to call out those alumni who have the means to give back to support UNM.”

Gonzales, a former player and assistant at UNM, believes successful fund-raising efforts are “setting the stage for the future success of our program.” Gonzales has made a concerted effort to connect with alumni and have them become more involved with the football program.

St. Aubyn, who played at UNM from 1997-99, was a part of UNM’s division championship team in 1997 under Dennis

Franchione. St. Aubyn was also a teammate of Gonzales.

“It’s great to know that the program is in great hands,” St. Aubyn said. “I’m going to be as involved as much as I can. I’m incredibly excited about the future of the program.”

The St. Aubyns sold their controlling interest of Saint Aubyn Homes, a private home-builder company, in 2019, allowing for the couple to devote time to their family of three children and to philanthropy. Jared is also an assistant football coach at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, Colorado, where the team has won three state titles. Jared is from Greeley, Colorado. He met his wife in sixth grade, and they were friends throughout childhood. They dated while at UNM.

Jared said it was important that the gift be used for UNM

football, as well as all the Lobo athletic teams.

“Both of us believe athletics are a big source of success for our family,” he said. “Megghan is an athlete. Our kids are all in sports. Athletics teach life lessons that are vital to be successful.”

The St. Aubyns’ gift is the fourth major gift at UNM this year. Diana and Chet Stewart gifted $100,000 for the Diana and Chet Stewart Football Excellence Fund in January; $199,575 was raised in February during Lobo Give Day; and last month New Mexico Mutual announced a $1 million gift for the New Mexico Mutual Champions Training Center.

Gonzales said UNM athletics’ “momentum is real.”

UNM has won six Mountain West Conference titles this year: women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s golf and men’s tennis.

“In the beginning of the pandemic we talked about working together and buying into the vision and understanding that everything that we want to do here, to compete and to win, is part of the process,” UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez said. “... We have the culture that we’re all in this together. Now we’ve gotten to this point. We’re getting to where we want to be.”