Nuñez says UNM athletic department ‘in the black’
AD reveals new multimedia initiative in works after former marketing deal ended
The University of New Mexico’s Finance and Facilities Committee is expected to vote next week on whether or not to approve the athletic department’s new multimedia initiative now that the school’s longstanding agreement with Learfield IMG College is no longer in place.
UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez confirmed the split with Learfield but did not identify what company was chosen to take its place or the specifics of what kind of monetary agreement will exist between the entities. The Finance and Facilities Committee will meet Tuesday, a week before the regularly scheduled board of regents meeting.
Nuñez said his department is going into both meetings with a department that “is in the black,” heading into the 2019-20 academic year. He said more details will come out prior to Tuesday’s report in front of the Finance and Facilities Committee.
Nuñez confirmed UNM’s yearslong relationship with Learfield ended in June. He indicated that the new partnership will alter the way UNM’s athletic department is able to generate revenue. The contract with Learfield called for an annual payment of up to $5 million, but it allowed Learfield to take ownership of suites in the football stadium and all signage around both the football stadium and The Pit, as well as several marketing initiatives such as souvenir programs. Learfield could then sell those signs as a profit.
The upside, Nuñez said Friday, was a steady stream of income from Learfield that generated millions of dollars for the department
dating as far back as 2013. That included Learfield’s advertisement initiatives through radio and TV shows, and radio and streaming broadcasts of football and men’s and women’s basketball games.
It’s not clear if Learfield cleared more in those sales than the $4.5 million to $5 million paid to UNM annually, but what is clear is this: Nuñez believes the potential exists for the athletic department to do more by taking over those initiatives itself.
More details will emerge at Tuesday’s presentation to the Finance and Facilities Committee.
St. Mike’s grad at practice
Friday was the first official practice for the Lobos football team, which includes Santa Fe’s Xavier Vigil. A 5-foot-11, 231-pound redshirt sophomore, the St. Michael’s graduate is listed as a linebacker on a team with 12 players at that position. There are no freshmen in a group anchored by senior Alex Hart, a player coming off a season-ending knee injury from a year ago.
Missing on Day One was projected starting quarterback Tevaka Tuioti. He remained at home in California to be with a grandfather who is battling an undisclosed illness. Head coach Bob Davie said there is no timeline for Tuioti’s return.
Highlights
The two moments that stood out the most during Friday’s practice: A scripted visit and pep talk by UNM men’s basketball coach Paul Weir, as well as a circus catch in the end zone by Emmanuel Logan-Greene.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Greene is the only player with a national championship ring, albeit a fictitious one. Before transferring to UNM he was a member of Central Florida’s undefeated team in 2017.
The Knights finished 13-0, beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl after being left out of the College Football Playoff. The school declared itself the mythical national champion.
As for Weir’s appearance, he told the football team that the basketball program was behind them and that they’re all in this fight together
He left them with the acronym of FEE, the last two words standing for “Everybody Else.”
The first word is not safe for public consumption.