Transcript: Fernando Lovo’s introductory press conference as CU athletic director
- Liam Howard
- 4 hours ago
- 12 min read
New Colorado athletic director Fernando Lovo gave his first address to the media and the university on Monday. Lovo was hired to take over for Rick George, who is moving into an assistant role in the athletic department. Here’s an overview of what Lovo had to say in his inaugural press conference.
Opening statement:
“Thank you, good afternoon, everyone, it’s a great day to be a Buff,” Lovo said. “Thank you so much for being here today, and thank you for the incredibly warm welcome that my family and I have already received from this amazing University of Colorado community. We are humbled, grateful and truly honored to be here.”
“There are so many people I want to acknowledge for this incredible opportunity,” he said. “But first, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the University of New Mexico and especially President Garnett Stokes for the trust, support and opportunity to lead alongside such an incredible group of coaches, staff and student-athletes. They say, ‘certain people come into your life and change it forever,’ and President Stokes is one of those people for me. Her belief in me and her leadership had a profound impact on me and my family and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity she gave me. New Mexico will always hold a special place in our hearts and I am confident that Lobo athletics will continue to flourish.”
“Chancellor Schwartz, thank you,” Lovo continued. “Thank you for your kind words and, more importantly, for your leadership, your trust and the opportunity to serve this great university. From our very first conversation…your clarity of vision and your alignment with President [Todd] Saliman and the Board of Regents were absolutely unmistakable.
“Here’s the thing,” he said. “Alignment matters. It’s powerful and it is one of the main reasons that I am standing here today. I am genuinely excited to work alongside you as we continue to elevate the University of Colorado.”
“Thank you to President Saliman, as well as the Board of Regents and members of the Search Advisory Committee,” he added. “I am deeply appreciative of the confidence you have placed in me, and I take very seriously the responsibility that comes with this role.”
“Chancellor Schwartz said it, but I’ll say it again. I want to take a moment to acknowledge Rick George,” Lovo said. “Rick, you’re a titan in this industry, and what you’ve built here is strong and meaningful. This foundation is strong. It’s one rooted in integrity, competitive excellence and a deep care for this institution. You are respected nationally and you are extremely highly valued here. The impact of your leadership, no doubt, will be felt for years to come. I’m so grateful for your support during this transition and I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get to work together, because I can’t do it without you. So I appreciate you, Rick.”
“...To our coaches, staff and student-athletes that are here today…thank you,” he continued. “Thank you so much for being here. You are the heartbeat of this department, you are. Everything that we do must be in service of your success, your development and your wellbeing. I am beyond excited to listen, to learn and to build with you.”
“I have been fortunate throughout my career to learn from some incredible mentors,” Lovo added. “Working with people like Chris Del Conte, Gene Smith, Jeremy Foley and alongside some of the most successful coaches in college athletics shaped me by how they led, how they treated people and how they built cultures of excellence. Those lessons guide me every single day.”
“And now, to the most important people in my life,” he said. “My wife, Jordan, is here with us today, along with our son, Liam, and our daughter, Layla. They are my everything. Jordan is my rock, and the anchor of our family, and I’ll tell you this: There is absolutely no way that I would be standing here today without you. Liam and Layla, you are our greatest joys. My parents, Fernando Sr. … and Patricia are also here, they taught me the values that guide me: humility, gratitude, work ethic and faith. They believed in me long before anyone else did, and I am forever thankful. I love you all very, very much.”
“So people often ask me, why did I choose a career in college athletics? Well, I always knew I wanted to be around sports,” he said. “I just figured out early on that my own athletic career, if you even want to call it that…probably wasn’t going to be the best path forward. So, I found another way in. As a student at the University of Florida, I worked as a student equipment manager during some of the most successful years in that football program’s history. Washing towels, folding jerseys, working long hours behind the scenes, and it was there that I truly fell in love with college athletics. I saw firsthand the transformative power that it has on young men and women, on families and on entire communities. I knew then that this wasn’t just a job; this was a calling, which brings me here to Colorado.
“This is the flagship institution of a great state,” Lovo said. “And with that distinction comes responsibility. A responsibility to lead, to inspire and to serve the communities across this great state. Colorado athletics will reflect the ambitions, values and pride of this university and of the people we represent. And at the center of everything we do will always be our student-athletes. Supporting them academically, athletically, personally and preparing them for life beyond sport. This place is defined by a proud history and traditions that connect generations of Buffs. They create identity, pride and a sense of belonging that is truly unique in college athletics. That’s why I can’t wait to stand in Folsom Field and see Ralphie run for the first time, Coach Prime, I’m coming out right behind you, baby…Traditions, they matter here, but so do expectations.”
“Make no mistake about it,” he continued. “We are here to compete and we are here to win, across every single one of our programs. I am fiercely competitive in everything that I do, and our responsibility as administrators is clear: to provide our coaches and student-athletes with the resources and the environment necessary to compete for championships consistently and with integrity.”
“At the same time,” he said. “This moment in college athletics demands innovation in how we generate revenue, how we pursue competitive excellence and how we adapt to change. Colorado Athletics is uniquely positioned to lead in this space and I am excited to take advantage of that opportunity.”
“Here’s what I know,” Lovo added. “When we are aligned in our vision, and we will be, when we are united in our purpose, there is truly no limit to what we can achieve together. I am honored to serve this university and this amazing athletic department, and I cannot wait to lock arms and get to work building the future of Colorado athletics. Let’s have some fun, and go Buffs!”
On prioritizing N.I.L
“Obviously, that’s critically important in this world,” Lovo said. “I will tell you this: I think we have an incredibly strong foundation…kudos to Rick [George] and the entire leadership here. I think first, it starts with alignment, and making sure everyone understands how important that is to our success in this day and age. So, yeah, we’re absolutely going to focus on that. I think that’s the competitive edge that we need to look for nowadays. We’re always going to do things with integrity, we’re going to be innovative and we’re going to push the envelope because we know that’s what our coaches need and we’re going to provide them with all the resources they need across the board to win championships. It’ll be a top priority for us.
On leaving New Mexico to come to CU
“To me, this is a destination job,” he said. “This is an unbelievable academic institution that has an iconic brand. One that is recognizable not just here in the United States but across the globe. Those opportunities don’t come along very often, and when you talk about the leadership and the alignment of the leadership, from the regents, to the president, all the way down to the chancellor, and then to be able to come in and follow an incredible human being and a great leader and administrator in Rick George, this was just the perfect opportunity for me and my family. Colorado is a beautiful place with beautiful people, and Boulder is unbelievable. It’s breathtaking here, and this is a place we’re excited to be at. I can’t wait to get to work and continue to build on the great foundation that Rick has already established here.”
On lessons learned at New Mexico
“We had a lot that we had to do in a short amount of time,” Lovo said. “First and foremost, building trust and relationships early on and quickly is really important, and that’s what I intend to do here as we get started, because it allows you to be decisive, be innovative and trust your gut. A lot of times, we’re faced with a lot of different things in this new age of college athletics. You’ve got to rely on the things that you learn and the relationships you have with the people in your foxhole, and that’s all of our coaches, our student athletes and my staff, and having Rick’s guidance is also going to be very important. We had to make a lot of big decisions early on, and those were rooted in what we knew we needed for us to be successful. I intend to do the same thing here, diving in, getting to know people, taking those same lessons I learned at New Mexico, bringing them here and helping us advance forward.”
On working with coaches
“I think the most important thing that administrators can do early on is to listen,” Lovo added. “Our coaches are the CEOs of our programs, and it's our job as administrators to help them win championships. I had a coach one time that told me: ‘players and coaches win games and administrators win championships,’ and that’s what I believe. We’re going to dive in with our coaches, we’re going to lock arms with them, and they have tough jobs, so we’ve got to provide them with every resource they need, both on and off the field, to compete for championships. So, looking forward to diving in with our coaches, I know we have tremendous coaches here; kudos to Rick and his staff for hiring, first and foremost, great people; they’ve all been so wonderful to meet and have welcomed me so well. Can’t wait to get to work with them.”
On the gameday experience at Folsom Field
“First and foremost, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the great work that Rick and his team have already done to create an intimidating environment in our venues and I’m excited to learn more,” Lovo continued. “But I think it's about connection and listening to our fanbase. I think one of the things we were able to do really well at New Mexico was to make sure that we listened to the needs and wants of our fans. It’s become increasingly easier to stay home and watch a game, particularly if you’ve got a game in the middle of the week or whatever it might be, depending on the sport. But I think we need to listen and we need to show our fans that we really care. I think we’ve done that here already, so always finding a way to elevate that and create a really engaging in-game experience where we’re not just having [the fans] sit on their hands, that they’re part of the experience. One thing I do know is that a great home experience, regardless of whatever sport you’re playing, has a tangible impact on winning and losing. We’re going to make sure that’s a priority for us here.”
On being an athletic director in the changing collegiate sports landscape
“There’s a lot that’s been changing,” he said. “...The good news for me is that I can utilize Rick and the knowledge that he’s been able to gather, in terms of where we are as an institution, department and as a conference. …Early on, we’ve got to find ways to increase our revenue and to support all of our sports because we have great coaches here…and we need to provide them with all of the resources they need to excel and win championships. I believe this is a brand where we can win championships across the board, and I think it's become increasingly more challenging in this age of college athletics to have success holistically across your department. But I’m resolute in my belief and my desire to have championships across all our sports and I really am looking forward to getting to work on that and finding creative and innovative solutions to provide us with a competitive edge over our opponents.”
On financial deficit/potential cutting of athletic programs
“Every decision that we are going to make is keeping our student athletes first,” Lovo said. “I think for me an Rick to dive in and look at it in its entirety, that’s what I plan to do. We have a really strong group of sports across the board that I think are well-positioned to win championships and we’re going to continue down that pathway. We’re going to find innovative and creative ways to drive our revenue because I believe that we should be in the top 25 each and every year in the Learfield Cup and I know we can do that here. My focus right now is listening, learning and embracing everything this wonderful university has to offer. I fully intend to pour into all of our sports and continue to build on what they’ve already established and allow them to win championships moving forward.”
On being at CU long-term
“I believe that this is an absolute destination place,” Lovo continued. “I’m only the seventh athletic director in the history of Colorado athletics and I think that speaks to what makes this institution so wonderful. The continuity over the years is a powerful statement and it's one that really resonated with me as I was exploring this opportunity. And, are you kidding me? Look at the views, look at this place, this is absolutely unbelievable, and the people that I get to work with and can’t wait to get to know them more…We are just beyond thrilled to be here and just can’t wait to spend a meaningful time of our personal lives and my professional life here at CU.”
On Rick George’s mentorship
“We’ve spent quite a bit of time together since I touched down in Boulder,” he said. “...This is a very unique situation to be able to come in and really follow one of the titans of the industry, and I mean that sincerely. What he’s done here, who he is as a person, and how much his family has poured into this community is really hard to find. So for me it’s going to be very helpful, and it was very much an appealing part of this job…Really fortunate to have this opportunity and I know Rick is going to get tired of me asking him questions, as there will be a lot of them, but just really lessed to have the opportunity to work alongside him.”
On innovative revenue generation
“I think it starts with who we are as a brand and where we’re situated,” Lovo added. “We’re situated in an amazing part of the country in a great state that has a lot of really cool and innovative things going on that we need to tap into. Whether it’s the corporate side, or concerts, or whatever else it is, this is a destination place…I’ve been really fortunate during my time at the University of Texas, when we opened up the new Moody Center…and made our venues more of a 365-day-a-year [operation]...What works here might be different than what worked in a different place, but there’s lessons learned that I can take and will take from all those different stops and people that I know will be fruitful here in terms of generating revenue.”
On key priorities and measures of progress in his tenure
“The first 30, 60, 90 days are all about listening and learning,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to spend my time doing and one of the things, first and foremost, I plan to meet with every one of our staff and coaches individually and spend some really intentional time with them because I think you need to have relationships before there’s anything else…The other thing is getting our community engaged and excited. I’ve got to be out and about, shaking hands and preaching the good word of Colorado athletics and doing it alongside Rick…When you talk about benchmarks, I’ve said it before. I think we should be a holistically competitive athletic department. We’re in an evaluation-friendly business…so there’s not much gray area. We’ve got a great foundation, we’ve got great coaches and I think if we can get our community engaged and understand what’s going on in this new world of athletics and why they’re so critical, I think…when we’re united in our vision, there’s no limits to what we can achieve. So, I don’t want to set any benchmarks for myself because I want to surpass every single one that I have internally, but it starts with people and relationships and that’s what we’re going to focus on early.”
On Texas Longhorns athletic director Chris Del Conte
“Chris is incredibly important to me,” Lovo said. “Personally, to me, he’s like a father figure to me. He’s helped me every step of the way. We spent seven and a half years together at Texas and the thing I took away from Chris that he’s just so elite with is how he treated and interacted with people. I think that was the foundation for all the success we were able to see when I was at Texas. So Chris is really important to me, as are all of my other mentors…just so blessed that he was in my life.”
On alumni involvement
“We have over 300,000 alumni,” Lovo added. “That’s a powerful statement and we need our donor base to grow. We need those alumni, whether they’re here in Colorado, or in California, or on the East Coast, they’ve got to be engaged and that starts with me. We’ve got to sell a vision, we’ve got to get out and about because if we can all come together, if we can all be united, I really, truly believe that championships are going to become the norm here. That’s our expectation, that’s the chancellor’s expectation, I wouldn’t want it to be anything different. So, if we can get our community engaged, to believe and to buy into what’s going on here, leverage the great coaches and student-athletes we have that are doing great things even beyond competition. I think when you start to see that momentum and inertia behind it, watch out, Colorado is going to be special and we’re going to start winning some championships.”